Shortly after being eliminated from playoff contention on Saturday night, the Carolina Hurricanes have announced they hired a new general manager: Toronto’s Assistant GM Kyle Dubas.

“Kyle is a forward-thinking young executive and I think he’s exactly the person to lead our team into a new stage,” said new Hurricanes owner Tom Dundon. “I believe Kyle and I can work together to build a new era of winning Canes Hockey.”

The move will come as a disappointment to some Leafs fans, who hoped Dubas would succeed Lou Lamoriello as Toronto’s GM. Leafs’ President Brendan Shanahan issued a brief statement thanking Dubas for his time with MLSE.

“While we are disappointed to see Kyle go, we thank him for his time in Toronto and wish him the best in his new role with Carolina. We understand that, as a team with both a first-line centre and an actual starting goalie, the Leafs provided insufficient challenge for a manager of his ability, and we look forward to his first day on the job when he inexplicably extends Cam Ward.”

Dundon has indicated he intends to be a very involved owner for the Canes, taking a direct hand in day-to-day operations of the franchise and giving himself the title of Lord Captain Commander of Hockey Operations. Dubas, for his part, conditioned his acceptance of the job on changing the team motto to “If You Have Value, It Will Be Quantifiable.”

The Leafs continue to search for a successor to Lamoriello, but Shanahan is rumoured to be closing to hiring his old Detroit GM, Ken Holland, believing him to be the right man to negotiate the upcoming Bozak and Komarov extensions. Stay tuned, Toronto fans.