Kyle Dubas ruining the Nick Robertson trade is the ultimate revenge
Photo credit: NHL; Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images
Kyle Dubas got fired by Toronto, then decided his best course of revenge was to take Yegor Chinakhov away from the Blue Jackets after the Maple Leafs couldn't.
Suffice to say, Kyle Dubas was not given the friendliest exit from the Maple Leafs as he was let go in favour of Brad Treliving after a few years of success but no championship to show for it. Instead he was hired by the Pittsburgh Penguins and turned them from pretender to contender.
Though there are some deals that still haunt him from time to time, he can't help but be impressed with the group he's built in Pittsburgh thanks to some very timely acquisitions.
How Kyle Dubas stealing Yegor Chinakhov completely shifts the Toronto narrative
One of those that paid off in spades was bringing in young forward Yegor Chinakhov from the Columbus Blue Jackets. for a couple of draft picks as well as fringe forward Danton Heinen.
Well, Dubas must have known something we didn't because Chinakhov exploded for 36 points with the Penguins including 18 goals. Not only can he be happy that Chinakhov is helping him out, but also that he's not giving his old team a boost.
In a real twist of fate, the Maple Leafs tried desperately to acquire Chinakhov and dangled Nick Robertson for him, however the Blue Jackets refused and held onto the disgruntled forward.
It was then that Dubas decided to get his revenge, and Brough him on board in a very shrewd bit of business. The fact that Toronto offered only Robertson and nothing else shows they must not have really cared about adding him, otherwise they would have tried harder.
The narrative wasn't that Toronto didn't have the pieces to get him; it was that they refused to actually dip into their pool and bring him in.
Missing out on Yegor Chinakhov proves the front office needs to be far more aggressive
To put it lightly, Toronto has a yellow-belly when it comes to making deals. Before the trade deadline, the last trade that Brad Treliving had made was the one for Dakota Joshua...in July.
That's over 200 days of doing nothing, and while there were certainly offers being floated around — where was the effort to follow up? It's called a trade negotiation for a reason. If they don't like one deal, maybe try for another.
Pittsburgh paid a 2026 second-rounder, a 2027 third-rounder and Heinen. Toronto could have traded Robertson while adding their 2026 third or 2027 second-rounder.
You're still giving them the same rounds just in swapped years, and the goal is to add a forward like Chinakhov who acts as a proto-pick — you bring him in to bypass a draft choice.
Instead, Brad Treliving sat on his hands, and he did so all the way until the midnight hour. It's not a great sign when your team's CEO says he'll 'do anything' to make the postseason, but not find a deal for anyone.
This lack of aggression has to end with the new management group if Toronto wants to find any bit of success. You gotta give a little to get a little, and it seems like the Maple Leafs have forgotten about the first part completely.
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