{"id":460163,"date":"2026-02-16T21:32:16","date_gmt":"2026-02-16T21:32:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/460163\/"},"modified":"2026-02-16T21:32:16","modified_gmt":"2026-02-16T21:32:16","slug":"how-the-toronto-maple-leafs-shanaplan-went-off-the-rails-the-hockey-writers-toronto-maple-leafs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/460163\/","title":{"rendered":"How the Toronto Maple Leafs’ Shanaplan Went Off the Rails – The Hockey Writers – Toronto Maple Leafs"},"content":{"rendered":"

For years, fans in Toronto rolled their eyes at the idea of a grand \u201cShanaplan.\u201d It became a punchline whenever the Toronto Maple Leafs<\/a> stumbled in the first round or stayed quiet at the trade deadline. But given the Olympic break and the team\u2019s predicament, I thought it should be time to sit with the history\u2014the hires, the drafts, the trades, the stubborn commitments\u2014and see whether a pattern emerges.<\/p>\n

Related: 4 NHL Trades That Set Up Successful Rebuilds<\/a><\/p>\n

I believe there was a philosophy and a pattern, and not just chaos. However, it was a long game that tested patience and ultimately brought about its downfall. That said, for a while, it made sense. Why it didn\u2019t produce the wanted results is a question for another post, but for now, I want to look at what I believe made the Shanaplan a coherent and workable philosophy.<\/p>\n

Step One: Shanahan Wanted a Clear Organizational Identity<\/p>\n

When Brendan Shanahan<\/a> was hired as president, he didn\u2019t chase shiny objects. He talked about culture, identity, and sustainability. The plan was to build a fast, skilled, modern team \u2014 not a bruiser squad, not a quick rebuild that burned out in two years.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s why holding onto Auston Matthews, committing to William Nylander, and making Morgan Rielly the bedrock weren\u2019t random\u2014they were part of a coherent blueprint. Every draft pick and trade was meant to reinforce that identity, not disrupt it.<\/p>\n

Step Two: Shanahan Believed in Evaluating Players Beyond the Box Score<\/p>\n

Shanahan\u2019s front office looked beyond points. Leadership, character, durability, contract terms \u2014 even how a player handled the Toronto spotlight \u2014 all factored into decisions. Some moves looked minor at the time but made sense in hindsight.<\/p>\n

Related: Oilers\u2019 Primary Target from Maple Leafs Feels Like a Misprint<\/a><\/p>\n

Take Jason Spezza: a low-cost signing who ended up contributing far more than expected, both on the ice and in the locker room for three seasons. Joe Thornton brought calm creativity for a season, fitting the team\u2019s skilled style. Nick Foligno, though immediately sidelined by injury, was intended as a stabilizing presence, and his later success with the Chicago Blackhawks working with Connor Bedard shows the idea had merit \u2014 just unlucky timing.<\/p>\n

\"NickNick Foligno, Morgan Rielly and Mitch Marner, Toronto Maple Leafs.
(Photo by Darcy Finley\/NHLI via Getty Images)<\/p>\n

The Maple Leafs were building around a skilled core with smart, steady players \u2014 every draft pick, signing, and trade reinforced the identity rather than changed it. For a while, it worked.<\/p>\n

Step Three: Patience as a Weapon \u2014 Until It Went Sideways<\/p>\n

Patience was Shanahan\u2019s secret sauce. Contracts were negotiated carefully, prospects developed at their own pace, and no-trade clauses were respected. The team rarely panicked after a slump \u2014 timing was deliberate, not reactive.<\/p>\n

But patience only works if everyone buys in. After years of early playoff exits despite consistent regular-season success, doubt seeped in \u2014 from ownership, the front office, and even fans. What had once been a disciplined blueprint became harder to defend, and pressure mounted to make moves that didn\u2019t align with the original vision.<\/p>\n

Related: Maple Leafs News & Rumours: Villeneuve, Hamilton, Knies, Cowan & Trade Irony<\/a><\/p>\n

The first sideways move came when general manager Kyle Dubas was fired.<\/a> His replacement, Brad Treliving, brought a new philosophy: bigger, more physical, a return to old-school \u201chockey DNA.\u201d It wasn\u2019t a tweak \u2014 it was a pivot. Players who had been drafted for speed and skill were suddenly asked to grind. The team slowed, its identity blurred, and years of carefully layered planning started to unravel.<\/p>\n

The next sideways move was firing head coach Sheldon Keefe.<\/a> Coaching continuity had been part of the plan \u2014 systems, style, and tempo mattered \u2014 but impatience forced a change. New head coach Craig Berube\u2019s approach worked for a season, but layered onto the new Maple Leafs DNA, the results were uneven.<\/p>\n

\"PontusPontus Holmberg was allowed to leave the Toronto Maple Leafs and signed with the Tampa Bay Lightning. (Amy Irvin<\/a> \/ The Hockey Writers)<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, players who were drafted to fit the original Shanahan mould \u2014 Fraser Minten, Alex Steeves<\/a>, Pontus Holmberg \u2014 were traded or allowed to leave. The speed, skill, and character that had defined the roster gradually faded, leaving a team that was still talented but lacked the clear identity that had once guided every move.<\/p>\n

The Bottom Line for the Shanaplan and the Maple Leafs<\/p>\n

The Shanaplan never truly failed. It was abandoned. Patience, timing, and coherence \u2014 the pillars that built a fast, skilled identity \u2014 were upended. The Maple Leafs aren\u2019t doomed, but the lesson is clear: a blueprint only works if people stick with it. Deviate too far, and even a plan that once made sense can leave the team slower, confused, and searching for a direction it once had.<\/p>\n

Related: Maple Leafs News & Rumours: Nylander, OEL, Raddysh & Rielly<\/a><\/p>\n

The Maple Leafs\u2019 future hinges on whether they can rediscover that identity or continue chasing philosophies that contradict the foundation Shanahan spent years building. Either way, the echoes of the Shanaplan still resonate \u2014 even if the map seems lost.<\/p>\n

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<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"For years, fans in Toronto rolled their eyes at the idea of a grand \u201cShanaplan.\u201d It became a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":460164,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5106],"tags":[2906,5,20,5172,4,66,31,5171],"class_list":["post-460163","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-toronto-maple-leafs","tag-brendan-shanahan","tag-hockey","tag-maple-leafs","tag-mapleleafs","tag-nhl","tag-toronto","tag-toronto-maple-leafs","tag-torontomapleleafs"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nhl\/116082451845779512","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/460163","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=460163"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/460163\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/460164"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=460163"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=460163"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=460163"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}