New Leafs: Toronto eyes big changes after exit

Another disappointing end for the Toronto Maple Leafs could — and should — be a catalyst in a potentially painful new beginning for the organization.

That was the message from Leafs’ management on Friday in the wake of Toronto bowing out in a first-round Stanley Cup playoff series for the sixth time in seven full seasons. The Leafs already axed head coach Sheldon Keefe on Thursday, and attention turns now to how Toronto will handle expectations for its expensive core of players who failed to deliver when it matters most.

Toronto’s president Brendan Shanahan didn’t immediately have all the answers but pledged — again — to try finding them.

“It’s not our intention to single out any one individual or any one small group of this team out,” said Shanahan. “We’re talking about the whole team. What we are saying is that it is certainly becoming evident that we have to assess all of those things and assess whether or not we have to make some very difficult decisions this summer to make the team better. There’s a time where you look at the age and the development of players and you talk about patience. And then there comes a time where you see certain patterns and trends repeat themselves, and results repeat themselves.”

The Leafs have invested over $40 million in four forwards — Auston Matthews, William Nylander, Mitch Marner and John Tavares — with the return of a single playoff series win last season when Toronto bested Tampa in six games. The Leafs promptly lost to Florida in the second round.

When players spoke with media earlier in the week, there was a sentiment of belief in the core to eventually push Toronto over the line. Shanahan agreed that he wanted the Leafs to be confident in themselves, but the “unacceptable” outcomes piling up year after year remained a glaring issue.

“I don’t question their dedication,” said Shanahan. “But I do question just our ability as a group to get it done in those difficult times. And that’s why we have to make some changes and we’ll continue to look at changes with a goal in mind of what makes the Maple Leafs better not just in the regular season but come playoff time.”

The Leafs had a strong regular season, wielding the league’s second-best offense, which averaged 3.63 goals per game and finished with 102 points to put them third in the Atlantic Division. The Leafs were matched with Boston in the first round and swiftly fell behind 3-1, only to force a Game 7 where they lost in overtime.

For all Toronto’s scoring success through the regular season, the Leafs averaged the fewest goals per game (1.71) of any team in the playoff field. It’s a problem that’s hampered the Leafs repeatedly.

“That [lack of scoring] is the question that we have to ask ourselves,” said Shanahan. “It happens too often. It’s a question of coaching. It’s a question of messaging. And it’s also a question of personnel. We haven’t gotten those results. So that’s something we have to work on.”

In the NHL’s hard salary cap world, having a majority of space eaten up by a handful of players isn’t necessarily a recipe for winning championships — or, in the Leafs’ case — more than one playoff round.

“You can have a viewpoint and say we’ve invested in four players; you’ve got X percent of your salary cap tied up there, and if we spread it all around, you’re going to have more depth,” said GM Brad Treliving. “But we are where we are. This is the situation we are in right now. Those are really good players. We’ve got to dig into why we’re ending up with the same result, year after year after year. And adjust accordingly.

Both Matthews and Nylander inked long-term deals with the Leafs through 2028 and 2032 respectively, but Marner and Tavares are both entering the final seasons of their deals, which include no-move clauses. Toronto isn’t ruling out asking one or both to rescind those and facilitate a move.

“Everything is on the table,” said Shanahan. “We will discuss everything. I don’t think it serves the Toronto Maple Leafs in any fashion to discuss those things prematurely, to discuss those individuals prematurely. Our focus right now is on finding a new head coach and certainly that new head coach will have an important voice as part of our decisions going forward.”

Treliving wouldn’t discuss who the Leafs were eyeing in the coaching search but said the club would be “thorough” in exploring its options. The sting of what Toronto had just been through in its postseason failure was clearly still top of mind in how Treliving and Shanahan were approaching their next steps.

“I don’t believe you throw a body on the tarmac just to say we’ve done something,” said Treliving. “The meetings that we have with the players, they understand that we’ve fallen short. I think we’re at a point where we see this repeatable, that we’ve got to dig into it. The results and sitting here today, when we think we should still be playing, isn’t acceptable.”

One thing Toronto did provide clarity on was Shanahan’s status moving forward. The three-time Stanley Cup champion took over his role in 2014 and is believed to have one year remaining on his current contract, though Shanahan declined to confirm his status in that respect on Friday.

Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment CEO Keith Pelley gave Shanahan his full backing.

“Brendan Shanahan is the president of the Toronto Maple Leafs,” said Pelley. “He’s a champion.”

But will the Leafs ever be ones under him? That’s the only goal for management to accomplish now. The looming months will determine whether they’ve finally given the Leafs’ core long enough to make that a reality.

“I don’t have regret showing faith in people,” said Shanahan. “You don’t want to let [fans] down; you want to deliver. And if I felt that the players felt differently than that, in spite of the fact that they haven’t delivered, I might feel differently about them as well. So, we have to give them all the tools and we have to make changes where we think changes are going to help our team. You want to help them see things through.”