According to NHL insider Elliotte Friedman, the Toronto Maple Leafs are set to retain the services of general manager Brad Treliving and head coach Craig Berube. The news follows the announcement on Thursday, May 22, that the president of hockey operations, Brendan Shanahan, had been let go.
The move comes less than a week after the Maple Leafs were eliminated from the playoffs with a 6-1 loss to the Florida Panthers in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Second Round series on May 18.
Keith Pelley Clarifies Stance on Brad Treliving, Craig Berube
Maple Leafs Sports & Entertainment CEO Keith Pelley announced that Shanahan, whose six-year deal was expiring this season, would not be re-signed.
“Our responsibility and driving motivation, however, is to add a new chapter to the Maple Leafs’ championship history, and it was determined that a new voice was required to take the team to the next level in the years ahead,” the official statement read.
On Friday, May 23, Sportsnet analyst Elliotte Friedman relayed a quote from Pelley that said he looked forward to continuing his working relationship with Treliving and Berube.
Keith Pelley: I'm not looking to replace Brendan. I'm looking to work closer with Brad (Treliving) and Craig (Berube).
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC)
With the Maple Leafs having not yet announced a replacement for Shanahan, some speculated that Pelley might take a more hands-on approach in the future. When he was hired in May 2024, the MLSE CEO made it clear that he intended to ensure Toronto started winning Stanley Cups again.
“The fans here not only deserve, they demand a championship. And there’s no complacency,” Pelley stated during a May 2024 press conference. “We’re not here to sell jerseys. We’re here to win. And we’re gonna do everything we possibly can to do that. As much as I love the city and Toronto is my home, that was not the allure for me to come back. The allure for me to come back was the possibility and the commitment to be successful in winning with the Toronto Maple Leafs.”
Toronto holds the dubious NHL record of the longest Stanley Cup drought, having last lifted it in 1967. While the organization has made the playoffs for nine consecutive seasons, its performance under the brightest lights has been nothing short of embarrassing.
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Keith Pelley spoke the day after he let Brendan Shanahan go. We listened. Did we learn anything?
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The Maple Leafs have not advanced past the second round of the playoffs since 2002. Plus, they have won only two play series since 2002 and have blown multiple series in which they at one point led by at least two games.
“While I am proud of the rebuild we embarked on starting in 2014, ultimately, I came here to help win the Stanley Cup, and we did not,” Shanahan said in his exit statement. “There is nothing more I wanted to deliver to our fans, and my biggest regret is that we could not finish the job.”
Toronto made a change at head coach a year ago after a disappointing postseason exit. While another coaching change was always unlikely, a head had to roll after the latest embarrassment. Unfortunately for Shanahan, that proverbial head was his.
