My Plan:
1. Remove Shanahan immediately and do not fill the position. It's a fluffy waste of a position to begin with. Let BT report up and nuke an unnecessary buffer.
2. Fire Keefe immediately and hire Berube at all costs. Knowing Chief, he jumps at the opportunity to coach the Leafs.
3. Ask Tavares for an approved list and sell him for pennies on the dollar without retaining. Idgaf if we get a 4th rounder for him outright. If he refuses, at the very least, the C is removed from him and given to Matthews.
4. Shop Marner and try to find a feasible hockey trade. Then let him know he's no longer part of the future in any way, shape, or form, and I'd image the kid has enough pride to accept a trade and move on. If not, let him rot on the 3rd line and try to produce his way into a big payday as a FA. The days of the inmates running the asylum should be over.
5. Give Matthews the C and make it clear this is now his team, sink or swim. I have been as critical as anyone of Matthews, and personally, I don't think he has enough dog in him to carry a team on his back when it matters most. There's always an "excuse" once the playoffs start with this guy... "hot goalie", "lack of depth", "injuries", "sickness", etc. Newsflash: Every other NHL player deals with the same stuff when the playoffs ramp up. This has been EIGHT YEARS and since he's been on the team we have ONE playoff round win. There's a pattern here. Not acknowledging that is pure denial. That said... we are all in with 34. It's time to turn everything over to him to write his own legacy. If he succeeds, he'll go down as an all-time great Leaf (perhaps the greatest) and if he fails, he'll end up a huge disappointment. But this now must be up to him. No more excuses, no more roadblocks.
6. Given the above ^ 5... BT's mission must be to surround Matthews with the "right" pieces... not just the "flashy" ones. I would bring in dogs and alphas because Matthews just doesn't own that DNA. Target guys like Guentzel, Konecny, etc. Guys who combine skill with dog and love to battle.
7. Address the defense. If we can't get Rielly a "Batman" we need to get him a "Robin" at the very least. If Brandon Montour hits the open market, we should be all over him. He could run PP1 and help the PP immediately, which would lessen the burden on Rielly. If we can't go the FA route, try to land one in a hockey trade.
8. Re-up Domi and Bertuzzi and give them more of a role on the team. With the right coach -- and the right softy stars removed -- the culture of this team could morph into a more gritty and competitive team with Matthews and Nylander at the helm offensively.
9. Drop napalm on the "country club culture" that has been enabled under Shanahan. No more overpriced deals. No more wasting money. No more time dedicated to debating the dress code. No more gifting players positions or contracts without proving their worth. No more babying the players and coddling their feelings. Our new era should be labelled: "The Era of Accountability", full stop.
