Edmonton Oilers
Dubas Wrongly Labels Bad Trade His Biggest Blunder as Leafs’ GM
Former Maple Leafs GM Kyle Dubas talked the one roster move that still bothers him years later. He’s forgetting he made a worse decision.
Former Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas has been out of the role for more than a year, but his time in Toronto still follows him. Now serving as the Pittsburgh Penguins’ president of hockey operations and GM, Dubas reflected on his tenure during a recent appearance on the Cam & Strick Podcast with hosts Cam Janssen and Andy Strickland.
When asked about his biggest regret, Dubas didn’t hesitate. “The biggest one by far… is actually Mason Marchment,” he said. Dubas recounted Marchment’s journey through the Leafs’ system, from an ECHL project to an AHL champion with the Marlies and eventually an NHL debut. But in 2020, Dubas dealt him to Florida for Denis Malgin in search of more skill up front.
The Panthers won the trade, even thought Marchment went on to have his best seasons in Dallas with the Stars. Marchment developed into a productive NHL winger, tallying 47 points in 62 games for Dallas last season, while Malgin is now playing in Switzerland.
Was the Marchment Trade Dubas’ Biggest Mistake?
Yet some believe Dubas’ true biggest blunder wasn’t Marchment — it was letting Zach Hyman leave in free agency. After contract talks broke down over trade protection, Hyman signed a seven-year deal with the Edmonton Oilers. Since then, he’s become one of the league’s premier goal scorers, notching four 27-plus goal seasons, along with a 54-goal campaign in 2023-24. He’s added 35 playoff goals in 68 playoff games since he signed there.
Leafs fans argued that the $5.5 million cap hit for Hyman was too much at the time, but it’s turned out to be one of the NHL’s better bargain deals. This is especially when compared to the money the Leafs saved and how it was later spent on short-term stopgaps like Petr Mrazek and Nick Ritchie.
The irony deepened when Toronto signed Tyler Bertuzzi at the exact same cap hit for a fraction of Hyman’s production.
Hyman’s departure was reportedly less about money than about Dubas’ refusal to offer the trade protection the forward wanted. That decision may have cost the Leafs more than they realized — especially now, as Hyman and the Oilers have gotten so close to the Stanley Cup twice and the Maple Leafs are still trying to get over their playoff demons.
While Dubas insists the Marchment deal still “eats away” at him, perhaps it should be that Hyman mistake that offers the most valuable learning lesson.
Next: Oilers’ Goaltending Could Spark the NHL’s Biggest Mid-Season Move
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