Maple Leafs grant Islanders permission to speak to Brendan Shanahan (upd: released by Leafs)

[Voight]

Personally ive always thought that Shanahan should be the next commissioner. He's served in executive roles, obviously had a long playing career and knows the game intimately.

 

[Martin Skoula]

Personally ive always thought that Shanahan should be the next commissioner. He's served in executive roles, obviously had a long playing career and knows the game intimately.

I think it’s pretty clearly his end goal, his fingerprints are all over the current on-ice product much more so than most people would expect. He was the biggest voice behind the post-lockout crackdown on clutch and grab so smaller skill players could thrive. Speeding up the game that way made his DOPS position much more relevant than it usually was when the game got faster and there was rising pressure to deal with high speed head shots.

Funnily enough, those changes contributed to Boston Florida and Tampa becoming the exact kryptonite for the flashy team he wanted to build in Toronto and forced his GMs to waste unlimited assets on a losing arms race for grinders that didn’t fit the gameplan to overcompensate. Some truly Greek tragedy level stuff.

 

[MCR74]

I think it’s pretty clearly his end goal, his fingerprints are all over the current on-ice product much more so than most people would expect. He was the biggest voice behind the post-lockout crackdown on clutch and grab so smaller skill players could thrive. Speeding up the game that way made his DOPS position much more relevant than it usually was when the game got faster and there was rising pressure to deal with high speed head shots.

Funnily enough, those changes contributed to Boston Florida and Tampa becoming the exact kryptonite for the flashy team he wanted to build in Toronto and forced his GMs to waste unlimited assets on a losing arms race for grinders that didn’t fit the gameplan to overcompensate. Some truly Greek tragedy level stuff.

Time for Shanahan to work his magic on the Islanders.

 

[NVious]

I agree that he made mistakes but that is going way too far. He took a joke of a franchise and made them legit. They ultimately failed so he should pay the price but calling him the worst is just nonsense....

We are legit cuz we won 2 playoff rounds in 11 years?

Shanahan took over in a franchise dying to tank after 10 years of retooling, he tanked lucking into amazing assets in just a few years and then proceeded to mismanage every aspect he could:
Coaches
GMs
Contracts
Goalies
Players
Trades

He took a perpetual retool and made them into perpetual first round losers, Toronto didn't stop being a joke, it became a different type of joke.

 

[MCR74]

We are legit cuz we won 2 playoff rounds in 11 years?

Shanahan took over in a franchise dying to tank after 10 years of retooling, he tanked lucking into amazing assets in just a few years and then proceeded to mismanage every aspect he could:
Coaches
GMs
Contracts
Goalies
Players
Trades

He took a perpetual retool and made them into perpetual first round losers, Toronto didn't stop being a joke, it became a different type of joke.

And now he might be in charge of the Islanders. Have fun.

 

[NVious]

And now he might be in charge of the Islanders. Have fun.

It's our revenge for what JT did to us in TO.

 

[MCR74]

It's our revenge for what JT did to us in TO.

I don't think revenge means what you think it means.

 

[Kimota]

I agree that he made mistakes but that is going way too far. He took a joke of a franchise and made them legit. They ultimately failed so he should pay the price but calling him the worst is just nonsense....

He had nothing to do with their success. They got great picks cause Burke stripped the team bare.

 

[Gil Gunderson]

Shanahan might be one of the worst President in sport of all time. Close to Harold Balard in the worst person in Leafs management they ever had. And if they decided to not renew him just cause he was going to the Islanders, that is even worse and showed to stupidity of the owners that their hands was forced. Should have been a long time ago.

Also Islanders I implore you to stay away from him. Enough of the failling upward bullshit.

Meh, at the end of the day he took a franchise that was flailing and had no direction and gave them a direction. He also got fortunate with a lottery win.

But this also begs this question, why did richest franchise in the league, with all its resources, need someone to come in an give it that direction? It's a completely elastic business, win or lose they were going to sell out every game and be at the top of the league when it came to revenue. It doesn't sound like you needed a genius there to go with a rebuild.

 

[Kimota]

Meh, at the end of the day he took a franchise that was flailing and had no direction and gave them a direction. He also got fortunate with a lottery win.

Read above

But this also begs this question, why did richest franchise in the league, with all its resources, need someone to come in an give it that direction? It's a completely elastic business, win or lose they were going to sell out every game and be at the top of the league when it came to revenue. It doesn't sound like you needed a genius there to go with a rebuild.

A Rebuild now or a rebuild when he came in?

 

[RI.B FAN]

You guys bashing Shanahan are funny. Talking like he is a horrible GM. It’s almost like he didn’t build one of the most talented rosters in the league. They just lost in 7, with their backup goalie, to the defending Cup champs. They didn’t lose to the Tallahassee Warthogs.

Not this year,

 

[Voight]

I think it’s pretty clearly his end goal, his fingerprints are all over the current on-ice product much more so than most people would expect. He was the biggest voice behind the post-lockout crackdown on clutch and grab so smaller skill players could thrive. Speeding up the game that way made his DOPS position much more relevant than it usually was when the game got faster and there was rising pressure to deal with high speed head shots.

Funnily enough, those changes contributed to Boston Florida and Tampa becoming the exact kryptonite for the flashy team he wanted to build in Toronto and forced his GMs to waste unlimited assets on a losing arms race for grinders that didn’t fit the gameplan to overcompensate. Some truly Greek tragedy level stuff.

I really hope its him and not Bettmans lackey Daly or some other suit.

 

[nturn06]

Devils advocate.. Lou's plan didn't exactly work out for us either.

Weve tried nothing new and we are all out of ideas xD

I actually dissagree here, Lou's plan worked perfectly until Dubas came in and screw it over.

 

[Martin Skoula]

I actually dissagree here, Lou's plan worked perfectly until Dubas came in and screw it over.

The plan where he traded a 2nd for a 5th liner who retired next year? Who was your favorite defenseman he acquired? Favourite player he traded for or signed?

 

[Air Budd Dwyer]

This really feels like a firing just to appease the fan base and local media. I get that a pound (or kilogram for the rest of the world lol) of flesh was desirous for Leafs fans, but this feels kind of like a knee-jerk reaction from upper management.

And granted, I don't pay much attention to the Leafs and what the temperature in the room has been like regarding Shanahan so take that for what it's worth regarding my opinion.

 

[GarlicbreadTB]

Not going to NYI it seems.

 

[ExarKun80]

The Shanaplan part deux.

 

[nturn06]

The plan where he traded a 2nd for a 5th liner who retired next year? Who was your favorite defenseman he acquired? Favourite player he traded for or signed?

If that is the worst you can say about his tenure he was a good GM.

Lou did a solid rebuild, added veterans to help the young guys (not for their value but for their mentorship), added a coach to help the young players understand responsability and help them become mentally strong, and waited patiently for the group to grow.

 

[boredmale]

Not going to NYI it seems.

Well there goes my Marner to the Islanders wish. lol

 

[5 Minute Major]

I don’t know who the Bandit was that punched the Rush player in the junk but I said to my wife the Sabres could use a junk puncher in their lineup.

 

[3074326]

I actually dissagree here, Lou's plan worked perfectly until Dubas came in and screw it over.

Dubas, the same guy who wanted to trade Marner? And then got fired and the team kept the same core and had the same results? That Dubas?

I know Dubas f***ed every girlfriend in Toronto based on how TML fans talk about him, but there's plenty of blame to go around in Toronto,

 

[Martin Skoula]

If that is the worst you can say about his tenure he was a good GM.

Lou did a solid rebuild, added veterans to help the young guys (not for their value but for their mentorship), added a coach to help the young players understand responsability and help them become mentally strong, and waited patiently for the group to grow.

Imagine thinking Marleau mentoring someone is a good idea

 

[nturn06]

Dubas, the same guy who wanted to trade Marner? And then got fired and the team kept the same core and had the same results? That Dubas?

I know Dubas f***ed every girlfriend in Toronto based on how TML fans talk about him, but there's plenty of blame to go around in Toronto,

No.

Dubas, the guy who thought that adding JT when the team needed to spend the money in other place was a brilliant idea. Dubas the guy who thought that trading every player who can hit for skilled players was a good idea. You know, the guy who let Hyman go for free, and brought in a coach who would do anything the superstars wanted.

And yes, I do realize that close to the end of his mandate, when the writing was on the wall, Dubas tried to undo some of the damage he inflicted, but it took him way to long to realize what many knew.

And BTW, I am a (so called) Leafs hater, their failure does bring me joy... And I am soo happy that they hired that clown, enjoy him now in Pittsbourg

 

[Stive Morgan]

You guys bashing Shanahan are funny. Talking like he is a horrible GM. It’s almost like he didn’t build one of the most talented rosters in the league. They just lost in 7, with their backup goalie, to the defending Cup champs. They didn’t lose to the Tallahassee Warthogs.

If my team failed to make it past the 2nd round for 10 years, I'd make some changes to the core, but that's just me.

.....maybe THIS TIME it'll work!

 

[Shockmaster]

Is Shanahan one of those executives no one is allowed to criticize?