The Leafs moving on from Dubas could cost them Auston Matthews, per an NHL Insider

There has been a lot of talk in recent weeks about what will happen with Leafs GM Kyle Dubas. In addition, there is a lot of curiosity surrounding what Auston Matthews will do between next summer and the summer of 2024, when he is set to become a UFA. Oddly enough, those two conversations are very closely linked.

During an appearance on SN960 on Thursday, Daily Faceoff's Frank Seravalli touched on Dubas' status as a pending free agent GM, revealing that Matthews is very high on Kyle Dubas as a GM and believes in what he's doing to build a winning team in Toronto. He also stated that the Leafs' decision on Dubas could have a lot to do with whether or not Matthews will stay in Toronto.




It's difficult to imagine a scenario in which Dubas ISN'T offered a new contract by the Leafs. The moves he's made and the teams he has built, all while dealing with a flat cap that was never supposed to remain flat when he handed out big money to the team's core 4 - it's nothing short of impressive. He's a forward-thinking GM who is extremely intelligent and has consistently improved his team year over year with everyone telling him he can't do it. Kyle Dubas is like the embodiment of that children's story, "The Little Engine that Could".

Dubas has put an enormous amount of faith in his core players - Matthews among them. He has had a number of opportunities to move one of the core 4, but Dubas has stuck to his guns and has unwaveringly backed Matthews, Tavares, Marner and Nylander despite their numerous postseason shortcomings. That belief and that faith might actually pay off and I think Matthews can see that. Bringing in someone else now, who would almost certainly bring forth wholesale changes, would be a huge mistake.

I have a hard time believing that MLSE doesn't know how strong Matthews and Dubas' bond is, and they're certainly not going to jeopardize Matthews' future in Toronto by getting rid of the GM he believes in so much. If Dubas is the best chance the Leafs have of signing Auston Matthews, I think you play the season out and then extend Dubas regardless. Maybe it's not another 5-year deal, maybe it's a 3-year deal. The point is, losing Matthews would be crippling. Losing Dubas would be perhaps slightly less crippling. Losing both would be catastrophic.