TORONTO — With the future of Toronto Maple Leafs president Brendan Shanahan hanging in the air following the team’s second-round series loss to the Florida Panthers, the Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment board of directors will meet Thursday as part of the organization’s end-of-season review, multiple league sources briefed on the agenda of the meeting told The Athletic.
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Shanahan just completed his 11th season in the position and is on a contract that is due to expire at the end of June.
Internally, the bar ownership had set for progress on this Leafs season was an appearance in the Eastern Conference final, according to league sources. Toronto fell one win short of that benchmark, albeit in dispiriting fashion — with a pair of 6-1 losses to the Panthers at Scotiabank Arena in Games 5 and 7.
The way that series ended has left ownership disappointed and embarrassed, according to sources. As close as the Leafs were to taking a meaningful step from previous seasons, the way they lost made it feel a little farther from reach.
However, when it comes to determining Shanahan’s future and the hierarchy of the team’s hockey operations structure moving forward, ownership recognizes the need to take a methodical approach.
They don’t want to make any knee-jerk or emotional decisions.
The Shanahan decision comes at a time of internal change at MLSE. While the sale of Bell’s 37.5 percent stake in the company to Rogers Communications Inc., hasn’t yet closed, that’s viewed as a formality that will soon leave Rogers with a controlling 75 percent interest in the company. Edward Rogers, Tony Staffieri and David Miller currently occupy the Rogers seats on the board.
It’s not yet clear if Thursday’s board meeting will result in a final decision on Shanahan’s future. In the event the organization decides to move on from him, the team will likely move forward without a team president for the foreseeable future, according to the sources.
Further complicating the path forward with Shanahan is the fact that the New York Islanders have expressed interest in speaking to him about their top hockey job, according to league sources.
This marks the first opportunity for Keith Pelley to put his stamp on the Leafs since becoming MLSE president and CEO in April 2024. He decided against making any management changes following a first-round loss to the Boston Bruins last spring because of how little time he’d had on the job.
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At that time, Pelley spoke positively about his first impressions in watching Shanahan and Leafs general manager Brad Treliving work together.
“Brendan is the president of the Toronto Maple Leafs,” Pelley told reporters last May. “He’s a champion. He’s a three-time Stanley Cup winner. What I saw in my four weeks with the two gentlemen beside me showed me that the chemistry and unity is being built at the highest levels. And I don’t have any other comments because I wasn’t here in the last eight years.
“I understand the results, but I can only evaluate what I’ve seen in the first four weeks.”
Pelley has since had another 12 months to make his evaluation, getting a first-hand look at a season where the Leafs finished atop the Atlantic Division with 108 points and beat the Ottawa Senators in Round 1 before being eliminated by the Panthers.
This is a critical offseason for the team with top forwards Mitch Marner and John Tavares both eligible to become unrestricted free agents and Marner seemingly poised to test the open market on July 1.
While Shanahan’s future with the club is still being determined, there is a positive internal view on the job Treliving has done in his first two years as GM. He’s under contract beyond this season.
The hockey world is not exactly brimming with experienced high-end management talent, and no one currently available has a stronger resume than Shanahan. Already a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame as a player, the 56-year-old spent five years in the NHL’s head office, rising to the position of the league’s senior vice president, before arriving in Toronto.
Shanahan was hired by the Leafs in April 2014 and spearheaded an extensive overhaul of the team’s hockey operations department while restoring connections with the franchise’s alumni. He’s overseen an operation that has made nine consecutive playoff appearances, the longest active streak among NHL teams, but hasn’t advanced beyond the second round during his tenure.
The last time the Leafs reached the Eastern Conference Final was 2002. The team hasn’t won a Stanley Cup since 1967.
(Photo: Bruce Bennett / Getty Images)
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