The Toronto Maple Leafs most successful eras in their franchise’s history coincided with stability at the top.
Conn Smythe presided over the team for 29 years during which the team won seven Stanley Cup championships. Punch Imlach’s tenure lasted 14 years and brought four titles.
Each of them filled different roles within the organization. Smythe was the Leafs longtime owner, and he and Imlach served as the general manager and coach.
The Leafs and their fans don’t need a reminder that the team has not won a championship since the midpoint of the Imlach era.
Another playoff disaster with a star-studded roster plus the firing of head coach Sheldon Keefe has turned the heat up on Maple Leafs president Brendan Shanahan.
There Are Positives To Be Found in the Toronto Maple Leafs Decision to Keep Brendan Shanahan
Smythe’s Leafs had a .547 points percentage while Imlach’s Leafs were at .539. They oversaw winning teams more often than not.
Fans of a certain vintage will recall the dreadful reign of Harold Ballard during the 1980s. The Leafs not only went years without a legitimate, respectable team, but were a league laughingstock.
The underdog Leafs of the early 1990s, under Cliff Fletcher and Pat Burns, had two memorable, final four playoff runs. Pat Quinn and Mats Sundin helped the Leafs to two more Conference Finals.
The rest of those years saw the Leafs alternate between middling and bottom-feeder, with no realistic hope for a title.
The appointment of Shanahan to Leafs president changed all of that. Their record over the last ten years hovers around a .600 points percentage.
Shanahan Properly Rebuilt the Leafs
The playoff failures are hard to ignore, but the Leafs have made the playoffs for eight consecutive seasons, tied for the longest current streak in the NHL. In five of those seasons, the Leafs reached 100 points. It would have been more if not for two shortened years due to the pandemic.
Under his watch, the Leafs properly rebuilt the team. Auston Matthews was drafted first overall, thanks to a successful tank and lottery win.
Less obvious was Shanahan overseeing the strong draft choices of William Nylander eighth overall in 2014 and Mitch Marner fourth overall in 2015. The Marner draft in particular could have gone much differently. At the time, there was much debate about who the Maple Leafs should take. Choosing Marner over Dylan Strome and Noah Hanifin was the best choice.
Shanahan is also responsible for bringing some prestige to the Leafs. At the start of his tenure, everyone rightfully applauded his big-name acquisitions of head coach Mike Babcock and general manager Lou Lamoriello, which brought esteem to the organization.
Pundits may argue that he is on the fourth general manager of his tenure, but a closer look reveals some extenuating circumstances.
Shanahan inherited Dave Nonis, part of an unsuccessful prior Leafs regime. The hiring of Lamoriello brought credibility to the Maple Leafs organization. He then understandably went to a younger option in Kyle Dubas, instead of reupping and committing long-term to an aging Lamoriello.
While the details remain a mystery, Shanahan turned to Treliving when Dubas wanted more power and money a year ago.
Shanahan’s coaching decisions are warranted. Randy Carlyle was hired before his arrival. He fired Carlyle and replaced him with interim Peter Horachek to finish out the lost season of 2014-2015.
The hiring of Babcock in 2015 was bold and considered a good move at the time. When Babcock’s ways had run their course, Shanahan made the right move in relieving him of his job.
Then, Keefe arrived and became the most successful regular-season coach in Maple Leafs history. Shanahan was more than patient with Keefe as he learned the ropes of playoff hockey, until it necessarily became time for another voice and different message behind the Leafs bench.
Stable Organizations Translate to Success
Another consideration in keeping Shanahan aboard is stability. Volatility within an organization does not lead to success.
The best organizations around the NHL have stability at the top. Joe Sakic is president of hockey operations for the Colorado Avalanche after serving years as the team’s general manager. Pierre Lacroix held each position for years within the organization. They have won multiple Stanley Cups.
Jeffrey Vinik’s ownership years of the Tampa Bay Lightning have provided a model that all teams should follow. His team is the closest to a dynasty in recent years.
Continuity in upper-level positions within the organization is a large reason for their success. Whether it be Chief Executive Officer and Vice-Chairman Steve Griggs or the prolonged tenures of general managers Julien Brisebois, Steve Yzerman, and Jay Feaster, the Lightning promote constancy.
Both organizations have provided templates for other teams to follow.
Brendan Shanahan has played a big part in bringing respectability back to the Leafs organization. In many ways, he is responsible for constructing and developing the team’s top-notch resources that many around the league desire to have.
If anything, the Leafs players and off-ice personnel are treated too well. That’s a good problem to have.
That kind of reputation makes for a good working environment.
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The Toronto Maple Leafs do need to make changes, but not of the wholesale variety. Patience is often rewarded, even if it’s hard to envision.
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