John Shannon thinks Mike Gillis checks a lot of boxes for Toronto: Leafs Morning Take
Unless you’ve got a business background, there’s a good chance half of what Keith Pelley said Tuesday went over your head.
The Wednesday edition of Leafs Morning Take offered up a nearly 80 minute breakdown and dissection of what the president and CEO of Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment had to say following the dismissal of Brad Treliving. It lacked clarity, vision, and specifics. That said, Jay Rosehill was a bit more accepting of what seemed like a cloak and dagger show. Bottom line: Leafs Nation doesn’t want to hear that business nonsense. Instead, they would much prefer transparency and clarity. Pelley owed it to the fans to offer up some hope and promise following this joke of a season. Instead, it’s understandable to feel like he has no clue what he’s doing. Only time will tell on that front but he certainly didn’t set a strong tone for what promises to be one of the most important offseasons in recent memory.
At any rate, we debated some of the key talking points. The “train” comment about Montreal and Buffalo felt weird—everyone in the hockey world has seen the Canadiens’ rise coming for years. On top of that, listing their top prospects by name seemed unnecessary, especially just minutes after he emphasized that he wasn’t there to be a scout. He really wanted to make one thing clear: he’s not there to make hockey decisions. Positively speaking, it does seem like he’s open to trying new things and incorporating different philosophies. It will be fascinating to see how this GM search plays out. Ultimately, his messaging was confusing. Sometimes, he needs to dumb it down. We know he’s a smart dude.
After that, John Shannon of 100% Hockey stopped by to help make sense of a pivotal moment for the Maple Leafs organization. He broke down Keith Pelley’s press conference following the firing of Brad Treliving, offering insight into what was said—and what it could mean for the team’s direction moving forward. With a strong understanding of Pelley, Shannon painted a picture of a calculated executive who appears open to reshaping the front office, potentially adding both a President of Hockey Operations and a new GM. Shannon also shared his candid thoughts on the future behind the bench, admitting he doesn’t expect Craig Berube to return. From there, the conversation shifted to potential candidates, as he weighed in on Mike Gillis and what he could bring to the table, while also discussing the possibility—and practicality—of Doug Armstrong making the jump from St. Louis to Toronto.
The fallout from Pelley’s presser will bleed into Thursday’s show, our final offering of the week. We’ll touch on a few more things —including his stance on “tanking.” Also, we’ll preview Leafs/Sharks. Plus, The Sheet’s Jeff Marek will drop by to weigh in on everything.