Maple Leafs entering even busier offseason with GM search

TORONTO -- What has happened to the Toronto Maple Leafs in the past 20 days?

And, more importantly, where do they go from here?

On April 30, the vibe surrounding the organization was as optimistic and high as it's been in almost two decades. Toronto had just won a Stanley Cup Playoff series for the first time since 2004, thanks to a John Tavares overtime goal in Game 6 to eliminate the Tampa Bay Lightning in six games in the best-of-7 Eastern Conference First Round. People flooded into the city streets waving Maple Leafs flags in celebration. Car horns honked in appreciation well into the night.

Less than three weeks later, they've been knocked out of the playoffs by the Florida Panthers. They've parted ways with general manager Kyle Dubas, and the future of coach Sheldon Keefe is as murky as ever. All this comes within six weeks of the 2023 Upper Deck NHL Draft (June 28-29), the opening of free agency July 1 and some hard decisions that need to be made within that timeframe concerning the futures of forwards Auston Matthews, William Nylander and Mitchell Marner.

Who steers Toronto through all this remains to be seen.

"What I would say is that I'm going to be open-minded as to who that person can be," Maple Leafs president Brendan Shanahan said. "I want to be open minded to all candidates. Certainly, having an experienced general manager would be an attractive quality."

The search starts now.

"My focus now after I'm done with this is immediately begin the pursuit of interviewing candidates for the next general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs," Shanahan said.

In the end, the narrative around the Maple Leafs has quickly transformed from euphoria to paranoia in such a short time frame, especially for a confused fan base wondering what direction the team will go in, not to mention who will guide it.

This much we do know: It won't be Dubas.

After nine years with the organization, the 37-year-old and the Maple Leafs "parted ways" Friday. Those were Shanahan's words in a statement released by the team. In his role as president, Shanahan later said at a press conference that he ultimately was the one who made the call.

Where to start on this?

The facts, as presented by Shanahan, are this: Dubas was told at the beginning of the season he'd be working in the final year of his contract without an extension. In mid-March, Shanahan said he informed Dubas he'd like him back. Then, this past Sunday, two days after Toronto was eliminated by Florida in five games in the second round, he said he presented Dubas with the framework of a deal.

On Monday, Dubas delivered a bombshell during the Maple Leafs' season-ending press conference that he wasn't certain if he would be back because of the toll it took on his family. Shanahan said he was sympathetic because he could relate to how such a high-profile position could grind on loved ones.

Still, it set off warning sirens.

"While watching Kyle's press, I think at that point there was a shift in my thinking at that moment, the dramatic shift in my thinking as I was driving home was that he might not want to be our GM," Shanahan said. "I have to take that seriously."

He did.

"It was a real possibility for me at that point I would be needing to look at someone else," Shanahan said. "As part of my job, that is what I began to do while hoping that Kyle and I would come to some type of resolution."

They didn't.

According to Shahanan, the Maple Leafs on Thursday were presented a "revised financial package" from Dubas's agent. That evening, Dubas sent a text saying he still wanted to be the GM of the Maple Leafs.

Too late.

"At that point, if I'm being honest, I had gotten to a different place about the future of the Toronto Maple Leafs," Shanahan said.

Did Dubas price himself out of the market? Did his indecision ultimately cost him his job?

Whatever the case, the raw emotions Dubas showed Monday in discussing his family were real. There is no denying that. They were not fabricated.

Perhaps that's one of the reasons Shanahan is valuing experience as a coveted aspect for potential candidates. After all, this was Dubas' first gig as an NHL GM, and the external pressures seemed to be taking a toll.

Former Calgary Flames general manager Brad Treliving, who agreed to "part ways" with them April 17 after serving in that role since 2014, would check off a lot of boxes, especially since he's had experience in a Canadian market.

Would Dale Hunter and Mark Hunter, coach and GM of the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League, consider a move? It might be awkward, considering Mark Hunter left his post as assistant GM of the Maple Leafs in 2018 after being passed over for Dubas for the GM job.

Carolina Hurricanes assistant Eric Tulsky is a forward-thinking executive who has been mentioned in several other job openings the past few years. Former Montreal Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin has the experience Shanahan is looking for, but he drew criticism in Montreal for leaving the team with plenty of work still left to be done when he was fired Nov. 28, 2021. Tampa Bay Lightning assistant Mathieu Darche and Nashville Predators assistant Scott Nichol each seems to be on the verge of taking the next step.

The personal pick here, if the Maple Leafs look to within, would be to promote Brandon Pridham, the NHL salary cap specialist who seems to find ways to put square financial pegs into round holes year after year.

Keefe was Dubas' hand-picked coach dating back to their days with Sault St. Marie of the OHL from 2012-15 and is his good friend. Does he come back? Does he want to? Do the Maple Leafs want him to?

From a player personnel point of view, Matthews is eligible to sign a new contract July 1, the same day his no-movement clause kicks in. He has one season remaining at an NHL salary cap charge of $11.64 million. He and agent Judd Moldaver had a good relationship with Dubas. What happens there now?

Marner has two seasons remaining, and his full no-movement clause also activates July 1. Nylander, like Matthews, has one season left on his contract and he too has a no-movement clause, although reportedly limited to 10 teams.

Then there's the draft, followed by the opening of free agency.

Shanahan said he'll lean on Pridham and is confident that the people in place in the organization, while "in shock," will ensure the team moves forward. He said he won't rush things.

"Without making any promises, we will look at everything in the organization and try to make decisions that make us better," he said. "And that might not be on the same timeline that everyone wants.

"The goal wasn't just to get past the first round and everything gets easier. There is no nice summer or finish line just for having a partial success."

Just ask Kyle Dubas.