Brendan Shanahan Reveals A "Dramatic Shift In Thinking" About Kyle Dubas Led To Decision

It seemed that everything was trending towards Kyle Dubas getting a new contract and returning to the general manager's job with the Toronto Maple Leafs. But then one thing happened that "dramatically" shifted team president Brendan Shanahan's thinking:

Brendan Shanahan admits that there was a shift in his thinking after watching Kyle Dubas’s media conference last Monday. Prior to that, the two were working on an extension.
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) May 19, 2023

Following elimination, both the Leafs and Kyle Dubas seemingly wanted to get a new deal done.

Brendan Shanahan details what changed. pic.twitter.com/Y1J2VFFQNo
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) May 19, 2023

While the two sides had been exchanging figures and working on an extension after the Leafs' elimination by the Florida Panthers, Shanahan said everything changed after Dubas's press conference on Monday:

While watching Kyle's press (conference), I think at that point there was a dramatic shift in my thinking as I drove home that night, as Kyle expressed that he might not want to be our GM. And I have to take that very seriously.

Shanahan says he understands the pressure that Dubas said he was under, and the toll it was taking on his family, but it became a "very real possibility" that he needed to look somewhere else.

The Leafs' president explained that he had been pursuing a contract framework with Dubas’ agent right up until last night, when the Dubas side presented another offer (the intimation is that they were asking for a more substantial financial package), but by that time, Shanahan said he had felt very conflicted about moving forward with him.

Shanahan says the Leafs will be looking for a GM with NHL experience, and the search will begin immediately. There was nothing said about head coach Sheldon Keefe's status, though, being "Dubas's guy" it's pretty safe to assume that the Leafs will be moving on from him as well.