After falling to the Florida Panthers 6-1 in Game 7 on Sunday night, what does the future hold for the Toronto Maple Leafs? And could the New York Islanders be turning over a new leaf with, you know, Leafs?
We are approaching one month since the Islanders announced they would not be renewing Lou Lamoriello's contract as team president and general manager.
While executives like Marc Bergrevin, Jarmo Kekalainen, and Mathieu Darche seem to be the "top three" candidates, the Islanders were believed to be waiting to see who else became available.
Brendan Shanahan, who has served as the Leafs' president since 2014-15, could be out with his core, proving that they don't have what it takes to be champions. The Islanders have an interest in speaking with Shanahan:
Brendan Shanahan
The Hockey Hall of Fame player turned executive hired Lamoriello in 2015-16 as Toronto's general manager, a role Lou served until he was relieved of his duties—-mutually parted ways—following the 2017-18 season.
Shanahan's squad has made the playoffs the last nine seasons but has only advanced to the second round twice.
While Shanahan will be ridiculed for his failures, given the stars he had and the holes he never really filled to be good enough, he did show an ability to develop through the draft, which is clearly something the Islanders need to get better at.
Looking at the Leafs roster, their entire top six outside of John Tavares are homegrown players.
William Nylander was drafted eighth overall in 2014, Mitch Marner was drafted fourth overall in 2015, Auston Matthews was drafted first overall in 2016, Matthew Knies was drafted in the second round of the 2021 NHL Draft, and Pontus Hogberg was drafted in the sixth round in 2018.
Top defenseman Morgan Rielly was taken fifth overall in 2012. Goaltender Joseph Woll was drafted in the third round in 2016.
It helps to have top draft picks, for sure, but the Leafs proved that they can develop the talent they select.
Few presidents and/or general managers who have built teams from the ground up are available, so Shanahan becomes an immediate option for Long Island.
Also, it can't be dismissed that Shanahan worked alongside John Collins, who is leading the Islanders' executive search, as the vice president of hockey and business development at the NHL from 2009 to 2011.
If Shanahan was Long Island bound, don't be shocked if he brings assistant general manager Brandon Pridham with him. Pridham has been with Shanahan since he started in Toronto.
Mitch Marner
It seems every year, the 28-year-old is the scapegoat for Toronto's failures, with 62 points (12 goals, 50 assists) in 70 career playoff games.
He had 13 points (two goals, 11 assists) in 13 playoff games this season after a career-best 102-point regular season, with 27 goals and a career-high 75 assists.
Marner, who is in the final season of a six-year deal worth $10.893 million annually, used his full no-move clause to veto a trade that would have sent Mikko Rantanen from the Carolina Hurricanes to the Maple Leafs.
Now, it's looking like Shanahan and the Leafs will lose Marner for nothing, while the elite forward will likely be getting around $14 million annually on July 1 or whenever he signs.
The Leafs could bring Marner back, but that would limit their ability to sign Matthew Knies and improve the team in the areas where they need help the most.
The Islanders, as well as many other teams, will be eyeing Marner, who very well could be the top name available in NHL Free Agency.
Who knows if the Islanders will have enough cap space to be a true Marner contender -- that should be a priority -- but he does have one major connection to Long Island.
Veteran forward Matt Martin, who will likely be calling it a career this summer, played with Marner in Toronto from 2016-2018, serving as a mentor, a big brother if you will, to Marner.
The two are extremely close, and Martin is the perfect person to sell Long Island to the pending UFA.
If the Islanders can clear enough cap space -- teams can go 10 percent over ($9.5 M) the salary cap in the summer as long as they are cap-compliant by the start of the season -- they should be a name you hear often when Marner's is mentioned.
If the Islanders want to retool quickly, with Mathew Barzal, Ilya Sorokin, and Bo Horvat in their prime, they will have no choice but to land a top free agent. That's the reality of the situation.
The Islanders enter the offseason with a projected $28.3 million in available cap space before signing any of their UFAs and RFAs.
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