Former Red Wings star could be heading for executive role with New York Islanders

The Toronto Maple Leafs have once again flamed out in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, losing for the 7th time in a row in a Game 7 situation.

Beloved former Detroit Red Wings power forward Brendan Shanahan, who won 3 Stanley Cups with the club during his Hall of Fame playing career, has been in charge of the Maple Leafs as President of Hockey Operations for over a decade now but has seen little playoff success.

With him at the helm, the Maple Leafs have won only a pair of playoff series against the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2023 and this year against the Ottawa Senators. Despite having considerable talent up front with players like Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, John Tavares, and William Nylander, Toronto has never been able to take the next step under Shanahan's tenure.

His contract is set to expire, and there is considerable chatter that the Leafs will choose not to retain him. Meanwhile, there are now reports circulating that the New York Islanders, who recently fired GM and President of Hockey Operations (and former Maple Leafs executive) Lou Lamoriello, have sought permission to interview Shanahan for their vacant position.

The Islanders missed the playoffs this year under coach Patrick Roy, his first full year behind the bench.

The Maple Leafs' process under Shanahan was popularly referred to as the "Shanaplan", much in the same way that the current Red Wings' direction under Steve Yzerman is typically referred to as the "Yzerplan".

While the Yzerplan has yet to yield a single playoff appearance after 6 full years, over a decade of the Shanaplan produced only 2 playoff series wins despite 9 straight years of making the postseason.