Kyle Dubas, who’s contract is ending with the Toronto Maple Leafs, spoke about his future Monday afternoon. This is about as honest as it gets. pic.twitter.com/JSXaGQFTPG

— Sid Seixeiro (@Sid_Seixeiro) May 15, 2023

It’s no secret that the Toronto Maple Leafs had a disappointing end to their 2022-2023 season. After finishing with the second best record in the Eastern conference regular season, the team was eliminated in the second round of the playoffs. However, what made this year’s exit interviews given by general manager Kyle Dubas particularly intriguing was the uncertainty he expressed regarding his future with the Maple Leafs.

Dubas, who has been with the organization since 2014 and took over as general manager in 2018, has been the driving force behind the team’s recent success. However, during his end-of-season press conference, he left many fans and analysts wondering whether he would be returning to his position next season.

When asked about his future with the team, Dubas gave a cryptic response, saying that he would need to “evaluate everything” and “make sure that he talked to his family in depth because this season was very hard on them.” He went on to say that he would be meeting with team president Brendan Shanahan to discuss the future of the organization and his role within it.

This statement was a departure from Dubas’ typically confident demeanour, and it left many wondering if there was more to the story. Some speculated that he may have received pressure from ownership or other members of the organization to step down, while others believed that he was simply taking a step back to reassess his role and approach to building a championship team.

Whatever the reason for Dubas’ uncertainty, it’s clear that the Maple Leafs will need a strong leader at the helm to guide the team through what promises to be a challenging offseason. With several key players set to become free agents and the team’s playoff struggles continuing to haunt them, the future of the franchise is as uncertain as ever.

As fans and analysts await further developments, one thing is clear:  the Maple Leafs need a strong, confident leader who can steer the team in the right direction and bring a long-awaited Stanley Cup to Toronto. Whether that leader will be Kyle Dubas or someone else remains to be seen.