Parting ways with general manager Kyle Dubas on Friday afternoon and showing their AHL coaching staff the door, major changes are coming to the front office of the Toronto Maple Leafs this summer. It appeared that Jason Spezza was a strong internal option to replace Dubas as team GM.
Pierre LeBrun of TSN not only threw cold water on that theory but extinguished the flame completely. He reports that shortly before President and Alternate Governor, Brendan Shanahan, took the podium Friday to speak to the media, Spezza resigned as special assistant to the general manager in Toronto.
After retiring from the Maple Leafs at the end of last season, Spezza took his job as special assistant on May 29, 2022. With only Brandon Pridham remaining as a possible internal candidate to replace Dubas as Maple Leafs’ general manager, now, this news is a significant blow to Toronto’s front office.
As the organization enters what appears to be a transitional period, there will be a significant debate on what Spezza's resignation means for the Maple Leafs moving forward. Although it appears that the front office might be crumbling in Toronto, there is at least some reason for optimism.
Many of the individuals leaving the Maple Leafs organization Friday have been around for quite some time. Dubas has been in the front office since the 2014-15 season, Spezza since the 2019-20 season (including his time as a player) and the AHL's Greg Moore since the 2019-20 season.
Being a team that is in dire need of a cultural change, Toronto may have been destined to seek an outside voice no matter what. However, even though there will be light at the end of the tunnel for this franchise, the holes needing to be filled are beginning to pile up for the Maple Leafs this summer.
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