Revisiting Brendan Shanahan’s worst and easiest choices as Maple Leafs President all the way through his 11-year reign feat. Drafting Auston Matthews

The Toronto Maple Leafs formally introduced that the staff would no longer renew Brendan Shanahan’s contract, finishing his tenure because the membership’s President.

The announcement ended hypothesis following but every other disappointing playoff go out for the Maple Leafs. As such, it’s price taking a look again at Shanahan’s 11-year reign in Toronto, specializing in the most efficient and worst choices because the staff strikes ahead with a brand new voice on the helm.

Revisiting Brendan Shanahan’s worst and easiest choices as Maple Leafs President all the way through his 11-year reign

Worst choices

Let’s get started with the worst choices all the way through Brendan Shanahan’s tenure as Maple Leafs President.

The Core Four

The very first thing that involves thoughts goes with the Core Four construction. The group dedicated greater than 1/2 of its wage cap house to 4 gamers at one level all the way through Shanahan’s time as President.

That scenario made it extraordinarily difficult for the staff to spherical out the roster in strengthen of stars Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner.

Trading Nazem Kadri

The Nazem Kadri industry is one Shanahan would like to have again. While the industry wasn’t his determination essentially, the group felt it used to be time to transport on from Kadri after he were suspended in back-to-back postseasons.

At the time, the industry regarded cast on paper. The Leafs were given Tyson Barrie, a bona fide top-pairing blue liner, whilst the Colorado Avalanche were given a second-line heart to play at the back of Nathan Mackinnon.

The deal labored out for Colorado as they went directly to win a Stanley Cup in 2022. For Toronto, Barrie did not reside as much as expectancies, ultimately leaving the staff for not anything.

Allowing Wiliam Nylander and Mitch Marner’s contract negotiations drag on

Both William Nylander and Mitch Marner pressured the Maple Leafs’ hand by means of dragging their newest contract negotiations smartly into coaching camp. Nylander’s case used to be specifically difficult as he signed proper prior to he used to be ineligible to play that season.

Marner and his camp dragged out their final negotiation in 2019, forcing the staff to pony up on the final minute. The identical scenario repeated this yr, with Marner doubtlessly strolling clear of the staff for not anything.

Best choices

Here’s a have a look at the most efficient choices all the way through Brendan Shanahan’s tenure

Hiring Craig Berube

No offense to Sheldon Keefe. But the verdict to rent Keefe used to be based totally extra at the advice by means of Kyle Dubas than a real seek for a trainer who matched the staff’s identification.

The loss of playoff good fortune triggered the firing of Keefe and the hiring of Craig Berube. Berube grew to become issues round, reworking the Leafs into Atlantic Division winners. While issues didn’t figure out smartly in Berube’s first postseason, the full result used to be cast.

Letting Kyle Dubas move

Kyle Dubas used to be keen to transport up within the hockey international. But it appeared that Shanahan used to be blocking off Dubas’ promotion.

So, Dubas engineered his transfer to the Pittsburgh Penguins to get the promotion he sought after.

While Dubas’ movements weren’t probably the most glamorous on the time, the Leafs made the proper determination in letting him move. Dubas were given his promotion and Shanahan employed Brad Treliving.

Treliving has effectively controlled a transition that guarantees to yield a significantly better playoff-contending staff within the years yet to come.

Drafting Auston Matthews

Early in Shanahan’s tenure, the Maple Leafs effectively tanked the 2016 season, touchdown them the first-overall pick out.

Auston Matthews used to be the hands-down first-overall pick out that yr. Nevertheless, different standout gamers like Matthew Tkachuk and Patrik Laine appeared engaging alternatives.

The Leafs performed it secure and took Matthews. The transfer has yielded the staff its franchise celebrity. Now, believe if the Leafs had taken Laine or Pierre-Luc Dubois with that first-overall pick out. The universe may have been radically other than it’s these days.

If the Maple Leafs win a Stanley Cup within the subsequent half-decade or so, Brendan Shanahan will have to get the credit score he merits for putting in the staff on that trail.