Longtime NHL executive officially learns his fate with the Toronto Maple Leafs

After over a decade on the job and only 2 series victories in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the higher-ups with the Toronto Maple Leafs have decided on team president Brendan Shanahan's fate.

Minutes ago, it was announced that Shanahan's contract will not be renewed and that he will be free to pursue other employment opportunities.

The New York Islanders have already reportedly begun discussions with Shanahan, and it wouldn't be a surprise to see him take over that franchise before long.

Shanahan took the job with the Maple Leafs after spending several years as the NHL's chief discipline officer, taking over a team that had only made the playoffs on a single occasion since 2004.

Under his leadership, the Maple Leafs drafted players like Mitch Marner, William Nylander, and Auston Matthews. They also signed coveted free agent forward John Tavares to a mammoth contract in the summer of 2018 while also signing former Red Wings head coach Mike Babcock to what was at the time the richest contract in NHL history for a coach in 2015.

But the Maple Leafs never achieved playoff success under Shanahan, losing 6 Game 7's in a row and only advancing past the opening round of the postseason twice (2023, 2025).

This year, they blew a 2-0 lead over the divisional foe Florida Panthers and were embarrassed on home ice by a combined 12-2 score in both Games 5 and 7.

Shanahan remains one of the top former Red Wings forwards, having helped the team to 3 Stanley Cup wins during his playing career and being eventually inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.