Leaf notes: Kyle Dubas delves into his ‘biggest mistake’ in new book

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The past year in Pittsburgh has given Kyle Dubas time to reflect on his eventful years as Maple Leafs general manager.

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While there were various on-ice accomplishments, multiple 100-point seasons for the team and some feel-good stories, playoff success eluded him, tied directly to contract difficulty with the NHL’s salary cap after he out-bid many teams for John Tavares with a seven-year, $77-million US offer.

In a new book by Craig Custance, an ESPN reporter now working for The Athletic, the entire Tavares pursuit by Dubas and his 10 years in Toronto are part of The Franchise: The Business Of Building Winning Teams.
Dubas has no regrets about the Tavares deal, with a year still to run on it, that’s caused inherent headaches for replacement Brad Treliving, but there are aspects of it he’d want back.

“The biggest mistake I think I’ve made in my whole time here has been not taking care of the three incumbent contracts,” Dubas told Custance. “(William) Nylander was up, (Mitch) Marner and (Auston) Matthews could have been done on July 1 extensions.”

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Dubas laments not making more progress on all of those before Tavares, though he did talk to the trio about the impact winning the J.T. sweepstakes would have on their future standing.

“The thing I learned was once we signed John to the (AAV) we did, it lifted the lid on the entire ceiling,” he said.

Starting with Nylander, there were complications when an unnamed team floated the possibility of an offer sheet and his price shot up. It led to the winger’s two-month absence impacting his 2018-19 schedule, in which he scored just seven goals in 54 regular-season games, then just one in the playoffs.

There was a brief camp holdout by Marner before he signed his current deal and finally Matthews came aboard at a team-high $13.25 million AAV through 2027-28.

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Others have since come to Dubas’ defence and in the book, Darryl Belfry, then a member of the Leafs hockey office in player development, reminds that COVID-19’s fallout led to the flat cap at the time and history could have judged Dubas differently.

“What would the cap be, $90 million?,” Belfry theorized. “Kyle would never say it, but I will. You have a world shut down, it’s a flat cap for multiple years and you’re stuck holding the bag on a projection. You didn’t miscalculate, it’s an act of nature that beat you.”

The book also has interviews with Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper, Lou Lamoriello on his various stops as GM, Washington Capitals owner Ted Leonsis and Dallas Stars GM of the year Jim Nill.

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MARNER ASSISTS, BUT SILENT

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Marner’s long-term future as a Leaf is not clear, but his sixth annual all-star invitational hockey event is certainly on.

After a red-carpet launch Thursday night (hockey media was forewarned there’d be no interviews with the winger) Marner and NHL friends were to hold an on-ice clinic for donors on Friday morning at The Sports Village in Vaughan with instruction on puck control, stick-handling and scoring. It was to be followed by a 3-on-3 tourney of NHLers in the afternoon.

The charity, a big reason why Marner hopes to remain in Toronto (the Leafs have had two weeks to begin talks on an extension), has raised $2 million for sustainable change for children and youth in social care, health, education and environmental causes.

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Marner’s mission statement reads in part: “You’ve got a big spotlight on you (as a Leaf) to change people’s lives every day and I think it’s your choice to try and do that.”

Marner has met with Craig Berube and the Leafs’ new head coach has described him as “a character guy, I look forward to coaching him.”

HOTEL CALIFORNIA

The American Hockey League has expanded its regular-season map to include games between some Pacific Division and Eastern seaboard cities.

For the Toronto Marlies, that means a pair of home-opening matches at the Coca-Cola Coliseum from Oct. 12-13, against the San Diego Gulls and a November visit by the Bakersfield Condors. Four games at Scotiabank Arena are also on tap — Boxing Day, Family Day (Feb. 17) and two Saturday doubleheaders with the Leafs, Nov. 16 and March 15.

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WENDEL’S TALE OF THE PAIL

Wendel Clark hauled an unusual souvenir out of old Maple Leaf Gardens.

“The original practice puck pail,” Clark said, while attending the recent Studio Auctions event of Leafs and NHL memorabilia with fellow captains Darryl Sittler and Rick Vaive. “It had been around for who knows how many years, all blue with a stenciled white Leafs logo.

“Whatever guy came out of the dressing room first always picked it up at the door, a five-gallon pail that was three-quarters full of pucks. Why did I keep it? Just because, I guess.

“I handled that thing more than anybody. I was injured so much I’d be practising so much on my own, including a whole year of working out by myself. We didn’t have nine coaches working with you when you were injured, unlike today.”

Visiting NHL teams often brought their own pucks to road arenas in those days and thus a sharp-eyed collector could snag a rare disc. One Leaf found a Colorado Rockies puck a couple of years after that club move to New Jersey.

Clark also had someone bid on his behalf for a Gardens dressing room stall when the building closed in 1999.

“I just said make sure it’s not Mats Sundin’s.” Clark laughed. “That one could‘ve got expensive. The one I have has no name on it. Now it’s just sitting in my garage because I’ve moved a few times.”

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