The Toronto Maple Leafs held their end-of-season press conference with management on Friday. While the gathering included lots of corporate-speak, the essence of the meeting was clear: the Leafs are setting the stage for major moves this summer. With that said, let’s break down the press conference into three key takeaways:
SHANAHAN HAS FULL CONFIDENCE OF OWNERSHIP This was the first press availability for new Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment CEO Keith Pelley, but if you were expecting a grandiose pronouncement on his new impact on the Leafs’ hockey operations department, you left disappointed. Pelley made a cursory statement, then quickly turned over the proceedings to team president Brendan Shanahan. And while this was a typical Shanahan press conference – information was limited and extremely managed – the belief in Shanahan was readily apparent. Pelley seemed content to stay in the background, and you don’t do that if you don’t have faith in someone to get the job done. Ultimately, if the team is in the same position at this time next year, Shanahan’s job security will be in jeopardy. But as it stands now, Leafs ownership, Shanahan and, by extension, GM Brad Treliving are still being trusted to figure out the answer for perennial playoff letdowns.
SHANAHAN IS IN HIS ELEMENT If Shanahan felt any heat, he didn’t show it at the press conference. If you understand his history as a player, you understand that Shanahan has overcome the odds when the deck was stacked against him as a star player. Indeed, Shanahan students know that it took him 10 seasons – and four different teams – before Shanahan won a Stanley Cup. He was on a Team Canada that finished in fourth place in the 1998 Winter Olympics before he won gold four years later.
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