TORONTO (May 22) — There’s no need to search for a hockey executive to replace Brendan Shanahan as president of the Toronto Maple Leafs. The club’s parent company, Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, has the perfect candidate under its roof. I’m told that Keith Pelley, Chief Executive Officer of MLSE for the past 13 months, will play more of a “hands–on” role with the hockey club. Whether that means assuming Shanahan’s old responsibilities or working closely with a new hire, I cannot say.* What I can tell you is that Pelley represents a different dynamic than the staid, somnolent Leafs executive of the past decade; stubbornly remaining with the Nylander–Marner–Matthews nucleus despite irrefutable evidence of the club folding in the playoffs. Routinely. Every year.
*Predictably, and wisely, MLSE chose Pelley to fill Shanahan’s role.
With merchandising as impetus, ownership hung onto its regular–season superstars, providing them more money, more term… and uncompromising authority over their standard player contracts. It exploded on the team in 2021, when the Leafs dispassionately blew a 3–1 series lead in the first playoff round against an inferior Montreal club. As written here numerous times, that is when the roster should have undergone a fundamental facelift. Coming one year after a similar humiliation against Columbus, everyone could recognize that the Shanaplan foundation had crumbled; its core devoid of the backbone to endure four Stanley Cup rounds. Instead, more cries of “we will get this done!” echoed through the executive corridor of Scotiabank Arena. Culminating, last week, in the predictable unsightliness of Games 5 and 7, at home, against the Florida Panthers. Particularly the decisive match — forever a wasteland — during which the Big 3 draft choices could not have been located by a private investigator.
Four desolate springs too late, it was the final straw. Shanahan paid the ultimate price when MLSE chose to not renew his contract. He will likely end up occupying Lou Lamoriello’s former chair with the New York Islanders; and what a coincidence that is. Upon his release by MLSE, Shanahan, not surprisingly, took the high road and issued a classy statement. But, his final, unshakable belief — as evidenced, below — proved to be his undoing:
The truth is that the big–money boys on the Leafs have zero commitment and passion toward winning the Stanley Cup. It’s the reason Shanahan lost his job. Nylander, Marner and Matthews excite the town with dazzling numbers in the regular season. But, they cannot — and will not — transfer such performance to the playoff slog, beginning in mid–April. The inclination just doesn’t exist. It never has. Only skill enabled the club to win a paltry two Stanley Cup rounds during the 11–year Shanahan reign. Otherwise, the Core–4 Leafs have been languid and soulless. There isn’t a general manager or coach on the planet, current or past, that could modify the inherent timidity of this group. As such, massive change is required. Premeditated change. It goes way beyond watching Marner leave for nothing on July 1 or retaining John Tavares on a cheap deal. Someone in the hierarchy has to formulate an alternate plan. Which is next to impossible, given that the club has thrown away all its first–round draft picks.
If you can’t stay the same — and cannot build — what option is there?
The answer, of course, lies in the usual Maple Leaf custom: spending. And, that’s where Pelley comes in.
I cannot imagine the Leafs refusing to go hard, this summer, after their prime antagonist, Brad Marchand, who would show the current guys how to win. Marner, of course, will walk, opening up $11 million in cap space. Guided by Pelley’s gumption and scrappiness, management could start formulating its brazen scheme for next summer — targeting the best hockey player in the world. It may sound preposterous at the moment, but Connor McDavid isn’t getting younger in Edmonton. At 29, a year from now, he’ll be wearing a Stanley Cup ring… or feel weary of trying and coming up short with the Oilers. Either eventuality could benefit the Leafs, who you know will pursue the Richmond Hill native like a komodo dragon swarming a goat. As they did Steven Stamkos and Tavares.
MLSE is all about “star” appeal. It worked in 2019 with Kawhi Leonard and there isn’t a bigger headliner in the hockey galaxy than McDavid. Conventional wisdom would point to McDavid re–upping with Edmonton, the only club that can guarantee him an eighth contract year. But, MLSE will formulate a seven–year plan aimed at blowing him out of the water — perhaps with the guarantee of obtaining equity in the franchise after his playing career.
With its financial might, MLSE can match or exceed any overture by the Oilers. Will Connor stay out west, unwilling to fracture his prolific acquaintence with Leon Draisaitl? Or might he be lured home to help solve the biggest mystery since the pyramids: Toronto’s inability to even play for the Stanley Cup over nearly a six–decade span?
If Pelley is provided appropriate authority by the soon–to–be 75% owner of MLSE, Ed Rogers, he could become the advocate Leaf fans have long sought. Ed the Conqueror also likes big names, as evidenced by his pursuit of baseball superstars Shohei Ohtani and Juan Soto. Pelley’s savvy as president, along with co–owners David Cynamon and Howard Sokolowski, guided the Toronto Argonauts to the 2004 Grey Cup. He spent years building the aura of TSN, Canada’s first sports–TV network. Most importantly, Keith is willing to take a chance; to put reputation on the line for his employer. He won’t merely sit back and count the proceeds. I guarantee Pelley would never have lollygagged through nine years of Stanley Cup playoff oblivion without enacting serious change; perhaps twice in that time. There should be no impetus for MLSE to look beyond him to oversee of the hockey club.
You just know the McDavid scheme has been hatched at MLSE.
Pelley, if given the chance, could pull it off. His gonads are larger than most.
EMAIL: HOWARDLBERGER@GMAIL.COM
Howard, I have been a life long Leafs fan but never a fan of the Core 4+ Reilly gang. The Shanaplan was a complete failure, drafting skill over will, over compensating players who have never won anything and stubbornly running it back. It’s no wonder that most late season additions, specifically veteran players refuse to resign with this group. Spoiled and entitled young players who are more concerned with their cheap looking suits then with the Team. The Rogers-Bell Media group created this false impression that this is a very close knit team, it sure doesn’t look like it on the ice. Poor Tavares, imagine having a line mate who waits at centre ice, while you as an elder statement has to go into the corners to feed him. Imagine having to play with a team mate who is too afraid to cross into the opposition end, too scared that he fires pucks into the stands and has the audacity to call out his team mates without having one bead of sweat. Pelley, forget the next level B.S., give us a real team that’s only focused on winning the cup and not about their own personal gains. Reward winners not losers. Car 97 where are you, maybe when McJesus arrives we will stop talking about 67.
I really don’t know what to think while Iam watching Florida absolutely pummel Carolina.
I’m guessing you’ve seen the viral pic of the corpse 4 (and others) enjoying lunch after playing 18 holes just 3 days after being eliminated. If ever there was a pic that captured what’s wrong with this team – this is it!
https://x.com/NorrisWinner/status/1925352722485682199
Horrible optics – I wonder if they booked the tee time before or after game 7 – completely clueless.
Yup. And, yup. But, don’t overreact. What are they supposed to do? Stay under the covers? Life exists outside the rink.
Just watched the presser and could stomach only 20 minutes. It would seem I’ve simply become too jaded to support this team anymore.
Mr. Pelley said all the wrong things. Nothing but praise for Shanahan, Treliving and “the Chief” Craig Berube”. Disgusting! (The Chief is former Team Captain and Stanley Cup Winner George Armstrong.)
Just got to take it to another level, My eye! How? Expanding the Fan Access program and creating better relationshups with the fans and the press? Is he for real or simply the corporate shill I believe him to be. He simply came across like a washed up has-been. His myopic analysis that concluded that the fans want nothing but a winner and he undertands and respects that, just goes to show how out of touch he really is.
When the Leafs were winning cups,we were never the best team in the league but we worked hard and earned the fans support. Over the years, fans clearly showed their appreciation for Wendel Clark teams and Doug Gilmours teams, all of which were give it your all groups. If he honeslty thinks we can get this morose collection to another level and the fans will be happy with that, he is delusional at best. In the meantime he will concern himself with the bells and whistles of the marketing effort. Makes me sick.
That’s it Howard. I’m done! Maybe someone could leave me wakeup call for whenever MLSE/Rogers actually does something right and creates an organization we can all be proud of. For now, Toronto fans should just get used to hype, high prices and losing.
I just want one Cup just one
Once again, I agree with most of it and I hope, for all our sakes, that your faith in Keith Pelley is well placed. He has shown himself to be a flashy guy with big dreams, when the pocketbook is there. One could also say that his success rate has been intermittant. One thing is certain. He will take as much rope as he is given, within the ‘perameters of the of the organization’s vision’. Which leads us to Ed Rogers and company. At each stage of acquisition of a sports entity, its been clear that owning and conrolling the content was always paramount. Ed Rogers himself is a notorious cheapskate and loves to throw his weight around. How much of the good work that Shanahan did buiding the leafs organization itself will be undone in cost cutting measures. Do we really think that the desire to win will ever outweigh his constant hunger for profit?
As harsh as this sounds, I have so little faith in anything this man does that I don’t believe we will ever see a winning sports team in this city until he is no longer of this earth. In that context, just how much can Pelley really accomplish on his own without a total commitment and support to make all the sacrifices necessary to build a winner?
A rumour I heard this am, that the Leafs are looking at Matt Sundin as their next President.
I am hoping that’s all it is, as we know how well that experiment aged.
Mike
No next president. Pelley will oversee the Leafs, as he should.
Be careful Howard presenting Pelley as the best thing since sliced bread. Pelley was the ‘architect’ as president of Rogers media, along with Scott Moore behind the bloated $5.2 Billion NHL deal that eventually lead to massive layoffs throughout the Corp. He bailed, unable to take the heat in the kitchen and wandered off to Europe to watch people swinging golf clubs (President of Euro PGA). Pelley is a smooth talker and able to work a room. The Leafs will need a little more than that to be successful on the ice.
I 100% agree with everything in the top half about the Canadiens series and what should have been done instead of wasted years afterward. One slight correction, Marner’s upcoming 13+ mil was saved, not 11 😉 And where we differ. Say, what if the Leafs did something usual instead of having the never before NHL President (Shanahan/Pelley)? What if they got someone who was an experienced NHL President with some proven good track record and even better might be if they had been a somewhat successful NHL GM before that?! Pelley is the CEO of MLSE which is a position unto itself. The Leafs don’t need to be doubling up on positions or getting inexperience because it’s not the Ballard days, they have money now! Pelley can be as involved as necessary with the new President as works well and that would be best.
The second sentence isn’t a “correction” – it’s a PROjection.
Ok, no objection.
From your lips to God’s ears Howie…..it is almost impossible as a Leaf fan to dream that big, to think that maybe we could snag the greatest of them all, #97, and if he’d leave the Oilers.
I also hope you are right about Pelley not doing what has been the status quo the last nine years and just be happy about regular season success, but be serious about finally bringing a Stanley Cup championship to this deserving fan base.
I will trust what you are saying about this guy having big stones and doing what is necessary. I have been reading you for a long time, and I still remember way back in around 2008, your prediction of Brian Burke wanting to come to the Leafs. You told the story of how he was back in Boston (coming back for the weekend to see his kids when he worked in Anaheim), and you mentioned that there he was high above TD Gardens ice watching the Leafs play Boston, and you were confident he was coming….and sure enough, as you stated..he came to the Leafs. I hope Keith Pelley can work his magic here in Toronto, and make this work. It has been a painful 9 years of what started out with such great potential.
Agree on all fronts Howard. There was an interesting discussion today between David Amber and the guys from Real Kyper and Bourne. They brought up public relations, a conversation that could have lasted hours. It has to be an area of concern for MLSE following 10 years of neglect. The tension that has been allowed to build up over time between the team and its players, fans and media is unconscionable. At its root is pure arrogance and privilege. Let me ask fans this: in 10 years have you even seen one media interview with any of Shanahan, Matthews, Nylander, Rielly, or Marner that was friendly, interesting, contained any humour, or sincere appreciation for the people who’ve given the players and MLSE so much over the years but received so little? Thought so. To his credit, John Tavares tried – he just wasn’t good at it. In summary, I’m disappointed and even sad it came to this and I’m worried about the future of this team right now. Fans want and deserve a Stanley Cup. At 58, which isn’t that old, I’ve been wishing for roughly 58 years. I’ll probably be dead before it ever happens.