Summing up Shanahan's role as president of the Maple Leafs, 10 years

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When Brendan Shanahan was introduced as the new president of the Maple Leafs, the Hockey Hall of Fame made a very clear statement.

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“It's about the work we put in and the results,” Shanahan said that spring day. “There has to be a result here.”

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We say this because it was ten years since Shanahan was hired on April 11, 2014, and three days later he held his first press conference as team president.

The anniversary weekend came and went quietly, didn't it?

The results – and by that we mean the win – were all good, just not at the right time on the calendar.

Hundreds, in fact, of Shanaplan's 415 in 780 regular-season games since 2014.

Along the way, Shanahan brought a level of respect to the organization not seen since the Pat Quinn era.

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After Shanahan endured a terrible 2014-15 season, in which the team had a .415 hitting percentage (Toronto's worst mark since the 1996-97 season), a measure of stability off the ice began to take shape.

Shanahan took a different approach in bringing in a new coach and general manager, first hiring Mike Babcock in May 2015 and welcoming Lou Lamoriello as GM two months later. Meanwhile, Kyle Dubas was learning on the job, hired as an assistant GM in July 2014 after firing Shanahan during a lengthy initial interview.

If Shanahan decided to keep Lamoriello and not promote Dubas to GM in the spring of 2018, we'll never know what would have happened. More likely, Dubas would have been a GM elsewhere – the Colorado Avalanche were interested a year ago, and Dubas would have had a chance to move up elsewhere. The continued union of Lamoriello and Babcock could have worked, but after Dubas became Babcock's boss, it lasted another 18 months before he was fired and Sheldon Keefe became the coach.

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Those four — Lamoriello, Dubas, Babcock and now Keefe — have all played different roles in rebuilding the team and the extent of what it means to be a Leaf.

The Leafs had another 100-point season, their third in as many years and fifth in seven years, in Brad Treliving's first year as GM. There will be a big test after the Leafs' first-round series begins Saturday in either Florida or Boston.

The new logo, unveiled in February 2016, was overseen by Shanahan. Later that year, Shanahan put an end to the stupidity of honorary numbers and the club officially released the number 16 players.

This powerful reconnection with the past was long overdue.

On the ice, we are witnessing history as Auston Matthews comes within one goal of recording the 15th 70-goal season of his NHL career. Only eight players have scored 70 goals, including Wayne Gretzky in four seasons.

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The Leafs have a collective talent in Matthews, Mitch Marner and William Niners that most NHL teams can't match.

It's about results. Building a team that excels only in the regular season can only stand out on the resume.

The Leafs and Bruins share the longest streak of postseason appearances as both teams play in the regular season for the eighth straight year. On paper it's great. Of course, the fact that the Leafs only won one playoff series on Shanahan's watch. When Shanahan took over 10 years ago, a lack of playoff success couldn't have been part of the vision.

A decade is enough time to build a Stanley Cup winner, if not a legitimate, annual contending team after rebuilding. Winning just one playoff round kept the Leafs out of that category.

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And consider that the Vegas Golden Knights didn't exist until the 2017-18 season and won the Cup five years later. It's not just the Leafs who feel a little embarrassed by this quick success.

The six-year extension Shanahan signed in May 2019 runs through the 2024-25 season.

Keith Pelley, who just took over as president and CEO of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, values ​​each of the company's sports franchises.

There shouldn't be another extension in Shanahan's wait. First, let's see how the Leafs will fare in the 2024 Stanley Cup.

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