May 26, 2025

Toronto Maple Leafs: 11 Years of the Shanaplan

1 hour 8 minutes

The Toronto Maple Leafs and Brendan Shanahan officially parted ways last week, and to mark the 300th episode of the Talkin’ Buds Leafs Show, we present: “The Shanaplan: A Look Back.” We break down Shanahan’s 11-year tenure as Leafs President—from taking over a franchise in the gutter, to hiring Mike Babcock and Lou Lamoriello, to handing the keys to Kyle Dubas, and the eventual fallout in 2023. We dive into the highs and lows of the Core 4 era, the playoff heartbreaks, the star-centric approach, and the final chapter that ended with Shanahan’s exit and Keith Pelley’s press conference. Talkin' Buds Leafs show presents The Shanaplan: A Look Back

Watch on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/N-N5aHw3nRQ

(0:00) - Episode 300!

(1:43) - Shanahan hired as Leafs President (2014)

(6:25) - Culture shift: Babcock & Lamoriello join the Leafs

(12:18) - The dignified tank for Auston Matthews

(20:20) - Kyle Dubas becomes GM

(27:30) - The Nazem Kadri trade

(30:47) - DraftKings

(32:13) - The 2019-20 season

(34:00) - Babcock fired

(39:03) - The 2021 playoff collapse vs. the Habs

(41:31) - Dubas lets Zach Hyman walk

(49:36) - The Shanahan-Dubas fallout

(52:30) - Shanahan protects the Core 4, Treliving hired

(54:52) - Shanahan dismissed, Pelley’s presser, what’s next for the Leafs

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