Islanders have clear path to Shanahan as potential president - Newsday
There is now a clear path for Brendan Shanahan to join the Islanders as Lou Lamoriello’s successor as team president.
The Maple Leafs announced on Thursday that Shanahan’s contract would not be renewed after the two sides met earlier in the day. The Islanders, who had already requested permission from the Maple Leafs to speak with Shanahan, were also expected to talk to him on Thursday.
From there, it may be a quick jump to the Islanders introducing Shanahan, 56, as their next boss. The Islanders have already held two rounds of interviews with Kings senior advisor Marc Bergevin and Lightning assistant general manager Mathieu Darche.
Islanders operating partner John Collins has been conducting the search to replace Lamoriello, who had served as president/GM since 2018.
Shanahan, whose Hall of Fame playing career spanned 1,524 regular-season games across 21 seasons with the Red Wings, Devils, Blues, Rangers and Hartford Whalers, had been the Maple Leafs president since 2014. Prior to that, Shanahan had been the NHL vice president of hockey and business development and then the league’s senior vice president since 2009.
“Following a meeting today, I was informed that I was no longer going to remain as President and Alternate Governor of the Toronto Maple Leafs,” Shanahan said in a statement. “I want to thank the Board of MLSE (Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment) for the tremendous support they have shown me over my tenure.”
Ironically, Shanahan hired Lamoriello as the Maple Leafs GM in 2015. Three seasons later, Shanahan made the decision to elevate Lamoriello’s assistant, Kyle Dubas, to that role, paving the way for Lamoriello to join the Islanders.
“Brendan is one of the most respected leaders in the game and he has instilled many of the traits that were the signature of his Hall of Fame career throughout the organization, uniting this storied franchise in the ‘Honour, Pride and Courage’ that it was founded on,” MLSE President/CEO Keith Pelley said in a statement.
Under Shanahan, the Maple Leafs qualified for the playoffs in the last nine of his 11 seasons with the franchise. But they advanced past the first round just twice in that span and never reached the Eastern Conference finals. This season, the defending Stanley Cup champion Panthers overcame a 2-0 series deficit to eliminate the Maple Leafs in seven games in the second round, winning Game 7 6-1 in Toronto on Sunday.
Andrew Gross joined Newsday in 2018 to cover the Islanders. He began reporting on the NHL in 2003 and has previously covered the Rangers and Devils. Other assignments have included the Jets, St. John’s and MLB.
