While Maple Leafs winger William Nylander was expected to play for Sweden at the World Championship, Dagens Nyheter’s Malin Fransson reports that this is no longer the case. Instead, the Swedish Federation has opted to lock in its roster as is. The team has registered 21 skaters for the tournament, one below the maximum of 22. That slot will now be held free for a possible injury replacement over trying to bring Nylander in during round-robin play, a move that would have given them a big boost. The tourney will come to an end next Sunday.
Maple Leafs Rumors
Jason Spezza Resigns From Maple Leafs
Parting ways with Kyle Dubas this afternoon, and showing their AHL coaching staff the door, major changes are expected to the front office of the Toronto Maple Leafs this summer. As many have been suggesting, Jason Spezza was considered to be a strong internal option to replace Dubas as General Manager of the Maple Leafs.
Pierre LeBrun of TSN not only threw cold water on that theory but extinguished the flame completely. He reports that shortly before President and Alternate Governor, Brendan Shanahan, took the podium today to speak to the media, Spezza resigned as Special Assistant to the General Manager in Toronto.
After retiring from the Maple Leafs at the end of last season, Spezza took the job as Special Assistant to the General Manager on May 29, 2022. With only Brandon Pridham remaining as a possible internal candidate to replace Dubas as Maple Leafs’ General Manager, this news will be a significant blow to Toronto’s front office.
As Toronto enters what appears to be a transitional period, there will be a significant debate on what this news means for the Maple Leafs moving forward. Although it appears that the front office might be crumbling in Toronto, there is reason for optimism.
Many of the individuals leaving the Maple Leafs organization today have been around for quite some time. Dubas has been in the front office since the 2014-15 season, Spezza since the 2019-20 season (including his time as a player), and Greg Moore since the 2019-20 season, as well.
Being a team that is in dire need of a cultural change, Toronto may have been destined to seek an outside voice no matter what. However, even though there will be light at the end of the tunnel for this franchise, the holes needing to be filled are beginning to pile up for the Maple Leafs this summer.
Toronto Marlies Part Ways With Coaching Staff
As the hockey world continues to digest the news that Kyle Dubas will no longer be at the helm of the Toronto Maple Leafs, their AHL affiliate, the Toronto Marlies, also announced some executive changes as well. Coming shortly after the Dubas news, the Marlies announced that they would not renew the contract of their head coach, Greg Moore, or assistant coaches, A.J. MacLean and John Snowden, as well.
After Sheldon Keefe made the move to the NHL during the 2019-20 season, Moore immediately took over behind the bench for the Marlies. In his first season, the Marlies finished with a 29-27-3-2 record, much worse than they had performed in the previous year under Keefe. The team did not improve much in the shortened 2020-21 season, going 16-17-0-2.
Although not making the playoffs in the 2021-22 season, Moore helped the Marlies to their first winning record under his watch, finishing 37-30-4-1, which put them in sixth place in the stacked North Division. This year, the Marlies were finally able to put it all together, finishing 42-24-4-2, which put them squarely in first place in their division. The team made it all the way to the North Division Finals, losing to the Rochester Americans (Buffalo) in three games.
Due to the team’s incremental progression during Moore’s four-year span behind the bench, it would be a smart bet to expect Moore behind the bench of another team next season. Although the AHL season has not reached its end to this point, the Grand Rapids Griffins (Detroit), Henderson Silver Knights (Vegas), and the Iowa Wild (Minnesota) all find themselves without a head coach for the 2023-24 season.
Coupled with the ouster of Dubas, this news seems to point to a new generation of Maple Leafs’ hockey. The team now has ten players set for unrestricted free agency this July, and will also need to make a decision on extensions for both Auston Matthews and William Nylander. Whatever the future holds for this organization, it is apparent that Toronto is set for a major shakeup this summer.
Latest On Kyle Dubas
It’s rare you get an unprompted high level of transparency from an NHL team executive. However, Toronto Maple Leafs team president Brendan Shanahan, speaking to reporters today, offered a detailed description of the team’s process that led to moving on from general manager Kyle Dubas this morning, as well as offering some thoughts about the future of the team.
To begin last season, it was widely reported that the Maple Leafs were not offering Dubas an extension until further along into 2022-23. Per Shanahan, that’s exactly what happened, saying he approached Dubas after the trade deadline two months ago to tell him he’d talk to Toronto ownership about pursuing an extension. Dubas then informed Shanahan he was comfortable moving forward.
Shanahan, throughout the stretch of the regular season and postseason, then pursued a contract framework with Dubas’ agent. Dubas was then presented with an initial contract framework after the Maple Leafs were eliminated by the Florida Panthers in five games in the Second Round.
While negotiations were positive, Shanahan admitted to reporters his “thought process changed” after watching Dubas’ media availability on Monday, where he mentioned the tolls of the season were tough on him and his family, and there was a possibility he would opt not to return to the role on his own terms.
However, Dubas did make up his mind, telling Shanahan he did want to remain in the role as late as last night when Dubas and his agent presented Shanahan with a contract offer where a “gap had risen” from previous talks. At that point, Shanahan decided the best path forward lay elsewhere and informed Dubas this morning the team wouldn’t be renewing his contract.
One thing Shanahan immediately clarified after his initial statements are that these negotiations didn’t fall apart over money. For Shanahan, it was a shift in thinking about who he wanted in the role that occurred this week.
Shanahan says the team’s focus immediately turns to hiring a new GM, saying he’d prefer to go with someone who has NHL experience in the role.
Shanahan did not comment on the future of head coach Sheldon Keefe, nor was he questioned about it by reporters in attendance.
Kyle Dubas Will Not Return As Toronto GM
Kyle Dubas will not return as general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs next season, team president Brendan Shanahan announced today.
Dubas, who has been with the Maple Leafs since 2014, served as an assistant general manager before being promoted to the role of general manager in May 2018, replacing Lou Lamoriello. Under his leadership, the team has yet to miss the postseason but has won just one game past the First Round, coming in this year’s 4-1 Second Round loss to the Florida Panthers.
Per the announcement from the Leafs, this was not necessarily a mutual decision. The team’s statement clarified that it was Toronto’s decision to part ways with Dubas ahead of his contract expiring on June 30.
Shanahan expressed gratitude to Dubas for his near-decade of work with the Leafs organization:
I would like to thank Kyle for his unwavering dedication over these last nine seasons with the organization, including his last five as General Manager. Kyle fostered a great culture within our dressing room and staff, and consistently pushed to make our team better season over season. We wish Kyle and his family the best moving forward.
Dubas’ immediate future in the NHL remains very uncertain. He stated on Monday that he would either continue with the Maple Leafs or take time away from the league to spend with family.
Regardless, there is bound to be considerable interest from other teams when or if he decides to pursue another general manager position in the future. Dubas’ reputation as a progressive thinker, his analytical approach (which he had wavered from slightly in recent seasons), and a good recent history of high-value draft picks make him an attractive candidate for any franchise looking for a fresh perspective.
Dubas headed up one of the most formative periods in Maple Leafs history, signing multiple significant contracts with the team’s top players. None, however, have faced more scrutiny than his free agent acquisition of captain John Tavares in 2018 to a seven-year, $77MM contract, one a large sect of fans have determined an overpayment for his services.
The news means someone new will be behind the helm to deal with potential contract extensions for Auston Matthews and William Nylander, who are both unrestricted free agents in 2024 and are eligible for extensions beginning July 1 of this year. The Leafs have a pair of internal candidates, assistant general manager Brandon Pridham and special assistant to the general manager Jason Spezza, who immediately jump out as potential replacements.
While it seems like the team’s curse of playoff failures may never end, the reality is Dubas’ successor is inheriting a team with many years left in a contention window if they play their cards right. A solid prospect base and some potential financial flexibility, especially if the next GM does trade one of the team’s ’Core Four’ of Matthews, Nylander, Tavares, and Mitch Marner, still have Toronto in solid positioning.
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman was first to report the news.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Spencer Carbery Under Consideration For Anaheim's Coaching Vacancy
The Ducks have had a head coaching vacancy since the start of the offseason when it was revealed that Dallas Eakins wouldn’t be back after spending four years with the team. GM Pat Verbeek is known to be casting a wide net as he looks to make his first NHL head coaching hire but there haven’t been many names connected to them thus far. However, Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli reports (Twitter link) that Devils associate coach Andrew Brunette, Maple Leafs assistant Spencer Carbery, and Penguins assistant Mike Vellucci are under consideration for the spot.
Maple Leafs Notes: Marner, Matthews, Carbery
Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic wrote today that he believes that if Kyle Dubas is retained as Toronto Maple Leafs general manager he will shop star forward Mitch Marner. LeBrun cites Dubas proactively bringing up the Matthew Tkachuk trade in his press conference as a sign that the young Maple Leafs GM is ready to make radical changes to shake up Toronto’s core and he sees Florida’s bold move as a template from which to work from.
LeBrun also goes on to add that he believes Marner is the easiest trade to make from a contractual standpoint. Marner has two years left on his current contract and will not have any no trade protection, while William Nylander and Auston Matthews will receive no trade clauses on July 1st and John Tavares already has a full no move clause. The Maple Leafs could shop Marner to all 31 other teams and drive up a bidding war for the 26-year-old. LeBrun ends his article by stating that should the Leafs trade Marner that they would need a top pairing defenseman in return at a minimum.
In other Maple Leafs notes:
- Pierre LeBrun is of the opinion that any Auston Matthews trade is likely not going to happen as he believes the Maple Leafs will instead focus on extending Matthews when he becomes eligible to sign his next contract on July 1st. LeBrun adds that replacing Matthews would be nearly impossible for Toronto to do and given Matthews track record one would have to agree with him. The five-time 40+ goal scorer struggled at times this season, but still managed to put up 85 points in 74 games. One thing that could be a sticking point is the cap hit that Matthews will be looking for on his next long-term deal.
- Pierre LeBrun also discussed Toronto assistant coach Spencer Carbery saying that he believes Carbery’s old team the Washington Capitals have already asked the Toronto Maple Leafs for permission to interview him about their vacant head coaching position. Neither Washington nor Toronto would confirm LeBrun’s hunch that the Capitals are looking to have a reunion with the one-time head coach of their AHL affiliate. Washington have also looked at Tampa Bay Lightning assistant coach Jeff Halpern as a candidate.
William Nylander, Timothy Liljegren Reportedly Joining Sweden At Worlds
According to a report from Swedish outlet Sportbladet, a pair of Toronto Maple Leafs are heading to the 2023 IIHF Men’s World Championship after their elimination from the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Winger William Nylander and defenseman Timothy Liljegren are joining the Swedish squad, while Sweden has reportedly sent defensemen Joel Persson and Christian Folin home from the tournament to create room on the roster.
After a disappointing loss to the Florida Panthers, Nylander and Liljegren are now set to bring their skills and experience to the international stage. The news bolsters a Swedish contingent that’s yet to lose through three games at the tournament, although they’ve struggled to produce offense outside of a 5-0 win against Austria.
Nylander should help with those scoring woes, coming off the first 40-goal season of his NHL career. He’s been money in the bank for Sweden at this tournament, recording 15 goals and 37 points in just 21 World Championship appearances across three tournaments (2017, 2019, 2022). It’s a significant boon to a Swedish team that has scored just three goals in two games against Germany and Finland, including a shootout marker.
Joining him is Liljegren, who’s made significant strides in his all-around ability since the last time he represented Sweden internationally at the 2018 IIHF Men’s World Junior Championship. One of the more intriguing young two-way defenders in the sport, Liljegren now gets a chance to add an additional spark to a Sweden defensive corps that’s excelled thus far at the tournament, one that includes former teammate and defense partner Rasmus Sandin.
Neither Persson nor Folin had suited up yet for Sweden in the tournament. While they’re both capable contributors to the Swedish lineup, and both have NHL experience, the swap for Nylander and Liljegren is a significant upgrade to a Swedish team with hopes of capturing the gold medal at this tournament.
Sweden can make it four games without a loss when they take on Hungary on Thursday.
Joseph Woll Returned To AHL
The Toronto Marlies and Rochester Americans will resume the AHL’s North Division Finals on Wednesday evening, with the former receiving quite the reinforcement. Joseph Woll, fresh off taking over the Toronto Maple Leafs net in their second-round series, has been returned to the AHL.
Woll, 24, has been tremendous for the Marlies this season, posting a 16-4-1 record and .927 save percentage. He carried over that strong play to the NHL, where he went 6-1 in the regular season and registered a .915 in four playoff appearances.
The young netminder appears to be on track for a full-time NHL job next season, though nothing about the Maple Leafs looks set in stone at this point. If he does land a spot, it will provide the team with a significant salary cap advantage.
Woll signed a three-year extension in February 2022 that keeps him under contract through 2024-25 at a very affordable $767K cap hit. With uncertainty surrounding the future of Matt Murray, and Ilya Samsonov headed for restricted free agency, Woll could be the answer to some of Toronto’s long-standing goaltending issues.
The team has had trouble developing its own netminding prospects but showed great patience with the 62nd overall pick from 2016. Woll went to college for three years, suffered several injuries early in his pro career, and has generally progressed slowly (as goaltenders sometimes do).
For now, he’ll try to help the Marlies turn around the best-of-five series and stave off elimination, before entering a crucial offseason of training ahead of his big NHL opportunity.
Maple Leafs Notes: Dubas, Matthews, Bunting, O’Reilly, Samsonov, Peksa
2:50 PM: Maple Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas took his turn at the podium today, and issued some useful clarity on both his own future and his plans for the Maple Leafs moving forward, should he be retained as GM. On his own future, Dubas said it would be a “family decision” on whether he will remain as head coach, and that he would either remain an executive in Toronto, or step away and take some time to “recalibrate on the season” he just had. Perhaps most importantly for other teams potentially interested in hiring Dubas to fill their vacant GM roles, Dubas stated: “you won’t see me next week popping up elsewhere,” meaning he is highly unlikely to be a possibility for any of this cycle’s GM vacancies.
His other revealing comments today were regarding the Maple Leafs’ general strategy, and how he would approach improving his team. Dubas said he would be “interested in doing anything” with his roster this summer, and that he “would take nothing off the table at all,” which obviously includes superstars such as Matthews. Dubas cited the Panthers (and presumably their bold, core-shaking trade for Matthew Tkachuk last summer) as an example of a team that re-structured a disappointing core in a successful manner, so based on these comments, it seems there could be a greater appetite for seismic change in Toronto than some might have anticipated.
For what its worth, Toronto’s core players almost exclusively expressed sincere hopes that they could remain Maple Leafs and not see their core group of players broken up. But based on Dubas’ recent comments, it looks as though their general manager will examine every possible opportunity to improve his team, even if it requires saying parting with some talented familiar faces.
12:30 PM: Since the Toronto Maple Leafs were eliminated from the second round of the playoffs by the Florida Panthers, much of the focus of the hockey world has been on three of the team’s key figures: general manager Kyle Dubas, head coach Sheldon Keefe, and superstar face of the franchise Auston Matthews. While the futures of both Dubas and Keefe are technically more immediately pressing, it’s the fate of Matthews that is likely to have the most significant on-ice consequences. The 25-year-old 2021-22 Hart Trophy winner is set to see his current $11.6MM AAV contract expire after next season, and will gain a full no-movement clause this summer, giving Toronto no opportunity to consider trades for him should he decide he wants to test the open market.
Toronto must be thankful, then, that testing the waters of unrestricted free agency does not seem to be Matthews’ top priority. As relayed by Northstar Bets’ Chris Johnston, Matthews told the media that his “intention” is to remain a Maple Leaf, and that he would like an extension to be finalized before next season. It’s worth noting that Matthews’ comments on his future today will feel extremely similar to what John Tavares communicated to the media as he approached the expiry of his contract with the New York Islanders, and Tavares ultimately did leave as a free agent. So that is to say that even with these comments, there remains a ways to go before Matthews’ pen hits the paper on a lucrative new long-term deal, and the possibility that he departs still exists. But in terms of each outcome’s likelihood, Matthews’ comments today have to give confidence to the Toronto market that their team’s best player is in it for the long haul.
Other notes regarding the Maple Leafs:
- One player who seems unlikely to be signing a contract extension to remain in Toronto is 27-year-old winger Michael Bunting. Today Bunting told the media, including Sports Illustrated’s David Alter, that he didn’t have any contract talks about an extension with the Maple Leafs during the season. While it’s possible Bunting, who scored 23 goals and 49 points this season before disappointing in the playoffs, could ultimately find a way to return to Toronto, it does not seem as though that outcome is likely. Bunting has a chance to headline a class of free agent left wingers relatively thin in top-level talent, meaning it’s a strong possibility that he’s able to earn a better offer from another club than Toronto is in a position to make.
- Speaking with the media today, Maple Leafs center Ryan O’Reilly also answered questions on his future. Johnston reports that O’Reilly sounded “more inclined to test the open market on July 1 than try and work out an extension” with Toronto, which once again feels like the likeliest outcome given the cap constraints Toronto’s big contracts have forced them to work with. After a disappointing 40-game run this season with the St. Louis Blues, O’Reilly was dealt to Toronto and the trade seemed to revive his game. He scored 11 points in 13 regular-season games and nine in 11 playoff games, including a few important contributions in high-leverage moments. But having significantly helped his stock with his playoff performance, O’Reilly may also have placed himself out of Toronto’s price range for a contract extension.
- The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun relays word from Maple Leafs netminder Ilya Samsonov regarding the injury that knocked him out of the team’s second-round playoff series against Florida. Samsonov said an unfortunate collision with teammate Luke Schenn caused him to suffer a neck injury, and it’s that injury that forced rookie Joseph Woll between the pipes. Samsonov ultimately finished his nine-game run in the playoffs with sub-par numbers (.898 save percentage and 3.13 goals-against-average in nine games played) though he did manage to backstop Toronto to their long-awaited playoff series victory. Samsonov added in his media availability that he hopes to be able to re-sign with Toronto, who will have the opportunity to retain his rights as an arbitration-eligible restricted free agent with a $1.8MM qualifying offer.
- The Toronto Maple Leafs signed 2021 sixth-round pick Vyacheslav Peksa to a three-year, $851k AAV entry-level deal. Peksa, a 20-year-old Russian netminder, has been developing in KHL club Ak Bars Kazan’s system for a few seasons now. Last year was his final campaign at Russia’s junior level and he posted a .936 save percentage in 56 games played. This year, he moved to Russia’s second-tier men’s pro league and posted an impressive .921 save percentage in 40 games, vastly outplaying Vladimir Mosin and Ilya Golubev, the two other goalies on his team who also happen to be older than Peksa. This move allows Peksa to continue his development in North America, where he could either end up with the AHL’s Toronto Marlies or ECHL’s Newfoundland Growlers.