It was a critical offseason for Toronto Maple Leafs general manger Kyle Dubas, who was given a vote of confidence by team president Brendan Shanahan despite yet another failure to advance past the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Needless to say, how the Leafs perform this spring Dubas could have major implications on his future, especially if the Leafs once again fail in the postseason. For the young Leafs GM, who is in the midst of the final year of his contract, he knows that he'll be held to account for his body of work over the past several years.
And while the Leafs are in a comfortable position of 2nd place in the Atlantic Division behind the NHL-best Bruins, it will be how Toronto performs in the playoffs that judges the future of Dubas. So, what is his mentality heading into the NHL Trade Deadline on March 3?
Take a look at what analyst Chris Johnston had to say on TSN Overdrive:
"In his mind, he is not auditioning for anything here," he said. "They should know exactly what he is. Obviously, this is is fifth year as GM and he has been here longer than that in the front office. He learns things and maybe you change and adjust over time. But I think he is going to stay true to himself and let the chips fall where they may."
"For the last five years, it came down to the final game in the playoff series, and they unfortunately came up with losses in all of them. They have been right there. Here we are again with them close to the top of the league in points percentage. I just think he is not going to do anything too dramatic. I may be wrong. If he does, I will say it is a big surprise."
So, will his status affect what he does at the Deadline?
"I think he is going to stick to the plan he has," Johnston said. "He believes in the core group. We all know the stakes are different this year. There are so few players on the team who are signed beyond the season. Even a couple that are, they are eligible for extensions as of July 1st. Kyle Dubas himself doesn’t have a contract. This could be a make-or-break type of season, but I am not sure it is going to alter the way Dubas makes decisions in the next month."
