Leafs restructure front office; hire 28-year-old advanced stats advocate Kyle Dubas

The Toronto Maple Leafs have hired wonderkid Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds general manager Kyle Dubas, 28, to be the club's new assistant general manager, according to a report from James Mirtle of the Globe and Mail. The Leafs have also shown vice president of hockey operations Dave Poulin and assistant general manager Claude Loiselle the door. 

A former player-agent with Uptown Sports Management, Dubas has worked as the general manager of the OHL's Greyhounds since 2011. An outspoken proponent of "advanced stats" and analytics in hockey, under Dubas' leadership the Greyhounds have gone from being a 24-win team in 2010-11 to a 44-win team this past season. 

"Kyle is a young executive that has made a strong name for himself in hockey with a progressive style, work ethic and maturation beyond his years," said Toronto Maple Leafs President Brendan Shanahan in a team release. "He has a fresh approach that we feel will benefit our club for years to come."

"The chance to work for the Toronto Maple Leafs is like a dream come true," said Dubas. "I’m truly excited to begin helping this team win and learn from men like Brendan Shanahan and Dave Nonis. 

"I’m very thankful for this opportunity, but equally grateful to the Greyhounds organization and the city of Sault Ste. Marie for helping put me in this position. The Leafs are focused on building a team that will enjoy long-term success and I am excited to play a role in it."

Shades of Gord Stellick, much?

Though Dubas is now in place, it would appear that Shanahan isn't necessarily finished reshuffling the decks in the Toronto front office. According to Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun, the Maple Leafs are still likely to hire at least one, and maybe two more executives before the start of the season.