Rumor: The real reason Jason Spezza resigned from the Maple Leafs.

When the Toronto Maple Leafs made the decision to fire general manager Kyle Dubas earlier this month they were quickly informed that there would be consequences for going down that road.

Almost immediately following the decision to fire Dubas, beloved former National Hockey League forward Jason Spezza announced that he would be resigning from his position as special assistant to the general manager. Most believe that Spezza made the decision purely out of loyalty to Dubas, with whom he worked closely, but on Monday NHL insider Elliotte Friedman shared his own theory on the timing of Speeza's seemingly sudden resignation.

Friedman admitted that he likely will never get confirmation for his theory, but he suggested that Spezza's retirement may have been precipitated by an intriguing offer from the Maple Leafs.

"The timing of his resignation in Toronto has people wondering if he was initially the plan," said Friedman on the 32 Thoughts Podcast. 

What Friedman meant here by 'the plan' was that Spezza would take over in lieu of Dubas as interim general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs.

"The organizational plan to take over as interim general manager after Dubas left," said Friedman.

Again I must stress that this was only a theory, a point that Friedman made sure to get across.

"I don't know if we will ever get confirmation on that, but certainly that is one of the theories," said Friedman.

If Spezza was indeed the backup plan for Maple Leafs president Brendan Shanahan, you have to wonder just how big of a blow Spezza's resignation was to the organization this close to both the NHL Entry Draft and free agency.