Dubas says this Leafs season has been hard on his family

The biggest question around the Toronto Maple Leafs this offseason boils down to one thing: who’s staying around next year?

And perhaps that question is no bigger for anyone than Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas, who sees his five-year contract with the team up for expiry this summer.

Speaking to reporters about his future, Dubas addressed the media contingent with an opening statement that he’ll be taking a bit of time talking to his family to reflect on his future before committing to a potential new deal.

“I’ve had a good long relationship here with [Leafs president] Brendan [Shanahan] and the owners. I’ll speak to them in the coming days, but probably more importantly, speak to my wife Shannon and our family here tonight and tomorrow and see where we’re at as a family and how we want to proceed with everything,” Dubas told reporters at today’s end of season media availability. “I’m just learning the past couple days has been a very taxing year on them. That’s obviously very important to me.”

"My family is a hugely important part of what I do."

Kyle Dubas discusses the impact of the past year on his family and that he either plans on being with the team or taking time to reflect. pic.twitter.com/5DXkj2WXtc

— TSN (@TSN_Sports) May 15, 2023

Dubas has been with the Leafs organization since 2014 and added that despite outside interest, he has no intention of leaving Toronto for another job in the NHL.

“It will either be here, or it will be taking time to recalibrate on the season,” Dubas added. “You won’t see me next week popping up elsewhere, I can’t put [my family] through that.”

By points percentage, the team’s last three regular seasons have been three of the four best in franchise history. Just four teams in the NHL have won more games than the Leafs since Dubas took over the job, though the team winning just one playoff round in the five years has been a reoccurring criticism of the GM.

At least publicly, Dubas appears to have the support of many of his key players for sticking around next season and beyond.

“I think the world of Kyle,” Leafs defenceman Morgan Rielly told reporters today. “Just spoke to him three minutes ago. A world-class GM. Everything he did was in the team’s best interest, he put us in a position to succeed. Ultimately, the players were on the ice at the end of the season.”

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