Dubas out as Maple Leafs GM after 5 seasons
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Kristen Shilton, ESPN NHL reporter
TORONTO — Maple Leafs president and alternate governor Brendan Shanahan said it was ultimately his choice to let go of general manager Kyle Dubas on Friday. How Shanahan arrived at the decision was a lengthy and dramatic process, culminating with a meeting they had Friday morning when Shanahan informed Dubas his contract — which was set to expire June 30 — would not be renewed.
“I had gotten to a different place about how I felt about the future of the Toronto Maple Leafs and what was best,” Shanahan said during a news conference Friday. “As hard as it was and as hard as it is to make a significant change [regarding] someone you’re close with and someone you’re working with for nine years … I just felt different [recently], and that the long-term future of the Maple Leafs might have to change. I slept on that and woke up this morning and drove to Kyle’s office to inform him we would not be renewing his contract.”
The Maple Leafs announced the decision hours later via a news release with a short statement from Shanahan thanking Dubas for his “unwavering dedication” since the organization hired him in 2014.
It was Shanahan then who lured Dubas from his post as GM of the Ontario Hockey League’s Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds into an assistant GM role with Toronto (that included GM duties with their American Hockey League affiliate Marlies). It was also Shanahan who promoted Dubas to the Maple Leafs GM spot in May 2018, after Shanahan opted not to renew the contract of then-GM Lou Lamoriello.
Dubas was a key part of building the Maple Leafs nucleus from there, including its core four of Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, William Nylander and John Tavares. He also fired former coach Mike Babcock in 2019 and replaced him with current bench boss Sheldon Keefe, whom Dubas had hired to coach the Greyhounds in 2011 and the Marlies in 2015.
The Maple Leafs went 221-109-42 during the regular season with Dubas as GM, but the team frequently stumbled in the postseason. From 2016 to ’22, Toronto made six consecutive first-round exits from the playoffs. The Maple Leafs’ first-round series win this year over the Tampa Bay Lightning marked the first time they advanced in a postseason since 2004. Toronto fell in five games to the Florida Panthers in the second round.
During his end-of-season media availability Monday, Dubas was whether he’d return to Toronto and said it would be a “family decision,” making it clear the last year had been difficult on the homefront. Dubas also said that if he didn’t return, he wouldn’t seek another job elsewhere this year.
Those comments played a significant role in what transpired between Shanahan and Dubas over the following days.
In his Friday availability, Shanahan detailed the timeline he went through with Dubas in working toward a potential new contract. It began during last offseason when Shanahan told Dubas he would not receive an extension prior to the regular season but it was not a reflection of Dubas’ future with the club. Shanahan was hopeful for a positive resolution.
That came about in mid-March when Shanahan — pleased with what Dubas had done at the trade deadline, as he acquired the likes of Ryan O’Reilly, Noel Acciari and Luke Schenn — approached Dubas and said he’d seen enough to begin extension talks.
“I didn’t want [the contract] to be something on his mind going into the playoffs,” Shanahan said. “I felt he had put the team in a position to have success, and it was important to me to not just wait and see what the [playoff] result was but to be consistent with the support I tried to give him on a daily basis and have something tangible presented to him.”
Dubas came back to Shanahan about a week later and said he “was comfortable” moving forward but didn’t want the discussions to be a distraction and directed Shanahan to work with his agent. Shanahan said he had “many good conversations” with Dubas’ agent and felt they were “making progress.” Even while the Maple Leafs were moving through the postseason, getting a deal done with Dubas remained top of mind.
“I felt that those conversations and the communications I got from Kyle had put me in a position where I could come to him with something that was pretty much a finished deal, that reflected what he wanted financially and what he wanted as a general manager,” Shanahan said.
After the Maple Leafs fell in Game 5 to the Panthers on Saturday, Shanahan presented Dubas with the framework of a contract. Shanahan said Dubas seemed “pleased to receive that news so quickly.”
The Maple Leafs performed their end-of-season media availabilities two days later, and Shanahan decided he wouldn’t speak to media until Dubas’ status was resolved. He didn’t think Dubas should address the media either, but Dubas felt it was important he did so during the sessions on Monday, a decision Shanahan said he “respected.”
“I definitely don’t have it in me to go anywhere else,” Dubas said Monday. “It’ll either be here or it’ll be taking time to recalibrate, reflect on the seasons here. It requires a full family discussion … for me to commit to anything without having a fuller understanding of what the year took on them, it’s probably unfair for me to answer. It was a very hard year on them.”
Dubas’ emotional statements caused Shanahan to pause and question whether his GM would accept a new contract.
“I think at that point there was a dramatic shift in my thinking as I drove home that night,” Shanahan said. “As Kyle expressed, he may not want to be our GM, and I have to take that very seriously. As I said to him the day before [when we met privately], I understood those feelings [around family] and the pressure … but it was a very real possibility for me at that point I’d be needing to look somewhere else.”
Still, Shanahan was hoping he and Dubas would come to a resolution. He met with Dubas again Wednesday, but Shanahan “did not have clarity” on Dubas’ mindset and “it further made me feel … he might not want to be the manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs.”
The next day, Dubas told Shanahan his agent would call him. The agent did so and presented Shanahan with a new financial package. Shanahan did not hear from Dubas throughout the day until an email came Thursday night in which Dubas said he did still want to be the Maple Leafs’ general manager. But Shanahan was already in that “different place” about the GM role.
“A gap had risen in the contract status,” said Shanahan, “But nevertheless, after the email I received from Kyle, I just felt differently.”
Shanahan stressed the outcome wasn’t related to money but went back to how he felt there were previous indications the sides would work things out and he was “less sure” that Dubas wanted the job after Monday’s news conference. While Dubas had expressed privately to Shanahan his familial concerns, those weren’t something Shanahan expected for Dubas to make public.
“At that point I hadn’t ruled Kyle Dubas out,” Shanahan said. “But I certainly had to make sure that I was thinking of other options as well.”
As for whom that successor might be, Shanahan said he will be “open-minded” about all future candidates but that having an experienced general manager would be “an attractive quality.” Dubas was a first-time NHL GM when Shanahan promoted him into the slot.
There’s a level of urgency from Shanahan as well to find that next person sooner than later. It’s possible Keefe’s future with the club hangs in that balance, too. Shanahan didn’t directly touch on Keefe’s status during his 30-minute news conference but did say there were personnel choices that would be on the next GM’s plate.
“I have spoken with most of our staff. I have called several of our players,” Shanahan said. “But some of those [pending] decisions have to be the responsibility of the new general manager. I’m going to lean heavily on [assistant GM] Brandon Pridham as we get through this time.”
Seven of eight first-round series in the 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs have begun, and No. 8 gets rolling on Tuesday.
The Battle of Florida between the Tampa Bay Lightning and Florida Panthers begins anew (8:30 p.m. ET, ESPN), with both clubs looking like a legitimate Stanley Cup contender if they can survive the intrastate showdown.
Cats-Bolts is the third game of four Tuesday on the ESPN family of networks, following New Jersey–Carolina (6 p.m. ET, ESPN) and Ottawa–Toronto (7:30 p.m., ESPN2), and preceding the nightcap, Minnesota–Vegas (11 p.m. ET, ESPN).
What are the key storylines heading into Tuesday’s games? Who are the key players to watch?
Read on for game previews with statistical insights from ESPN Research, recaps of what went down Monday night, and the Three Stars of Monday Night from Arda Öcal.
Matchup notes
New Jersey Devils at Carolina Hurricanes
Game 2 (CAR leads 1-0) | 6 p.m. ET | ESPN
Game 1 sure did not go as planned for the Devils. A win at the legendarily loud Lenovo Center would’ve been stretching it, but losing Brenden Dillon, Cody Glass and Luke Hughes to injury was not an ideal outcome either.
They’ll hope to rebound Tuesday before the series shifts to Newark. Closing the shot attempt differential might help, as the famously possession-savvy Hurricanes held a 45-24 edge on shots on goal in Game 1.
For years, the knock on Carolina was that it lacked that one goal scorer who could get the Canes over the hump in the playoffs. Many observers thought the Canes had acquired such a player in Mikko Rantanen in January. Ironically, it was the player Carolina acquired in its subsequent trade of Rantanen to Dallas — Logan Stankoven — who scored two goals in Game 1. Will he add to that total in Game 2?
Of note heading into Tuesday’s game, the Devils have come back to win a playoff series after losing the first game 11 out of 26 times (42%); that figure drops to 20% if they fall behind 0-2. The Hurricanes have won six of their past seven series after winning Game 1.
Ottawa Senators at Toronto Maple Leafs
Game 2 (TOR leads 1-0) | 7:30 p.m. ET | ESPN2
The atmosphere was intense for Game 1, and the Maple Leafs’ “Core Four” led the way: Mitch Marner (one goal, two assists), William Nylander (one goal, one assist), John Tavares (one goal, one assist) and Auston Matthews (two assists) each filled up the scoresheet. A continuation of that output will obviously help Toronto overwhelm its provincial neighbor.
Slowing down the Maple Leafs could depend on discipline, according to Ottawa captain Brady Tkachuk. “We took too many penalties, they scored on [them] and that’s the game,” Tkachuk told reporters after Game 1. “So that’s on us. We’ve got to be more disciplined.”
The Sens will also need to capitalize on their chances. According to Stathletes, Ottawa had five high-danger scoring chances in this game, and produced only two goals.
Florida Panthers at Tampa Bay Lightning
Game 1 | 8:30 p.m ET | ESPN
This is the fourth time that the two Sunshine State franchises have met in the postseason, and all four of the meetings have occurred since 2021.
In each instance, the winner of the series has gone on to reach the Stanley Cup Final — Lightning in 2021 and 2022; Panthers in 2024 — while the 2021 Lightning and 2024 Panthers won it all.
Unsurprisingly, Nikita Kucherov is Tampa Bay’s leading scorer against Florida, with 25 points (five goals, 20 assists) in 15 games. Aleksander Barkov is the Panthers’ leading scorer against the Lightning, with 13 points (three goals, 10 assists) in 15 games.
The two teams split their meetings in the regular season, with the Lightning winning the most recent, 5-1 on April 15.
Minnesota Wild at Vegas Golden Knights
Game 2 (VGK leads 1-0) | 11 p.m. ET | ESPN
The underdog Wild set a physical tone to the series in Game 1, outhitting the Golden Knights 54-29, but the hosts emerged with a 4-2 victory. Tomas Hertl, Pavel Dorofeyev and Brett Howden (two) were the goal scorers for Vegas, and Matt Boldy was responsible for both Minnesota goals.
Howden, who had never scored double-digit goals until his 23 this season, earned praise from coach Bruce Cassidy after Game 1. “He didn’t change his game,” Cassidy told reporters. “He played physical. He’s part of our penalty kill. He’s always out when the goalie’s out, typically one of the six guys we use a lot because of his versatility. He can play wing. He can take draws as a center. He’s been real good for us all year and good again tonight.”
Sunday’s game was the NHL debut for 2024 first-round pick Zeev Buium, who just finished his season with the University of Denver. He played 13 minutes, 37 seconds and finished with one shot on goal.
Arda’s Three Stars of Monday
The greatest goal scorer in NHL history just keeps finding the back of the net. He had two goals, including the overtime winner, as the Caps take Game 1 3-2 despite a valiant third period effort from Montreal to send it to the extra frame.
Connor had the game-winning goal in the third period for the second straight game, as Winnipeg takes both games at home for the 2-0 series lead on the Blues.
Further proof that the Oilers are never out of the game, McDavid helped erase a 4-0 deficit with a goal and three assists, despite the Oilers falling 6-5 late in a thrilling Game 1.
Monday’s scores
Capitals 3, Canadiens 2 (OT)
Washington leads 1-0
Much of the regular season was spent focused on Alex Ovechkin‘s “Gr8 Chase” of Wayne Gretzky’s all-time goal-scoring record, and he scored historic goal No. 895 on Sunday, April 6. It turns out, Ovi likes the spotlight. The Capitals superstar opened the scoring in the game, and bookended it with the overtime winner — his first ever, believe it or not — as the Caps survived a thriller in Game 1, following Nick Suzuki‘s tying goal with 4:15 remaining. Full recap.
1:51
Alex Ovechkin’s OT goal wins Game 1 for Capitals
Alex Ovechkin’s second goal of the game is an overtime winner that gives the Capitals a 1-0 series lead vs. the Canadiens.
Jets 2, Blues 1
Winnipeg leads 2-0
Game 1 between the two clubs was tightly contested until the Jets took over in the third period. That trend took hold again on Monday — the score remained tied into 1-1 the third period, when Winnipeg’s Kyle Connor scored at the 1:43 mark, and the Jets were able to hold the Blues off the scoreboard for the duration. Connor’s linemate Mark Scheifele assisted on the game-winner and opened the scoring, giving him a league-leading five points this postseason. Full recap.
0:40
Kyle Connor scores clutch goal to put Jets ahead in 3rd period
Kyle Connor extends Winnipeg’s lead after a clutch goal early in the 3rd period vs. St. Louis.
Stars 4, Avalanche 3 (OT)
Series tied 1-1
The series that every observer thought would be the closest in the first round didn’t look that way in Game 1, as the Avs ran over the Stars en route to a 5-1 win. Game 2 was much more in line with expectations, as the two Western powerhouses needed OT to settle things. Colin Blackwell was the hero for Dallas, scoring with 2:14 remaining in the first OT period. Full recap.
0:50
Colin Blackwell comes up with big OT winner for Stars
Colin Blackwell sends the Stars faithful into jubilation with a great overtime winner to tie the series at 1-1 vs. the Avalanche.
Kings 6, Oilers 5
Los Angeles leads 1-0
Monday’s nightcap was a delight to those who like offensive hockey and were willing to stay up late. The Kings roared out to a four-goal lead late in the second period before Edmonton’s Leon Draisaitl scored to pull within three with six seconds remaining. The two teams traded goals to start the third, before the Oilers notched three in a row to tie up the festivities with 1:28 remaining on Connor McDavid‘s first of the 2025 playoffs. L.A.’s Phillip Danault sent his club’s fans home happy, scoring the pivotal goal with 42 seconds left. Full recap.
0:46
Kings retake lead on Phillip Danault’s goal in final minute
Phillip Danault restores the lead for the Kings with a goal vs. the Oilers in the closing moments.
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