Dubas has to be allowed to do his own thing

The Leafs have turned the corner more than any franchise in the NHL over the last three seasons, but with the recent announcement of Kyle Dubas going to the general manager’s chair, it still seems like there’s another slightly-less sharp one to get around.

For a team where even modest success is entirely new, everything feels somehow new again with what’s gone on in the last couple weeks. Dubas gets the job we all thought he was being groomed for, and with that comes excitement for much of the fanbase, but it also comes with some questions about the structure of the front office and the level of autonomy the second-youngest manager in the league will get as he settles into the role.

If I had to try and piece it together, until now I’d say the story has gone something like this since Brendan Shanahan joined the team in 2014 and took over as president: At first Shanahan acted as the “sign-off” general manager while Dubas and Hunter did the legwork in the early-going, then Lou took on that role while also bringing his well-practiced trading and negotiating skills, all while Shanahan remained as an overseer, never letting anything shift too far one way or the other. At least that’s how it’s seemed to an outside observer like me.

Now Shanahan has pulled away that whole grooming scenario, made a decision between Dubas and Hunter (if there ever really was one), and handed the reins over the relative youngster. There’s been a shift, but in order for this to work, and for the team to get to the next level, Dubas is going to need control over everything a general manager typically gets control over.

Again, like I mentioned in a couple days ago, the team really needs to focus its path and cut some of the half-measures and tweaking for more meaningful decisions. Perhaps that means making a bold move to cover a mistake (ahem, Zaitsev) or pushing back or cutting loose on guys Babcock likes to run out there a little too much (ahem, Polak). I mean, while it would never come to this, Dubas is now the general manager, and should actually have the power to outright fire Babcock if he wanted to.

And that’s where I’m at with this. No more “Is this a Dubas move or Lou move? Is this Babcock’s guy? Who runs the draft?” kind of questions. That isn’t to say the resources the Leafs have accumulated should be ignored. Far from it. No doubt Dubas will continue to rely on the analytics group, the deep scouting staff that may or may not include Hunter, and even Shanahan himself.

But he sets the course now. Draft selections? Dubas. Making a play at Tavares? Dubas. Matthews’ contract? Dubas. They’re all his moves now, or at least they should be.

The kids gloves have to come off now so Dubas can really put his stamp on what this team becomes, because really, he’s earned it.