When Brendan Shanahan was hired as President of the Toronto Maple Leafs in April of 2014, it was done with high expectations and big budget. He took the reigns of a franchise struggling to play winning hockey and turned it around.
The change that was needed that brought a new boss to the Toronto Maple Leafs wasn’t just for organizational leadership. The team needed an entirely new philosophy on how to build a roster. This philosophy was even given a name before being put into action and Shanahan provided.
The year before Shanahan’s hiring, the Leafs finished 23rd overall in the NHL.