Maple Leafs 'open to anything' at NHL Draft

Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas has one word to describe the recent speculation suggesting he and coach Mike Babcock won't get along.
"Comical," Dubas said.
In a phone interview with NHL.com from the 2018 Draft Combine in Buffalo, Dubas, 32, who was named Maple Leafs general manager May 11, discussed several topics, including his relationship with Babcock, 55; the departures of GM Lou Lamoriello and assistant Mark Hunter; the possibility of moving up from No. 25 in the 2018 NHL Draft; and how to help incoming players cope with playing in Toronto.

From the time you were named GM, there has been a lot talk from the outside about you and coach Babcock potentially not being on the same page, whether it's because of a difference in age, philosophies, or just the fact how close to Lamoriello and Hunter he was. How do you respond to that?
"If you know Mike, people have a perception of him and how he operates and how he looks. Yes, he's very confident and sure of himself but he's very sure of himself because he goes out of his way to seek multiple opinions of others. So when he makes a decision or takes an action, it's not just what he wants to do, it's also aided by the opinions and insights of others. That's one of the interesting things. When people see the final product, they don't see the process someone goes through to form their opinion. I was previously on the staff where I saw firsthand him seeking the opinions of others. That's my interaction with him. He wants to have disagreements. He wants to have dissent. It's all to come to the end game of our process. I just laugh and find it comical that people want to spend their time worrying about that instead of getting more info on things that really matter. The proof will come in the team's record as we move forward."

Looking ahead to the Draft, are you looking to move up or down? What's your philosophy going in?
"I think this is the lowest we've picked in my time with the Leafs. We picked fourth (in 2015), then first, then 17th and now 25th. I think we're open to anything, moving up, moving down. We certainly have the requisite assets to move up. If there is a case to move down, we'll have our conversations with other general managers in the League and get a sense of what they're looking to do and then make our decisions as it comes along."
In terms of draft preparation, how has it gone since Lamoriello and Hunter left?
"I think it's been made seamless by the staff that's here. We have some great area directors and they've made it very, very easy with their professionalism and their interactiveness. At this time, I've talked with everyone on the amateur staff. Things have gone very, very well at the combine here. We have a smaller contingent here than we normally do with the purpose of having better interactions than we may have had in the past with larger groups and narrow our focus on the next couple of weeks. The scouting staff has been great and I've been very appreciative of the work that they've done."
How important is it to find players who actually want to play in the Toronto market, fishbowl that it is?
"I think it's something to be mindful of, but I don't think it's something where we want to eliminate players just because they're from smaller markets or smaller cities. Say, hypothetically, someone is from northern Saskatchewan and they've only played in a small Western League city or town, it's an adjustment coming to Toronto. At the same time, we've had plenty of players from our team now that aren't from cities or towns that carry with them a similar spotlight. I think the onus is on us to make sure the players are prepared for our market. That falls on us as part of the player development department. Things like public relations, how to best handle oneself, how to cope within the city and the marketplace, and what the expectations are on a player off the ice as well in terms of their character, makeup, development, and how we can help them in the way they have to cope in a place like Toronto. Because it is different. It's on us as a program, not the individual player."

In your former role as GM of the Toronto Marlies of the American Hockey League, you and coach Sheldon Keefe were never shy about exchanging difference of opinions. How has that helped in the success of the Marlies, who begin the Calder Cup Finals against Texas on Saturday?
"I've had the pleasure of working with Sheldon since 2012 (with Sault Ste. Marie of the Ontario Hockey League) and year after year he pushes himself to grow and work on the things that he feels that he's lacking. And he always pushes the same for me. I don't think you see very many people who you work so closely with who are so open as to what they need to work on and then independently go to work on those areas. Our relationship is at the point where we have arguments day in and day out about players and different things we are doing. In the end, we both know it makes us and the team better. I think Sheldon has done a spectacular job with the Marlies, developing players for the Maple Leafs while icing a competitive team. The Marlies have 12 players on entry-level contracts and that goes to the coaching staff."
How has your life changed since you were named GM?
"Well, the days go by a bit quicker and sometimes you wish you had a few more hours. I think as we start changing our process a bit, people have fallen into a regularity. It's been good, and I don't see things changing much at all."