Eight Years In, Maple Leafs’ Shanahan Era Is Brimming With Positives

A little more than eight years ago, the Toronto Maple Leafs began a new era with the hiring of longtime NHL star Brendan Shanahan as the team’s president. And although the Original Six franchise is still searching for Stanley Cup playoff success, it’s important to see how the organization has evolved for the better under Shanahan’s direction.

(As always, when we discuss Shanahan, we must disclose the fact we worked for the Leafs under Shanahan for a few years. However, ignoring the positives he’s brought to Toronto would be doing readers a disservice. If we can criticize his tenure for the lack of post-season success, surely we can praise him for the positives the Leafs have shown due to his leadership.)

We can start by noting that Shanahan was confident enough in his vision for the team to put it through a two-year, full-rebuild process that saw them combine for only 59 wins in his first two seasons overseeing the team. But that was necessary, as the Leafs at that point were comprised of fringe NHLers (T.J. Brennan, Matt Frattin, Richard Panik) and veterans who weren’t elite enough (Dion Phaneuf, Joffrey Lupul, David Clarkson) to propel the Buds to meet and exceed fan and media expectations. Toronto’s ownership was paying out approximately $68 million – a shade below the NHL’s $69-million salary cap ceiling – but they were a team that put players in roles they didn’t have the skill for.

So, after Shanahan’s first season, the scalpel came out, and the tear-down began in earnest. Stars including Phil Kessel and Phaneuf, and veterans James Reimer and Roman Polak were shipped out, and youngsters including Zach Hyman and Kasperi Kapanen were brought in. So too was head coach Mike Babcock, who quickly put his footprint on the franchise. And by the next season, the Leafs were back in the playoff mix, and they’ve never missed the playoffs in the five seasons that have followed. It’s true their post-season adventures have been marred by soul-crushing defeats, but that’s true for many, if not most teams every year.

That said, let’s also acknowledge the off-ice improvements that have been made by Shanahan. For one thing, he’s been heavily committed to diversity: under his watch, the Leafs hired former women’s hockey superstar Dr. Hayley Wickenheiser, who now serves as Toronto’s assistant general manager, player development; their director of hockey operations is a woman (Diane Hederson); so too is their director of player development, former Team Canada star and, like Wickenheiser, Hockey Hall of Famer, Danielle Goyette; and two of their three current hockey development analysts are women (Judy Cohen and Jill Reiner).

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In addition, Shanahan has spearheaded the hiring of people of color, hiring former NHLer Mark Fraser to run their player development, equity, diversity and inclusion department, and promoting Justin Bobb to the role of director, equity, diversity and inclusion – team strategy. As well, he hired former NHLer Manny Malhotra, who has Punjabi Indian heritage, as one of the team’s assistant coaches.

And the Leafs’ commitment to responding to our changing culture goes deeper than that. Shanahan has been a prominent supporter of the LGBTQ+ community, and this past June, he was one of many Leafs employees who participated in Toronto’s gay pride parade. By all metrics, he’s been a welcoming, progressive member of the hockey world, and the Leafs’ brand has benefitted from him.

Of course, there’s pressure on Shanahan to get the Buds on a deep playoff push this coming year, but there’s been pressure on him virtually his entire life. This is a guy who had to live up to being the second-overall NHL draft pick. It took him some time to experience Cup-winning success, as it does for every NHLer, but he eventually got there. This is why Leafs’ ownership believes in him. As a player, and as a hockey lifer, he’s shown the tenacity and desire to get to the top. And he also understands an NHL team’s place in the larger world, and embraces the challenges that come with truly making a difference on and off the ice.

Toronto has had a roller-coaster ride since Shanahan took over, but the positives of his work far outweigh the negatives of playoff disappointment. And he’s remade the Leafs into a squad that was the NHL’s fourth-best regular season group last year. That has to count for something.

Criticize Shanahan all you want, but understand why he’s held in such high regard. The proof is right there for you.