Weekly Takes - Monday, May 22nd Edition

Weekly Takes - Monday, May 22nd Edition

1. My takeaways from the Maple Leafs season-ending press conferences on Monday…

• There is no one I want as the Leafs general manager more than Kyle Dubas. He loves this city, team, and fan base, he is a great leader, he has shown the type of passion that this organization has lacked over the years, and he has done everything possible to set this core up for success. If he wants to come back, MLSE and Brendan Shanahan have to make it happen.

• I thought all of the players said the right things. Auston Matthews and William Nylander expressed their desire to stay here long-term, Noel Accari and Luke Schenn expressed a desire to re-sign, John Tavares stated he is fully committed to this team, etc. But it is now going to be a matter of whether or not Matthews and Nylander are willing to do what is best for the team, while also making sure they look after themselves. If Matthews is going to ask for $15-plus million, he is telling the world that he does not prioritize winning. And if that is the case, you have to explore trades. This core cashed in during their first contract negotiations and it led to zero playoff success. The philosophy has to be different this time around, with the margin for error nonexistent.

2. My takeaways from the Leafs decision to move on from Dubas…

• At the end of the day, Shanahan runs the show in Toronto and if he determined that Dubas’ heart was no longer in it after what happened earlier in the week, then it is hard not to trust him. I do not believe in the “if someone is considering moving on from something, then they have already moved on” mindset, but Shanahan clearly does.

• I think Dubas and Jason Spezza leaving is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to front office changes. Sheldon Keefe, Wes Clark, and Brandon Pridham are three men who go way back with Dubas. Out of pure loyalty, due to how Dubas is leaving, it is hard to see any of them sticking around long-term unless they are promoted within the organization. That does not mean it is a bad thing.

• People should be quite concerned about the direction of this team moving forward, as you can do a lot worse than having Dubas as your general manager. Maybe Shanahan lands someone who is a breath of fresh air and can push this program forward, but maybe he does not. Until he does, people should be concerned.

• Shanahan’s press conference is the most defining moment of his tenure as team president. Dubas was his guy all but from day one. His vision was Dubas’ vision. Now he has kicked him to the curb. The next general manager he hires has to be his last for a long, long time, otherwise, he himself deserves to be fired. This new era in the Shanahan era better be hit out of the park.

• The next month will define an entire generation of Maple Leafs hockey. They need a general manager and they need to determine the futures of Matthews and Nylander. Buckle up.

3. The one thing that seems to be throwing fans into a frenzy since Dubas’ departure is the idea that Matthews will not re-sign. Or at the very least, not re-sign as soon as he possibly could have.

It is tough to get too worked up about this, in my opinion.

Let the Leafs hire a new general manager and let him reveal his plan to the Matthews camp. If he does not re-sign after that occurs, then there are serious reasons to be concerned. Until then, the fretting seems excessive.

4. The Leafs were right to move on from their entire Marlies coaching staff.

Yes, Greg Moore was never given the talent that Keefe had during his stint with the team, but Moore’s tenure was a disaster in all areas, whether it is looking at winning or player development. This move should have been done two years ago.

5. The Panthers run is the ultimate Cinderella run.

They are two wins away from making it to the Cup finals despite being out-played in a majority of the games that they have played in this postseason.

But getting a .931 save percentage from your starting goalie and being 6-0 in overtime can mask a lot of issues, apparently.

6. There are very valid concerns about the Blue Jays right now (John Schneider does not seem to be a big league manager, Alex Manaoh is awful, the bullpen could use some help, and there is not a lot of depth on the bench), but they are less than three games out of a playoff spot with over 100 games to go.

This roster, in all areas, is good enough to snap out of their struggles and there is no reason to believe that some of the team ahead of them in the standings are better.

Do not hit the panic button quite yet.

7. Here is the thing with the Celtics, outside of whatever is happening inside their locker room right now: Jaylen Brown, despite his reputation, is probably not a true number two option on a championship team.

How many teams in the NBA win without a clear number two option?

8. Nikola Jokic has been the best player in the NBA for the last three seasons, should have won the MVP this season, and is a true megastar that is capable of leading his team to a championship.

This never should have been in doubt.