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Maple Leafs Give Green Light for Metro Division Team to Pursue Brendan Shanahan

Originally posted on Blade of Steel | By Tom Banks | Last updated May 21, 2025 3:26 PM ET

MLSE may be having a board meeting to decide on the future of the Maple Leafs front office, and now the Islanders have requested an interview with Brendan Shanahan.

The Toronto Maple Leafs had another playoff failure in 2025, and with the organization potentially looking for change, it's reported that MLSE is having a board meeting that could drastically change things for the teams front office.

Just hours after this report came out, the New York Islanders reportedly requested permission to interview Shanahan for a position in their front office, though it's yet unclear if it would be for the role as President of Hockey Operations or to be their new General Manager.

This comes just days after the Islanders landed the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft, and now, it's being reported that the Maple Leafs have granted that permission, signalling that Shanahan is likely on his way out of the organization this off-season.

After 11 years in Toronto, the Maple Leafs are yet to make it out of the second round under Shanahan, and while the team were expected to let one or both of John Tavares and Mitch Marner go, the changes are now clearly flowing into the front office as well.

Despite this lack of success, Shanahan is still a very knowledgable hockey mind, and with the Islanders looking to build their roster around this years No. 1 pick and some very talented young players, bringing in Shanahan is the move that makes this team believe they could get back into Stanley Cup Playoffs contention in the coming years, so we will wait to see how things play out here.

This article first appeared on Blade of Steel and was syndicated with permission.

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