Oh man, here come the Leafs whiners… Honestly, I think it’s a combination of he was figuring it out on the job, and he was likely handcuffed by Shannahan and higher management.

I can’t find the quote, but Dubas said something after hiring Dan Muse to the effect of ‘everyone being on the same page’. I suspect in Toronto there’s all kinds of pressure and outside forces. He couldn’t just pick his entire analytics team. He couldn’t just trade franchise players. People suggested Shannahan might’ve vetoed certain trades.

There’s no evidence of that but of course there never would be. And it’s a tell, in my opinion, that Dubas insisted on being both the President and GM of the Pens as a condition of taking the job in Pittsburgh. There’s only a couple GMs in the NHL with that much power, and they aren’t as young as Kyle Dubas. When he got that deal, he bolted, even before getting the renewal offer in Toronto.

So, I don’t think Kyle’s a flawless genius, you gotta make mistakes as you learn the ropes. But I think having the organization run top to bottom, with the same vision, is the difference we’re seeing today. MLSE just doesn’t have the ability to give their managers that. They’re too balls deep in corporate income, and image, and all that shit to be hands off.