The Maple Leafs are eating another one of their own in the playoffs. The Toronto club isn’t expected to survive the Bruins, and once again, the first-round curse hits hard.
We laugh about the curse, but the reality is that this club is poorly built. And whose fault is that? Kyle Dubas, who lost his position as GM last year, is one of the culprits.
But let’s not forget what Brendan Shanahan has been doing for years as hockey president of the Maple Leafs. For the past 10 years, he’s been overseeing the Maple Leafs’ hockey operations.
You don’t want to sell the bear skin the maple leaf before it’s dead, but let’s just say that right now, the way it’s shaping up, the Shanaplan isn’t working at all.
The club is possibly one good goaltending choice away from Jim Montgomery being swept away.
Between the players’ performances, the misplaced arrogance of the Ryan Reaves of this world and “stories” like Auston Matthews’ illness, one wonders what will come out of the Maple Leafs’ (upcoming) elimination.
And as Renaud Lavoie said this morning on BPM Sports, we shouldn’t be surprised to see Brendan Shanahan scooped. In fact, that’s what people in Toronto are expecting.
MLSE, which owns the Maple Leafs, has a new CEO in place, and his goal will be to assess what’s not working. And it’s very possible that his conclusion will be that the hockey president is at fault.
I don’t necessarily think that Brad Treliving, who has only been CEO for a year, will take the rap.
One wonders, then, whether the Maple Leafs will also make changes, in due course, behind the bench. Will Sheldon Keefe get the axe? Will Guy Boucher, whom Shanahan likes, also leave?
These are the questions we’re asking right now.
In bursts
– A little, but that’s not all.
– Eight divisions of four teams? Not going to happen. #Parity
– With good reason.
– The importance of veterans in the playoffs. [BPM Sports]
– I won’t cry for him.
More must-reads: