In Decade Running Leafs, Shanahan Has Been A Terrific Leader

As the Toronto Maple Leafs continue their attempts to evolve into hockey’s top team, there have been whispers about the tenure of team president and governor Brendan Shanahan, who has ran the Buds since 2014. Shanahan’s decade presiding over has led to some of the Leafs’ best-ever regular seasons, but as we all know, it’s playoff success that counts, and Toronto has had just one playoff series win in Shanahan’s tenure. That leads to speculation about who might be able to do Shanahan’s job better than he does it. But a fair look at Shanahan’s tenure makes it clear – he’s done as good a job as anyone would’ve, and there’s no reason for Leafs ownership to look elsewhere for someone else to steer the team.

As part of Shanahan’s duties, the financial state of the team has to be factored in when judging him. And the Leafs have never been more profitable than they are right now. Whether it’s the arena naming rights – which brought in a cool $800 million – or whether it’s the Buds’ strong regular season performances that lead to at least a couple of lucrative playoff games, Shanahan has brought in the big bucks to make the Leafs’ bottom line as profitable as any NHL franchise.

Shanahan has also pressed all the right buttons when it comes to the Leafs’ image and impact on the hockey community and on Toronto as a city. He takes time – along with image-savvy Leafs players – to participate in Pride events in the city, and he has made mental health issues and First Nations Peoples issues front and center in the time that games aren’t being played. Shanahan knows the power of the Blue & White Maple Leaf, and he uses it for good.

Shanahan also isn’t afraid to make major moves with the organization. He pushed out veteran GM Lou Lamoriello, and he boldly fired GM Kyle Dubas when he felt a firing was necessary. He’s since give the reins to GM Brad Treiving, but don’t kid yourself – Shanahan’s voice and opinion regarding trades, coaching moves and everything on-ice concerning the Leafs is a result of the passion he has when it comes to running the team.

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Being a Toronto native has also allowed Shanahan to try to change the demographics of Leafs crowds at Scotiabank Arena. The team has no shortage of Caucasian male fans as its cornerstone support target audience, but Shanahan welcomes new faces, new communities, and new voices to the Leafs community at large.

Shanahan has watched the Leafs’ “Core Four” group of forwards dominate in the regular season, but as a star player, it took him a decade before he won his first Stanley Cup. That means he still has patience with the process that the Leafs’ current players are going through. If Toronto fails to go on a deep playoff run this season, Shanahan’s patience may dry up, but at the moment, he and Treliving still believe in the team as currently constructed.

As a business leader and a hockey leader, Shanahan has left a notable impact. He’s under pressure for the team to play well in this coming post-season, but you can say that about everyone employed by the Leafs. The NHL is a zero-sum business, so Shanahan will have to produce playoff series wins if he wants to spend another decade running the team.

Shanahan wants nothing more than to win a Cup, and he’s got another kick at the can this season. But there’s no question he’s done a terrific job running things over the past 10 years, and he’s earned the right to see the team’s business play out at least one more time.