The idea of former Toronto Maple Leafs executive Brendan Shanahan landing with the Detroit Red Wings is something that fans shouldn’t overlook.
With Detroit looking for Steve Yzerman’s replacement, one of the names that has been floated is Shanahan’s. Now, it’s way too early to anoint Shanahan as the next Red Wings top executive. But it’s something that Maple Leafs fans should care about, and here’s why.
One of the common threads when an executive leaves one organization for another is the targeting of players. Former GM Kyle Dubas has systematically tried to target certain former Leafs.
For instance, Dubas traded for and signed Nick Robertson this past offseason. While Robertson isn’t exactly a game-changer, it’s just one small example of what former executives try to do.
Dubas, for his part, hasn’t really tried to poach the Maple Leafs roster. He’s targeted the front office. One of his first moves was to take Jason Spezza with him. He struck again this past offseason by taking Brandon Pridham.
Again, these examples may not be earth-shattering ones. But who’s to say that Shanahan wouldn’t try to poach someone from the Maple Leafs’ current staff?
Perhaps that is part of the reason why John Chayka has tried to renew the staff around him. He knows that it might just be a matter of time before a former exec, like Dubas or Shanahan, tries to gut his front office.
At least now, Chayka’s renewed staff wouldn’t be susceptible to offers from other teams.
Shanahan Landing with Division Rival Won’t Be Fun
In Dubas’ case, at least he landed with a team outside of the Maple Leafs’ division. But in Shanahan’s situation, landing with a division rival could lead to even more friction between the two teams.
There would be no question that Shanahan would join the Red Wings with a chip on his shoulder. He would be motivated to prove that the Maple Leafs were wrong to let him go when they did.
That’s all fair game. But such a situation would just add to the mounting pressure in the Atlantic Division.
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Red Wings-Maple Leafs Trades Might Be Dead under Shanahan
An idea to consider would be a potential Maple Leafs-Red Wings trade involving Dylan Larkin once new management takes over. That remains a plausible reality with a new management group taking over.
But what if Shanahan led that management group? Would he be willing to trade with the Maple Leafs?
Sure, that might happen only if he can fleece Toronto. John Chayka won’t be having any of that. So, that might well be the end of any possibilities of the Leafs potentially landing Larkin.
Unless Shanahan were somehow sympathetic to the Maple Leafs, the chances of him favoring Toronto would be slim to none. Leafs fans should keep an eye on this developing situation in Detroit. Whatever happens could have a direct impact in Toronto.
For better or worse, this situation could be one of the biggest externalities to impact the Maple Leafs this offseason.
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