Maple Leafs part ways with president Brendan Shanahan

The Toronto Maple Leafs have announced that they will not be renewing the contract of team president & alternate governor Brendan Shanahan.

Shanahan was in the final year of his contract, and with no talk of an extension throughout the season, it was safe to assume that his return would depend on the performance of the Maple Leafs in the playoffs, with a rumour that the goal from ownership was an appearance in the Eastern Conference Final. After blowing a 2-0 series lead in the second round to the Florida Panthers, they fell short of expectations, and have elected to move on from Shanahan.

“Over the past 11 seasons, Brendan Shanahan has made countless contributions to the Toronto Maple Leafs on the ice, off the ice and in the community,” MLSE President & CEO Keith Pelley said in a statement announcing the decision. “Brendan is one of the most respected leaders in the game and he has instilled many of the traits that were the signature of his Hall of Fame career throughout the organization, uniting this storied franchise in the ‘Honour, Pride and Courage’ that it was founded on. Our responsibility and driving motivation, however, is to add a new chapter to the Maple Leafs’ championship history, and it was determined that a new voice was required to take the team to the next level in the years ahead. The franchise will be forever grateful for Brendan’s contributions and wish him and his family every success and happiness in the future.”

The move shouldn’t be considered as too much of a surprise, considering that it was reported on Wednesday that the Leafs gave the New York Islanders permission to speak with Shanahan about a front-office position.

Shanahan joined the Leafs in 2014 as president in an attempt to shift the organization in the right direction. The initial results were promising, as it only took until Shanahan’s third season with Toronto for the team to return to the playoffs, which was the first of nine-consecutive playoff appearances.

However, failure to perform in the playoffs over the years, highlighted by only two series wins, resulted in changes, and after already moving on from Kyle Dubas, Sheldon Keefe, and even Mike Babcock, Shanahan felt next in line. Despite that, the organization has significantly improved since before he arrived, and the Leafs’ .597 point percentage during his tenure is the ninth-best in the league in that span.

“Toronto is where I was born and raised, where my family still lives, and being a part of this historic franchise will always be one of the greatest honours of my life,” said Shanahan in a statement. “I want to thank the entire Maple Leafs’ staff for their commitment and hard work over the years – they are second to none in the National Hockey League. I want to thank the Alumni for all of their support and the tremendous work they do at our games and within the community. Many of them were my heroes growing up and it has been a pleasure to get to know them on a personal level. I want to thank the fans for their passion and loyalty. Your love for the team inspired me every day. While I am proud of the rebuild we embarked on starting in 2014, ultimately, I came here to help win the Stanley Cup, and we did not. There is nothing more I wanted to deliver to our fans, and my biggest regret is that we could not finish the job.

“I greatly enjoyed working with Brad and Craig, and I firmly believe they are excellent in their roles and have done a great job in their time with the team. Also, I want to thank the players, they are committed and passionate about delivering a championship to this city and will do everything within their power to accomplish that goal. I wish them all the very best.”

As of right now, there’s no information on who a potential replacement for Shanahan will be. There have been some rumours that the Leafs may not even look to hire a new president, which makes some sense considering the issues with power dynamics the role had caused between Shanahan and Dubas.