Report - Toronto Maple Leafs close to firing Brendan Shanahan and Kyle Dubas

To add to the swath of Leafs post-mortem directions, of course, some Toronto writers feel the need to juice up their stories for maximum clicks. Today, Howard Berger is making the round for ridiculous and baseless claims that Kyle Dubas and Brendan Shanahan will be let go by the Maple Leafs this offseason.

Those two executives are the ones most responsible for the direction of the team the last four seasons, namely the mentality of keeping the core players together despite repeated playoff failure. While it is possible that changes to the front office could be coming, Berger widely proclaims that both executives will be released, with absolutely no source or further mention of the changes in his article.


Brendan Shanahan is still under contract for the upcoming season, but General Manager Kyle Dubas isn't, and the repeated postseason failure obviously raises questions of his job security, despite being one of the winningest front offices in Leafs history.


In reality, the situation is likely extremely fluid. No insiders have knowledge to the current direction of the Leafs, especially considering the massive extensions that Matthews and Nylander will be eligible for this offseason. If the team decides a major trade is the best path forward, or retaining the core players is needed, continuity in the GM role would be ideal for a consequential off-season.