NHL execs think Dubas wants to stick it to Leafs for firing him: report

The Toronto Maple Leafs have made their fair share of mistakes as an organization since last winning the Stanley Cup way back in 1967.

Former Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas is looking to do his best to add his name to that list.

Dubas, hired by Pittsburgh last week as their president of hockey operations and interim general manager, admitted he was possibly “too honest” in his final press conference while under contract with Toronto.

On May 15, Dubas told the Toronto media that the past season had taken a toll on himself and his family — his wife Shannon and their two children — and that he’d need a moment to calibrate his thoughts for his future in the hockey world.

But was a bit of honesty — and some botched negotiations where Dubas and his agent asked for more say in the organization and a raise on his contract — enough to warrant his dismissal just four days later?

In the immediate aftermath of his departure, Dubas unfollowed the Leafs and Shanahan on Twitter — but that doesn’t seem to be the only way he’s looking to stick it to his former employer.

According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the buzz around the league’s other front offices is that Dubas is very set on showing Toronto that their move was a poor one.

“The most interesting reaction to his move is how many people thought it was very ‘personal,’ how other execs think he is driven to immediately prove Toronto made a mistake,” Friedman wrote in a Saturday column. ” Dubas could have taken a slight step back, as there were several teams who reached out about joining them in advisory positions — either short-term or with the idea of an eventual bigger position. But he dove into deep waters.”

If you thought this drama was set to end any time soon, well, buckle up because it looks like we’re not even through the prologue yet.

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