New York Islanders would do well to stay away from Brendan Shanahan

The New York Islanders would do well to avoid Brendan Shanahan like the plague.

News broke on Thursday that Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment (MLSE) would not be renewing Shanahan’s contract, which expires at the end of this season.

That’s a curious development considering that Shanahan had been granted permission to speak with the Islanders earlier this season about its front-office vacancy. I get that the Isles want to do their due diligence, but the team must steer clear of Shanahan.

In an earlier piece, my colleagues here at Eyes on Isles made an interesting case in favor of hiring Shanahan. I respect and appreciate my colleagues’ opinions. So, I want to present the opposite argument. I am keen on making an argument against hiring Shanahan based on my time covering the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Shanahan came in 2015 with the so-called “Shanaplan” to rebuild the team

He promised seasons of pain, including the Great Tanking of 2016 which ultimately landed Auston Matthews. The Leafs had drafted Mitch Marner 4th overall the year before and William Nylander 8th the year before that.

However, during Shanahan’s tenure, there haven’t been many draft hits. Matthew Knies was a fortunate one, landing him in the second round of the 2021 Draft.

But Shanahan’s tenure has been riddled with questionable moves. He initially brought in Lou Lamoriello as GM and Mike Babcock as coach. Both were gone well before their contracts expired.

He then hired wunderkind (at the time) Kyle Dubas to run the show. Dubas was the architect of the Core Four structure and directly responsible for his buddy Sheldon Keefe becoming head coach.

Dubas bolted for Pittsburgh when the Fenway Group gave him the promotion Shanahan and MLSE didn’t. Shanahan fired Keefe, who now runs the New Jersey Devils’ bench.

Those moves are all on Shanahan. Three GMs and coaches in 11 years. Most team presidents get one GM and one coaching change during their tenure.

Then, there are the questionable free-agent signings. John Tavares’ free-agent mega-contract didn’t yield the expected results. Shanahan reportedly had a direct hand in naming him captain, then caved to pressure from Matthews that he wanted the captaincy.

So, the team mounted a dog-and-pony show in which Tavares passed the torch to Matthews. Functionally, Tavares was still the team captain as Matthews missed considerable time with injury this season.

On the ice, officials and other teams still viewed Tavares as captain.

Then, there’s the big enchilada. The Maple Leafs didn’t win anything meaningful during Shanahan’s tenure. No Stanley Cups. No Presidents’ trophies. Just a string of first-round exits and two division titles.

Beyond that, nada.

If New York Islanders fans liked Lamoriello, they would love Shanahan

Shanahan is more of the same from a team management perspective as Lou Lamoriello. The Isles will continue to prefer veterans over younger players. The team will continue to trade draft picks and move prospects at the trade deadline.

The team will not get any younger under Shanahan. He’ll continue the same line as Lamoriello. Of course, there’s a chance that Shanahan has learned from his mistakes. But in my estimation, that seems unlikely.

So, if New York Islanders fans liked Lou Lamoriello, they will love Brendan Shanahan.

Don’t get me wrong. I liked Lou when he was in Toronto. I thought he and Shanahan had a good thing going until they fixed something that wasn’t broken.

And, that’s my biggest contention with Shanahan. He didn’t stick to the Shanaplan. He pivoted midway and it didn’t get the Leafs anywhere.

I’d like to close this thought experiment with a final proposition.

Maybe I’m reading this all wrong. Maybe the reason why the New York Islanders want Shanahan is precisely because of the Shanaplan. In other words, Brendan Shanahan has successfully run a major rebuild during his front-office career.

Think about it this way. Shanahan’s hiring in Long Island is akin to a high-level C-suite executive taking over a company that’s under bankruptcy reorganization.

In hockey terms, that means the Islanders' management wants Shanahan because he’d likely oversee the Isles’ teardown and rebuild. If the Isles ultimately hire Shanahan, a rebuild will be looming on the horizon as soon as 2026.

You heard it here first.

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