Leafs ‘have all the resources’ to win Stanley Cup, Pelley says after Shanahan departure

The Toronto Maple Leafs won’t replace former president Brendan Shanahan, Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment (MLSE) CEO Keith Pelley says.

Pelley said Friday the conglomerate that owns the Leafs, Raptors and Toronto FC doesn’t plan to fill the hockey team’s top job after announcing Thursday Shanahan’s contract won’t be renewed.

Leafs general manager Brad Treliving and head coach Craig Berube will remain on the job, Pelley said, adding Treliving will now report directly to him.

While he will replace Shanahan in the chain of command, Pelley said will not get involved in roster decisions.

“I’m not going to be deciding who we draft and what free agents we’re going to sign,” he said. “That will be the decision by the hockey operations group.”

1:06 MLSE President and CEO Pelley not ‘deciding who we draft and what free agents we sign’

After another early playoff exit, Pelley said the Leafs will spend the next few months looking closer at the structure of the hockey operations department before a decision will be made on any further changes.

“We have all the resources here to be a championship team,” Pelley said. “But it’s using the resources in the right way and how we structure the utilization of resources (that) could make the difference.”

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After serving 11 years as president of the Leafs, Shanahan was told Thursday his contract would not be renewed.

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During the 56-year-old’s time as Leafs president, the team made the playoffs nine times but were only able to advance past the first round twice, including this past season, where they were eliminated in the second round by the defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers.

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Pelley, who has previously served as head of the European PGA Tour and CEO of Rogers Media, was named CEO of MLSE last year. He said the decision to not renew Shanahan’s contract was his and was made with the support of the board.

He was not entirely clear why the decision was made to let go of Shanahan as he also praised the former president for his efforts with the club.

“Brendan has added a lot to this organization, he has revamped it. He has put it in a really good position in so many ways but it’s about results,” he said.

“This is a results-driven business, and it’s about winning championships and sometimes you need change to get to the next level and that’s what we feel that we need to do right now.”