Team President Brendan Shanahan’s termination was one of the possible topics addressed in the days preceding his public availability on Friday. But Parsons finds that hard to believe.
Parsons’ post stated, “General Manager Brad Treliving, President Brendan Shanahan, and CEO Keith Pelley of Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment get ready for a combined press conference.” Additionally, rumors regarding Shanahan’s future exist. There are whispers that he shouldn’t be able to avoid the axe.
“[Shanahan] is expected to stay with the team since he has a meeting arranged.”
Information from Elliotte Friedman Indicates Sheldon Keefe’s Firing
On Wednesday, May 8, NHL insider Elliotte Friedman spoke about the Maple Leafs’ predicament in the most recent installment of his podcast, 32 Thoughts.
According to Friedman, the franchise designated Wednesday, May 8, as a “significant day for meetings and preparation.”
Friedman hinted to changes coming to Toronto sooner rather than later in his podcast, saying, “Wednesday is a day where they’re really going to start to drill down on where things are going to go here over the next little while.” It’s unclear whether he knew more than what he disclosed.
Friedman stated, “It’s time to start moving things forward. Everyone wanted to wait a few days.”
It’s interesting to note that Friedman also disclosed two minor information that may have escaped the notice of the general public and Leafs supporters, but which may have been significant enough to compel the team to postpone the Leafs’ final media availability by one day.
“The day of the draft lottery was Tuesday,” Friedman said. Although I don’t think the league wanted a lot of publicity on that particular day, they also didn’t want anything to get in the way of [Macklin] Celebrini’s (often regarded as the greatest prospect in the 2024 draft) celebration.
Additionally, the Maple Leafs are extremely sensitive about Sheldon Keefe’s Tuesday night induction into the Brampton Sports Hall of Fame.
The combination of those two incidents and the postponement of the press conference may be the last hint that leads to Keefe’s dismissal on May 10.
Is a Trade of Mitch Marner Possible for the Toronto Maple Leafs?
Keefe has a two-year contract extension that begins in August of next year. If the Leafs choose to keep Keefe, Toronto is likely to look into trading for superstar forward Mitch Marner.
Marner, however, might veto any deal due to a no-move clause in his contract.
Following the Leafs’ player end-of-season media availability on Monday, May 6, Friedman published an installment of his 32 Thoughts podcast.
As he heads into his final season under contract with the Leafs, one of the subjects Friedman addressed was the speculation that Mitch Marner would leave via trade.
Regarding possible trade targets in a Marner deal, Toronto is “going to be in the mix for them,” according to Friedman, citing the Chicago Blackhawks’ Stephen Jones, the Carolina Hurricanes’ Brett Pesce, and the Florida Panthers’ Brandon Montour.
On May 6, Marner declared that he would accept a long-term extension offer from the Leafs in exchange for a new deal.
