Maple Leafs Officially Make Decision on Presidential Role After Brendan Shanahan's Departure
Photo credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images
Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment CEO Keith Pelley explained to reporters on Friday that the team is making a big change regarding their Team Presidency.
With the news that Brendan Shanahan's contract won't be renewed, the Toronto Maple Leafs are currently without a Team President, which is critical given that the team is about to undergo a swath of changes.
Toronto Operating Without Team President: MLSE CEO
You would expect the team to be on the hunt for someone to oversee things, however according to MLSE CEO Keith Pelley, the team is going without a leader for next season:
We are really on day one. Anything is possible. My plan right now is not to replace Brendan. Brad will be our GM. Whether he takes on a larger role will be something that is determined down the road.
Everything we will do will be methodical. If we feel we need to make a move like that, we will, but at this particular time, there is no plan to do it. I have the utmost confidence in Brad Treliving and Craig Berube as our coach.
Everything we will do will be methodical. If we feel we need to make a move like that, we will, but at this particular time, there is no plan to do it. I have the utmost confidence in Brad Treliving and Craig Berube as our coach.
According to NHL Insider Chris Johnston, it also seems that both Treliving and Berube will have more of a role with the team, the latter expecting to have a key role in the roster construction.
It also seems that Pelley has the utmost faith in Treliving making the draft choices for the team and is very confident in the Leafs GM.
He also stated in the presser:
Brad will be our GM. Whether he takes on a larger role will be something that is determined down the road.
Can Toronto Succeed Without A President?
It's a great sign to know that both Treliving and Berube have the faith of the higher-ups, though it shouldn't be too unexpected. The team made great strides under both men, and of anyone to go it was Shanahan, whose decade-plus of failure had to be cut out.
But without someone overseeing the operations, and more pressure and responsibility put on both Treliving and Berube's shoulders, can they handle it?
If Pelley is as dedicated to winning as he says, he'll give them every chance to fail and try again it seems (within reason) but they both have some experience with extra responsibilities.
Treliving has pulled double duty before, being GM of Phoenix's AHL Affiliate San Antonio, while also being Assistant GM to the NHL club, so there's no reason he can't again especially with his level of experience and expertise.
Berube also has experience outside of coaching, being a scout for Team Canada during the 2016 World Cup of Hockey so adding him as a voice for potential future roster members is also bit of a blessing too.
At the end of the day, we won't know really how Toronto fares without a President until we see some of their future decisions, but moving away from the Shana-Plan might do them some good.
It's going to look weird, it's going to feel weird, and change is certainly scary. But with the faith of MLSE behind them, it seems Brad Treliving and Craig Berube are set up to succeed.
At least, that's the goal.
| POLL | ||
MAI 23 | 718 ANSWERS Maple Leafs Officially Make Decision on Presidential Role After Brendan Shanahan's Departure Is it a good or a bad thing that the Maple Leafs are going to operate without a Team President for 2025-26? | ||
| Good Idea! Need To Think! | 596 | 83 % |
| Bad Idea! Where's The Direction?! | 122 | 17 % |
| List of polls | ||
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