Toronto Maple Leafs: Why Is Brendan Shanahan Still Employed?

It’s been eight years of losing, so why is Brendan Shanahan still the President of the Toronto Maple Leafs?

For a player who was known for Gordie Howe hattricks, it’s crazy to think that he’s built a Toronto Maple Leafs team that is opposite of that.

In April, 2014, the “Shanaplan” was introduced and the pain and suffering was about to continue. The idea was to strip this franchise apart and start fresh, building through the draft and development.

And to be honest with you, that idea worked.

The Leafs were the worst team in the NHL, drafted Mitch Marner, William Nylander and Auston Matthews and then all of a sudden made the playoffs. They even fought hard against the Washington Capitals, narrowly losing in six games and this team felt like they were on the rise.

Mike Babcock and Lou Lamoriello seemed like fantastic hires and the two hockey superstar’s were going to take Toronto to the next step. But then, before we knew it, Lamoriello left, Babcock was fired and the Leafs were stuck in salary-cap hell.

Shanaplan is Beginning to Fall Apart for Toronto Maple Leafs

Drafting and developing talent is incredibly important, but that went out the window when the Leafs signed John Tavares to a seven-year deal worth $11M. They named him the captain of the franchise and under his leadership, they’ve lost for four straight years in the First Round of the playoffs.

You can argue that this team is a fantastic regular season team that’s exciting and can score, but excitement hasn’t seemed to work in the playoffs. Instead, under the leadership of Shanahan, the Leafs have zero playoff wins in eight seasons.

We’re getting close to a decade of losing right now and for some reason, he’s still employed.

Why hasn’t he stepped in and demanded that the direction of this team needs to change? Matthews and Marner are ideal to any hockey team, but why hasn’t Shanahan looked at his success as a player and told GM Kyle Dubas to find players like him?

The reason his Detroit Red Wings team’s won so much was because they had a mix of high-end skill and toughness. I know the NHL has changed and there aren’t a million players like this, but Shanahan could beat your face in and then score 40 goals in a season.

Shanahan is the exact player Toronto needs right now.

Toronto has found some toughness with Kyle Clifford and Wayne Simmonds, but neither of them can score anymore. The Leafs are missing a top-six winger who can play angry, but can also contribute to the line-up and it’s one of the huge reasons why they haven’t won in the playoffs.

Shanahan needs to walk into Dubas’ office and show him a tape of himself when he was a player and say “go find a player like me.”

If he doesn’t see that and Toronto continues to get beaten in the playoffs, then this should be his last season as President. The Leafs leadership team needs to see the one problem in the room and fix it immediately or the Stanley Cup drought will continue for a long time.