Game 7 ended on a harsh note for the Toronto Maple Leafs. A 6-1 loss to the Florida Panthers, and with the team’s stars unable to respond, Auston Matthews couldn’t fix anything but offered a candid critique of the team’s performance during such a crucial game. “I thought the first 10 minutes, they came out strong. The next 10 minutes, we controlled play, and then I just thought we had too many passengers throughout the rest of the game,” Matthews said. The loss brought a crushing end to the Maple Leafs’ postseason hopes, marking another early exit for the team while also extending their decades-long championship drought.
And the aftermath? The organization is once again facing harsh scrutiny, both internally and externally. And now the Maple Leafs are going through some serious transformations. With the dismissal of team president Brendan Shanahan, Toronto has officially ended his 11-year stint at the helm. And amidst it all, Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment CEO Keith Pelley made a decisive move by handing GM Brad Treliving and HC Craig Berube full control of the team’s hockey operations.
In a big postseason shakeup for the Maple Leafs, Pelley did signal the need for some major shifts in the team’s leadership structure. But he also echoed the words of the captain, Auston Matthews, by underscoring the high expectations surrounding the Maple Leafs. “They’re as happy as the team is playing well. And there was nothing more evident than seeing that on Sunday. I respect, understand and appreciate their disappointment in the way the season ended. I thank them for it. I thank (them) for the way that they’ve invested in the team. And I understand, to our fans, that winning is the only thing that matters,” he said in an interview.
Credit: X / @MapleLeafs
And he didn’t just talk the talk but put a whole new plan in motion to bring some fresh energy to Toronto. “The biggest thing is how our players relate to the fans and, quite honestly, how we relate to the media. You know, I understand the importance of the media, having worked in it for so long. We need to embrace the media. We need (to) embrace the fans. And we need (to) be out there more. We’re gonna have a full detailed plan, and we’ll work on that in the off-season,” he further said.
“Change is natural in sport, but change is hard,” Pelley 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 we needed right now. Make no mistake about it, making the playoffs and winning rounds is not our aspirational goal. Our goal is to win the Stanley Cup.”
And the bottom line? He did shake a few things up to build a stronger iteration of the Leafs, ready to get back to winning ways. While there are also concerns rising about the Leafs’ crucial players, like Mitch Marner’s impending UFA status, Pelley has already shown he isn’t afraid to make the big changes.
With Auston Matthews at the core, Toronto braces up for a summer shakeup
Keith Pelley made it clear that he wants to work closely with the GM and the HC to take a more collaborative and supportive approach. “I’m looking to work more closely with Brad and Craig. I have incredible confidence in Brad in only his second year… I think we made some strides in Brad’s second season,” he said while talking about making the potential shifts in the organisation.
“I’m confident in Brad. I’m confident in Craig. I am confident in the resources that we have,” Pelley said Friday during a press conference at Scotiabank Arena, the site of the Leafs’ disastrous 6-1 losses in Games 5 and 7 of the second round, expressing his confidence in the team’s current leadership.
Nevertheless, for the Maple Leafs, it’s shaping up to be a whirlwind offseason while the team stares down a long list of questions about their roster and leadership. Because Toronto’s key players like John Tavares and Matthew Knies, alongside Marner, have entered their final year of contracts. Does this add a layer of uncertainty to an already dramatic summer? Well, with all eyes on some potential changes, it does.
The post Maple Leafs CEO Echoes Auston Matthews Words For Toronto’s Disappointing Stanley Cup Fail appeared first on EssentiallySports.