Another NHL conspiracy emerges involving Maple Leafs and Penguins!

It all started when Toronto Maple Leafs president Brendan Shanahan let go of general manager Kyle Dubas.
Then, Dubas was hired as the new president of hockey operations for the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Maple Leafs recruited former Calgary Flames GM Brad Treliving to take over in Toronto.

It happened in a matter of weeks and yet, fans were still overwhelmed by both situations in Toronto and Pittsburgh. And of course, some fans didn’t help, putting out there some conspiracies between the two teams. Elliotte Friedman explained the whole thing in his latest 32 Thoughts (shorten version) on Sportsnet Friday:

“This has been a superb spring for NHL conspiracy theories. The latest: that this is what Kyle Dubas, Brendan Shanahan, Brad Treliving, the Pittsburgh Penguins and Toronto Maple Leafs wanted for months. Dubas made the decision on Tuesday night / Wednesday morning to accept the Penguins job, and there were immediate changes in the organization as the transition began. He made it clear that he will keep the GM job into July, but make no mistake, he will not be ceding the role even if someone else gets the title. Dubas could have taken a slight step back, as there were several teams who reached out about joining them in advisory positions — either short-term or with the idea of an eventual bigger position. But he dove into deep waters. The most interesting reaction to his move is how many people thought it was very “personal,” how other execs think he is driven to immediately prove Toronto made a mistake.”

I don’t mind if this theory is true. Dubas can be motivated to prove Toronto wrong as it sounded from Shanahan’s press conference that he expected to remain as GM of the Maple Leafs. It would be understandable if he had a chip on his shoulder…

As for the conspiracy of this is what all parties wanted for months, I am not sure. This was a matter of perfect timing, and I doubt it could have been orchestrated…

What do you make of it?

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