There has been a lot of name blaming when it comes to the Toronto Maple Leafs slump. But a frequent name that has been on the hot seat just as much as Mike Babcock is GM Kyle Dubas. There have been speculations made that Kyle Dubas should be fired due to the fact that the Toronto Maple Leafs have cap problems, a lack of defense, a lack of grind, and bad backup goaltending. These elements can't be ignored because they are true and must be taken care of if the Leafs are going to progress. Fans are running of patience when it comes to the Leafs as promises have been made and the results have yet to been shown.

Things need to change

The lack of toughness, grit, and grind that is currently present on the Toronto Maple Leafs team is something that needs to be taken care of. Other teams and NHL players know the significance of grit and grind. Washington Capital player Alexander Ovechkin stated to the media about his hit on Jonathan Drouin. In simple terms, he stated, "It's hockey, it's not a ballet." At the end of the day, Ovechkin is right. Hockey is about sacrificing your body and taking hits from pucks and players in order to secure a win. The Toronto Maple Leafs at times play scared. Players are afraid of getting hurt and in the NHL you can't play like that, as it won't get you very far and the Leafs are the perfect example.

The only grit player that the Leafs currently have is Jake Muzzin. Nazem Kadri was also a player who played with a lot of grit and unfortunately, Kyle Dubas sacrificed that by getting rid of him. Although the Leafs have made a lot of changes, it doesn't appear that they were the right ones.

The team needs a change and many believe the first change should be firing both Kyle Dubas and Mike Babcock.

The team needs a quick change and not an ambitious change. I believe the biggest mistake GM Kyle Dubas made was getting rid of goaltender Curtis McElhinney. He was a solid back up goalie and is a player the Leafs really could have used now. In addition, fans are trying to understand why Dubas caved and overpaid William Nylander and got rid of Matt Martin.

Matt Martin was also a player that played with a lot of grit. I also believe that Josh Leivo was another player that was underrated and that they should have kept as he played and currently plays with a lot of tenacity.

What's missing?

If we look at the Toronto Raptors and what Nick Nurse has done for his team, there is a significant difference. The difference is that Nick Nurse is the kind of coach that will make changes so that the Raptors will win. This has yet to be seen with the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Leafs need to hit more and play with more muscle and the pressure is being put on Kyle Dubas to make this happen. Some fans on social media have also expressed that they believe Dubas should fire Babcock.

But a lot of the talk regarding Kyle Dubas has been negative, to say the least. There has been a high request for Sheldon Keefe to take over and fans believe the sooner that happens the sooner Dubas will be out. At the end of the day, Kyle Dubas put this team together and committed half the payroll to four players. Shanahan gave him the job to him instead of trusting Lou Lamoriello or Mark Hunter. The passion, grit, and heart are missing from this team and we see the same mistakes in every game with no change.
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