The head of Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment addressed the media a day after announcing that longtime Toronto Maple Leafs president Brendan Shanahan was out.
President and CEO Keith Pelley said the club will not replace Shanahan, as he thanked him for his 11-season tenure at the helm of the Toronto hockey club.
The Leafs exited the Stanley Cup playoffs on Sunday after losing to the defending champion Florida Panthers in Game 7 of the second round. Toronto hasn’t won a Game 7 since 2004.
Here’s what Pelley said:
1:22 p.m. - ‘Anything is possible’ with president‘s role now vacant: Pelley
“Anything is possible. My plan, right now, is to not replace Brendan, and Brad (Treliving) will be our GM. Whether he takes on a larger role, is something that will be determined down the road.
“So everything that we will do will be methodical, and if we feel that we need to make a move like that, then we will. At this particular time, there’s no plan to do that,” Pelley said in response to a question about Treliving potentially serving as both GM and president.
1:20 p.m. - Leafs’ relationship with fans a ‘priority’
“We need to embrace the media, we need to embrace the fans, and we need to be out there more. We’re going to have a full, detailed plan. We’ll work on that in the off-season, but that‘s really a priority for us, is how we relate to the fans.”
1:17 p.m. - ‘Florida is a very good hockey team’
“Florida is a very good hockey team. We’re seeing that this week as well against the Carolina (Hurricanes), also a very good hockey team. And as I said, I think we made strides this year, but it is now time for us to take it to another level.”
1:15 - p.m. Third period of Game 7 ‘very difficult’ to watch
“The electricity prior to the game and during that first period was palpable and, you know, unmeasured. And to go from that euphoric moment to the way that we felt the third period was very difficult, and I was saddened by it, and I feel that I need to take some responsibility.”
1:12 - p.m. Pelley says not renewing Shanahan’s contract was his decision
“This was my decision. Had the support of ownership, had that conversation yesterday. We made the decision. I talked to Brendan at 3 p.m. eastern yesterday. He, as expected, acted like a true professional, the Hall of Famer that he is, understood that I wanted to move very, very quickly.”
1:10 - p.m. Pelley ‘not looking to replace’ Shanahan
“I’m not looking to replace Brendan. I’m looking to work closer with Brad and closer with Craig (Berube). We will, just like in any other business, evaluate all facets of the organization in terms of how we utilize resources.
“We have all the resources here to be a championship team, but it‘s using the resources in the right way, and how we structure those utilization of resources that could make the difference.”
1:08 p.m. - ‘Good simply isn’t good enough’
“I understand, to our fans, that winning is the only thing that matters. I think I said to you last year that good simply isn’t good enough and that‘s the case here,” Pelley said.
1:06 p.m. - Pelley speaks on Shanahan’s departure
“He’s a legend in the hockey world, and as I said to him yesterday, wherever he goes, I know he will be successful, and I wish him and his family the very best,” Pelley said.
Shanahan was announced as the team’s president in 2014 and led the Leafs to nine straight playoff appearances, albeit only winning two of those series.
The first win in 2023 against the Tampa Bay Lightning ended a 19-year drought, before the Leafs were eliminated by the Panthers in the second round.
The Leafs faced a similar fate in their latest post-season meeting with Florida and dropped the series in Game 7 following back-to-back home losses of 6-1 and a blown 2-0 series lead.
A Toronto native and three-time Stanley Cup champion, Shanahan has previously expressed confidence in the so-called “Core Four” of Captain Auston Matthews, John Tavares, William Nylander and Mitch Marner, all of whom were signed under his watch and accounted for more than $40 million of the team’s salary cap.
“While I am proud of the rebuild we embarked on starting 2014, ultimately I came here to help win the Stanley Cup, and we did not. There is nothing more I wanted to deliver to our fans, and my biggest regret is that we could not finish the job,” Shanahan said in a statement.
The future of the Leafs offensive line remains in question ahead of next season as both Marner and Tavares are eligible to become unrestricted free agents on July 1.
