Days after Leafs fire Brendan Shanahan, MLSE CEO admits being internally conflicted about President of Hockey Ops' departure 

Brendan Shanahan will not return as president of the Toronto Maple Leafs. The team announced the decision on May 22, just four days after being eliminated by the Florida Panthers in Game 7.

Shanahan was in the final year of his six-year contract, signed in 2019. No replacement has been named yet.

MLSE CEO Keith Pelley spoke about the decision on the "100% Hockey Podcast" Tuesday:

"From a personal level, it was very difficult. From a professional level, it was the right decision to make."

Pelley added he had worked closely with Shanahan and had a lot of respect for him. He praised Shanahan’s character and leadership during his 11 years with the team:

"He is a man of great integrity. He has rebuilt the franchise, if you go back and take a look at it prior to him coming in, to where we are now and how many playoffs we’ve made, and competing at the level we have.

"...It was difficult on a personal level. It was easier from a professional level. The challenge is always separating them. That is where the difficulty comes in," he added.

Under Brendan Shanahan, the Leafs reached the playoffs nine times but only won two series. He helped build a core group including Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, William Nylander and John Tavares.

Brendan Shanahan said not winning Stanley Cup is a "regret"

Soon, after the Maple Leafs announced the departure, Shanahan shared his thoughts in a statement. He said he was proud of the rebuild that started in 2014. The team made the playoffs nine times in 11 years but added his main goal was to win the Stanley Cup.

"While I am proud of the rebuild we embarked on starting in 2014, ultimately, I came here to help win the Stanley Cup, and we did not," Shanahan said via NHL.com. "There is nothing more (that) I wanted to deliver to our fans, and my biggest regret is that we could not finish the job (of winning the Cup)."

Before joining the Leafs, Brendan Shanahan worked as vice president of player safety for three seasons. He also played in the league for 21 seasons as a player, winning three Stanley Cups with the Detroit Red Wings. He was subsequently inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2013.