Headlines

Go To MLB Trade Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Maple Leafs Rumors

Dubas Has Many Decisions To Make In Toronto

at CDT | by 2 Comments

Just a couple of days into his new job and people are starting to see the challenges ahead for Toronto Maple Leafs new general manager Kyle Dubas. To start, the 32-year-old GM has been with the organization for four years and must deal with older, more experienced personnel, including 55-year-old Mark Hunter (at least for now) and 55-year-old Mike Babcock.

While Dubas has been given the keys to one of the most famed and loaded franchises, Dubas must also make his mark on the roster and lead the team to that next championship level. Many big decisions will come up just in the next few months including locking up his young players for the future, while building a winner in the one-year window before those deals kick in.

The first big decisions the GM will have to deal with is deciding if one or any of their unrestricted free agents will be brought back, including James van Riemsdyk, Tyler Bozak and Leo Komarov. Both van Reimsdyk and Bozak are expected to get significant raises this summer when they sign new contracts and would be very challenging to bring back. Bozak in particular is valuable as the team is not nearly as strong at the center position as they are at the wing. However, Komarov could be a possibility if he encounters a dry market and the Maple Leafs believe he can still be of help. However, with great depth and a GM who is well aware of what type of players the team has at the AHL level, letting all three walk away is a legitimate possibility.

However, James Mirtle of The Athletic (subscription required) writes that Dubas will want to put his own brand on the Maple Leafs, so expect multiple changes. Among those possibilities, includes a potential run at John Tavares or a defenseman like Dougie Hamilton. However, Mirtle points out that a player like Nikita Zaitsev could become one of those changes. With a partial no-trade clause kicking in next year and Zaitsev’s limitations with the puck, this might be a good time to move on from him if they don’t feel he will be a good fit in the future.

The defense might be the key to Dubas success. Often labeled as the team’s failing this season, a change might be necessary, but with limitations to long-term deals, the most likely way to upgrade the blueline would be through a trade, although it’s unlikely Dubas would move Mitch Marner or William Nylander to make a major upgrade.

Goaltending could be an issue too. Despite the solid performance by backup goaltender Curtis McElhinney this year, Dubas might look to trading the 34-year-old veteran netminder. With Garrett Sparks dominating in the AHL (1.79 GAA, .936 save percentage with the Toronto Marlies) and the real possibility the team could lose him to waivers at the start of next season, the team must decide whether it’s time to give Sparks the No. 2 spot.

While a decision on Roman Polak might be an easy one, Dubas is well aware that the defenseman is a personal favorite of Babcock and does the young GM throw the veteran coach a bone and bring him back? In the end, nothing will be easy for Dubas, who will be scrutinized more than any general manager in the coming months.

 

Islanders Must Decide Whether To Hand Team To Lamoriello

at CDT | by 2 Comments

While there is some talk between the New York Islanders and former Toronto Maple Leafs general manager and current senior adviser Lou Lamoriello, there remains many questions about what role the 75-year-old executive would be looking for if he would opt to leave Toronto in favor of the Islanders. While New York still has Garth Snow holding down the general manager’s position, that means very little.

In fact, the New York Post’s Larry Brooks writes that if the team wants to bring Lamoriello in, they have only one option available to them, and that is to let him take over the franchise. Regardless of what title they choose to give him, Lamoriello will want final say over personnel decisions. And if the Islanders aren’t ready to give him that, then there is no point to meeting with him.

The scribe reminds everyone that when he took over in New Jersey in May of 1987 as team president, it only took him four months before he forced out general manager Max McNab from that same position and took over general manager duties. Don’t expect things to be any different. While he is rumored to be friends with Snow, nothing is much different now. If he wanted to stay in an advisory role, then he could stay in Toronto.

Newsday’s Andrew Gross writes that it’s logicial that ownership is likely ready to offer Lamoriello the keys to the Islanders. New York’s ownership has already said they are evaluating ways to improve the Islanders, a team that has reached the playoffs four of the last 12 years. While that doesn’t necessarily mean the team intends to fire everyone, it’s very likely the Islanders are ready to make a significant shakeup. However, Gross adds that Lamoriello is well known to make changes and things may be no different with the Islanders if he signs on.

The other hope, of course, is that these moves might be a last minute attempt to convince star center John Tavares to stay with the Islanders, rather than leave for another franchise when he becomes an unrestricted free agent in less than two months.

William Nylander Could Be A Candidate For A Bridge Deal

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

  • While the league, in general, has been gravitating towards bypassing the bridge contract in favor of a long-term deal as entry-level contracts expire, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman speculated in an appearance on 630 CHED in Edmonton (audio link) that Maple Leafs winger William Nylander could be a player to get a bridge deal. He notes that Nylander’s end to his season (which saw him briefly dropped to the fourth line) will have hurt his leverage and accordingly, it would make more sense for the 22-year-old to go short-term and try to boost his value.  Doing so would also give Toronto a bit more flexibility to work with in terms of trying to add to their roster this summer.

Lou Lamoriello Talking To New York Islanders About Front Office Position

at CDT | by 3 Comments

Though we’ve heard rumblings and rumors ever since the Toronto Maple Leafs announced that Lou Lamoriello would not return as GM, there was never any confirmation that the legendary executive would actually consider a position with the New York Islanders. Now, John Shannon of Sportsnet is reporting that Lamoriello is indeed speaking with the Islanders about a potential role in their front office.

Lamoriello of course has ties to the Islanders organization as his son Chris already works for the team as Director of Player Personnel. The team has also been reportedly considering moving current GM Garth Snow into a more senior position, though it’s not yet clear where everyone would land if Lamoriello came on board.

With the Maple Leafs’ naming Kyle Dubas their new GM today, Lamoriello was supposed to be transitioning into an advisory role with the club. The idea of him actually fulfilling that role always came with doubts though, as many believe he still wishes to have control of a team. The 75-year old executive left a similar role with the New Jersey Devils after the team hired Ray Shero.

If Lamoriello was to take over as GM of the Islanders, it would be at an incredibly important moment in the franchise’ history. John Tavares has less than two months left before he becomes an unrestricted free agent, while the team is heading into a new era with the new arena development scheduled in the coming years.

Coaching Notes: Gulutzan, Clark, Smith

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

In Elliotte Friedman’s latest 31 Thoughts column for Sportsnet, he breaks down the situations of several coaches—both employed and unemployed—around the league. One of those he touches on is Glen Gulutzan, who Friedman says received offers to become an assistant coach in both Edmonton and Buffalo.

There’s no indication that Gulutzan has made a decision yet, but with teams offering him roles as an assistant or head coach in the AHL, it seems unlikely that he’ll remain unemployed very long. The former Calgary Flames head coach was fired after a disappointing season, in which the club missed the playoffs entirely.

  • Ian Clark, the goaltending coach for the Columbus Blue Jackets, will leave the team at the end of June. His contract is expiring and will move on to new challenges, leaving Sergei Bobrovsky and Joonas Korpisalo without their coach next season. No word on who will be replacing him, though Clark believes that “sooner or later, teams will have a director of player personnel and a director of goaltending.”
  • One interesting connection that Friedman makes regarding the New York Rangers’ vacancy, is that of D.J. Smith. The Toronto Maple Leafs assistant coach has a history with Rangers’ Special Assistant Adam Graves, and has been considered for various jobs in the past. Interestingly, the Maple Leafs have recently promoted Kyle Dubas to GM, where he could have an impact on coaching hires over the next few months.

Toronto Maple Leafs Announce Kyle Dubas As Next GM

at CDT | by 6 Comments

As many expected, the Toronto Maple Leafs have announced that Kyle Dubas will be the team’s next GM. Dubas will take over for Lou Lamoriello, who has been moved to a senior advisory role that might not last very long.

Dubas, 32, will become one of the youngest GMs in the league with his appointment, but he comes with more experience than many his age. At just 25 he was named the GM of the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds of the OHL, where he turned around the program and hired Sheldon Keefe—now head coach of the Marlies and potential NHL candidate—to lead the junior team. After just a few seasons in the OHL, Maple Leafs President Brendan Shanahan brought him in as an assistant GM and tasked him with reorganizing the team’s player development model.

With Toronto, Dubas has created a baseball-like system with several tiers of development. Players like Martins Dzierkals, Jeremy Bracco and Mason Marchment haven’t just been pushed into AHL games right away, but left to develop away from game action or even in the ECHL. That system—along with a relentless search for new talent—has led the Marlies, under the management of Dubas, to become an AHL powerhouse in recent years. The team is heading to their second Eastern Conference final in three years, after sweeping the Syracuse Crunch recently.

While it may be easy to point to Dubas and think of him as an analytics-based manager that will throw conventional hockey knowledge out the window, many of his peers believe something much different. Justin Bourne, a former video coach with the Marlies, wrote for The Athletic recently how Dubas is far from just a number-cruncher and thoroughly understands systems and traditional scouting techniques.

Still, many have questioned whether Mark Hunter will remain in his current position now that Dubas has been given the keys to the castle. Hunter, another assistant GM with the Maple Leafs, is famous for his scouting propensity and was another candidate to take over as the GM when Lamoriello stepped down. Whether he’s willing to stay and work under Dubas has been the topic of much debate recently, but nothing is clear at this point.

So the Maple Leafs head into a new era of management while the on-ice product is at its best in over a decade. Dubas will be tasked with making the necessary adjustments to push them from playoff to Stanley Cup contender, all while navigating contract negotiations for some of their best young players. If Lamoriello or Hunter (or both) depart, he may have to do it without the help of experience by his side.

Despite Public Comments. Lou Lamoriello Not Interested In Fulfilling Advisor Role

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

  • While now-former Maple Leafs GM Lou Lamoriello publicly stated that he intended to fulfill the advisory role in his contract, Arthur Staple of The Athletic reports (subscription required) that he has no real intention of doing so. This comes on the heels of speculation earlier this week that the Islanders could be a landing spot for the 75-year-old, something that Staple suggests is a possibility as well.  If that indeed happens, Toronto will not be entitled to any compensation as that was put to an end back in January of 2016.

Latest On Toronto Maple Leafs’ Pursuit Of Igor Ozhiganov

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

For several months, the Toronto Maple Leafs have been the expected landing spot of KHL defenseman Igor Ozhiganov. That feeling has stemmed from the visit that Lou Lamoriello and Mike Babcock took in August of 2017, to meet with Ozhiganov and attempt to recruit him to Toronto. It’s the same playbook they used to land Nikita Zaitsev in the summer of 2016, a player they quickly extended after a solid first season.

Ozhiganov’s agent Dan Milstein had recently said that no decision has been made on where the defenseman will play next season, and now he’s clarified things even further. Darren Dreger of TSN passes along that it is either the Maple Leafs or KHL for Ozhiganov in 2018-19, with no other NHL teams being options for the 25-year old.

If Toronto does sign him, it may complicate things somewhat for their roster next season. Currently the team has only Zaitsev under contract as a right-handed defenseman, while Connor Carrick (RFA) and Roman Polak (UFA) head to free agency. Toronto used Ron Hainsey almost exclusively on the right side this season, but need to upgrade the position if they’re to take another step forward next year. While it’s hard to imagine Ozhiganov being given the same opportunity that Zaitsev was when he first came to Toronto, it seems unlikely that he’d be leaving Russia to play in the AHL. That means he’d have to take up the third spot on the right side, which is a risky proposition for a team looking to contend for the Stanley Cup.

Still, there is a long way to go before the ice is set for the 2018-19 season, and getting Ozhiganov under contract gives you another talented defenseman to work with. Whether through trade, free agency or something else, the Maple Leafs need to strengthen their defense corps and solidify their biggest weakness.

One has to wonder if part of the hold up for Ozhiganov is the potential departure of Lamoriello, who was moved out of the GM spot recently and has rumors circling around him. If Lamoriello was who sold the Maple Leafs organization to Ozhiganov in the first place, perhaps his absence would push the young defenseman back to the KHL.

KHL Notes: Ozhiganov, Valiev, Soshnikov

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

Dan Milstein, the agent for many of the league’s top Russian players including Nikita Kucherov and Artemi Panarin, spoke about some of his lesser known clients recently with Championat, a Russian publication. In the interview, he would not confirm that Igor Ozhiganov will sign with the Toronto Maple Leafs, only that the defenseman will make a decision in the coming days.

Ozhiganov, 25, was visited by Lou Lamoriello and Mike Babcock earlier this season, in much the same process as Nikita Zaitsev the year prior. Many have believed for some time that he is destined to sign with the Maple Leafs, though nothing is certain yet.

  • Rinat Valiev, who was reported to be going to the KHL recently, has apparently not made that decision yet. Valiev will listen to offers from the Montreal Canadiens, as Milstein explained he was pleased when he got a chance at the NHL level. The former Maple Leafs prospect played in two games with the Canadiens after being traded midseason, and is a restricted free agent this summer.
  • Nikita Soshnikov, another former Maple Leafs player traded this time to the St. Louis Blues in early 2018, is also not committed to heading to Russia just yet. Milstein explained that St. Louis has already offered him a new one-way contract, but Soshnikov is considering heading back. Also a restricted free agent this summer, his rights are owned by SKA St. Petersburg, one of the most powerful teams in the KHL.

Latest On Lou Lamoriello & The New York Islanders

at CDT | by 4 Comments

At the end of April, the Toronto Maple Leafs and Brendan Shanahan in particular, announced that they would not be changing the plan to have Lou Lamoriello step aside as General Manager and move into a senior advisory role. Though they didn’t immediately name a successor to Lamoriello, many believe it will either be Kyle Dubas or Mark Hunter, both of whom are already with the organization. But for the outgoing executive, speculation immediately began over whether he would be satisfied with the reduced role.

When Lamoriello was pushed out in a similar way with the New Jersey Devils, it didn’t take him long to find another GM opening in Toronto. He left the franchise that he’d been with for decades for the new opportunity with the Maple Leafs, thanks in large part to the extremely close relationship he and Shanahan have maintained for quite some time. Now, as he steps aside and allows one of the younger, less experienced executives to take over in Toronto, he could repeat his steps and move on to another organization once again.

Last night, Bob McKenzie of TSN tweeted out that there is “a decided uptick” in speculation regarding Lamoriello and the New York Islanders, something that Darren Dreger repeated on TSN radio this morning. Neither of the two insiders could provide any real knowledge of an imminent move, but many others have pondered the same move since Lamoriello’s son Chris is already with the organization and there is talk of current GM Garth Snow moving into a more senior role. Interestingly, Dreger notes that there could be a scenario where Lamoriello moves into a role with the Islanders that is not that of GM, though his influence would certainly still be felt in that front office.

The legendary executive has helped rebuild the Maple Leafs after more than a decade of disappointment, though the team has yet to take the leap and win a playoff series under his leadership. With Toronto still a young team with several developing stars, there are some key decisions to be made by the front office in the coming months and years. Even with Dubas or Hunter at the helm, having Lamoriello there for assistance and guidance wouldn’t be a bad thing.

In New York though they might be even more in need. The Islanders are heading into a crucial few months for the franchise, with John Tavares defining his career with his next decision. The pending unrestricted free agent could likely play his entire career with one organization if he signs long-term in New York, or could chase the money and a Stanley Cup somewhere else. He’ll have plenty of suitors, and an experienced negotiator like Lamoriello could be of use to the team as they try to lock down the face of the franchise.

As they head into the next chapter in their history, with a new arena being built and set to open in a few years, the Islanders need to solve the problems that have limited them to barely any playoff success in recent times. If Tavares returns, the team has to find a way to solve their defense and goaltending issues and allow their talented offensive unit to take them on a deep playoff run. If Snow is moving into a different position, perhaps Lamoriello is the person to take them there.

Pro Hockey Rumors is not affiliated with National Hockey League, NHL or NHL.com

Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

scroll to top