THESE BUDS BLOSSOMED EARLY
Shanahan pleased with Leafs’ early success — but now it’s all about facing the Capitals
The author of the Shan-a-plan won’t allow himself a moment to stop and smell the playoff roses.
There is still too much to be done, Brendan Shanahan said in a lengthy interview. In his third season on the job as the Toronto Maple Leafs’ president — the first to assess, the second to strip the roster down and essentially tank, the third to remarkably qualify for the Stanley Cup playoffs — Shanahan called this rather stunning season “just another positive step in the process.”
“In the moment, like on Saturday night, it feels fantastic,” he said. “And then everyone involved, including the players, immediately switches to ‘What’s next?’
“We’re like everybody else. We enjoyed that game and the nature of it, but five minutes after it’s over, it has to be ‘What’s next?’ ”
What’s next begins Thursday night in Washington in a Stanley Cup playoff series against the Capitals, the best regular-season team in hockey. What’s next will be the first exposure many of Shanahan’s young Leafs have had to playoff hockey.
He hopes the playoff run, however long it lasts, will give some perspective. He doesn’t just want to build a playoff team, as he already has. He wants to build a team capable of competing for the Stanley Cup every year. That doesn’t happen quickly. But this will be his first playoff look as a Leaf and the first for general manager Lou Lamoriello and head coach Mike Babcock.
As proud as Shanahan is of the progress made by the Leafs this season, he is just as proud of the people who work closest to him.
In particular, he singled out assistant general manager Mark Hunter and Babcock for the impact they have had on the worst-to-wild-card season.
“I think for me, Mark Hunter coming on and taking it upon himself to revamp the way we draft and the way we view the draft and bring his skill set to the draft has been large,” Shanahan said.
“I say this often: His coming here is no less important than bringing in a Mike Babcock or some of the other moves we’ve made. We had some talent (when I got here). We needed more. Development was a huge thing. You have to attend to that. You don’t forget or ignore a Connor Brown because he doesn’t have draft pedigree or isn’t 215 pounds.
“I think everybody has contributed, but the big one is Mike (Babcock) because he’s on the front lines. He’s on the bench every day. So much of the responsibility is on him and has been ever since he got here.
“I had an opportunity to watch him, play for him, saw him in very heated environments in Olympics. It’s not just Toronto media, it’s all of Canada second guessing you and doubting you, and he always had a plan and he always stuck to it. He’s just got a great energy. He’s been everything we’d hoped he would be here.”
And he has done great work in developing his young players.
“I think they’ve got a great relationship with their coach,” Shanahan said. “Mike having kids around their age helps. I think when I played for Mike, his kids were little. Now Mike’s kids have all gone through playing college sports and I think hearing them come home and talk about their teams and their coaches, how they think, how they prepare, I think it’s made him an even better coach as far as understanding young players.”
Babcock said there would be “pain” when he was hired two seasons back. There was a season of purpose — not necessarily pain — ending up with the drafting of the wunderkind Auston Matthews. This season has been all about joy and discovery, promise and delivery, about a cast of freshmen on one team unlike any who have played in the NHL before.
On the opening night of the regular season, Matthews astounded the hockey world scoring four goals against the Ottawa Senators. But the goals weren’t what Shanahan admired most.
“He scores four goals and the first thing he says when he comes to face the press is he let his man go in overtime,” Shanahan said. “I think that spoke almost as much to us and to his teammates and to other players in the league. He was telling you who he was.
“Saturday night was a great example of all the different players on the team and who had to step up big in the moment. None of it is done without (Curtis) McElhinney, without (Kasperi) Kapanen, without Naz’s (Kadri) forecheck, without (Roman) Polak’s blocked shot, without (Zach) Hyman’s pass.”
Then he went on to single out James van Riemsdyk, Brown and William Nylander for probably being their best forward.
And now a best-of-seven against the Presidents’ Trophy winners. Washington won 55 games. The Leafs won 40. Matthews had a remarkable season, finishing with 69 points. Alexander Ovechkin had a rather dreadful season, finishing with 69 points.
What does Shanahan expect against Washington?
“We’ve been very good all year at playing our game, which is a pretty balanced attack,” he said. “We’ve responded well to adversity.”
The next adversity begins Thursday night.
We had some talent (when I got here). We needed more. Development was a huge thing. … You don’t forget or ignore a Connor Brown because he doesn’t have draft pedigree or isn’t 215 pounds.