Former Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Dave Nonis spoke for the first time since being fired by the organization earlier this month.

Speaking to Toronto Sun columnist Steve Simmons, Nonis went into detail about his time in Toronto and how it started to consume his life in an unhealthy way.

"When you’re the manager of a team, you wake up every single day and your first thought is: ‘How can I make my team better today?’ It can consume you. You’re not thinking about the house, or whether it’s your wife’s birthday or anything else going on in your life. It’s ‘How I can make this team better?" Nonis told the Toronto Sun.

"And when things aren’t going well, that’s all you think about. Personally, it does affect you. It affects you physically. It affects you mentally. It’s not healthy, necessarily. The tradeoffs come when you have success. That’s the profession we’re in. It’s like a drug. It takes over your life. You live for that success and it’s the reason we’re in this."

Nonis, who still has three more years left on his contract, was named GM of the Leafs in January 2013 and saw the Leafs make the playoffs for the first time in nine years that season. But after a late season collapse the following year and an extremely disappointing campaign in 2014-15, the writing was on the wall and Nonis along with interim head coach Peter Horachek as well as scouts and assistant coaches were let go.

Nonis doesn't point his finger at anyone for the failures though, including himself.

“It’s a combination of everything,” said the 48-year-old. “I wish I could pinpoint all the reasons of what went wrong. I know people put the collapses together. But I don’t. The last three were different. There’s a lot of blame to go around. But I still don’t think this is a bottom-four roster. There are a lot of assets here. And with the draft picks we’ve accumulated, hopefully a lot of assets going forward.”

Nonis also spoke about a couple of his most notable moves - the signings of All-Star forward Phil Kessel and Leafs captain Dion Phaneuf to expensive multi-year contracts.

“I could have traded Dion at the deadline. We had a deal, it wasn’t a great one, but it was a deal. I look at Phil and Dion and I still think they’re elite, upper-end players. They both could be traded, but it’s not like the Leafs are stuck with them if they’re back. I think they can come back and help them,” said Nonis.

Kessel has been labelled many things over his time in Toronto, from an elite superstar to someone who is impossible to coach. Nonis still stands behind the man he signed to an eight-year contract prior to the 2013 season.

“I don’t think they have to move Phil Kessel,” he said. “You only move him if you decide the return is worth it. If you don’t get value for him, you’re only hurting your team. I believe the baggage that comes with Phil is overblown. Are there things he has to change? Absolutely. But I can assure you of this: Whatever team wins the Stanley Cup this year will have a Phil Kessel in the lineup. I can guarantee that."

As for the firing and his relationship with Maple Leafs President Brendan Shanahan, Nonis has nothing but respect for his former employer.

“There’s no hard feelings or ill will. I understand why he decided to make the change. I was hoping it wouldn’t happen. I thought we got along very well throughout the year. But I’ve been in the game a long time. I understand why you do this,” explained Nonis.