TORONTO — Kyle Dubas is out as general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
The team said Friday it is "parting ways" with the 37-year-old Sault Ste. Marie native, whose contract was scheduled to expire June 30.
The Leafs won a playoff series for the first time in nearly two decades this spring when they defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning before bowing out to the underdog Florida Panthers in a disappointing second-round showing.
An emotional Dubas said at his end-of-season press conference he wasn't sure if he would continue on as GM, citing the stress on his young family.
For hockey lovers in the Sault, Dubas' story is already the stuff of legend. A dressing room attendant for the Soo Greyhounds when he was a teenager, he worked his way up to become the Hounds' general manager before being lured to the Leafs' front office in 2014 as an assistant GM.
Four years later — at the tender age of 32 — Dubas was promoted to GM of the Leafs, taking over from Lou Lamoriello in May 2018 as part of a succession plan under the direction of team president Brendan Shanahan.
“I would like to thank Kyle for his unwavering dedication over these last nine seasons with the organization, including his last five as general manager,” Shanahan said in a statement Friday. “Kyle fostered a great culture within our dressing room and staff, and consistently pushed to make our team better season over season.”
The Canadian Press, with files from SooToday