Ex-Maple Leafs player believes the writing is on the wall for Brendan Shanahan - "More likely than not he won't be back"

Former Toronto Maple Leafs winger Mike Johnson believes Brendan Shanahan's time as president of the team is coming to an end.

With his contract set to expire on June 30, and no new deal in place, Shanahan’s future with the Leafs is up in the air. According to Sportsnet, Toronto granted the New York Islanders permission to speak with Shanahan about a front office role.

Speaking on the "First Up with Korolnek & Colaiacovo" podcast, Johnson noted that granting permission to the Islanders is not something teams typically do to someone they plan on bringing back.

“The fact that his contract expires in, I think a couple weeks, July 1 or whatever," Johnson said on Thursday. " It's unusual, the fact that you would grant him permission to go talk to someone else is not something you would be inclined to do if you were planning on bringing him back, right?"

Shanahan was hired in 2014 to spearhead the Maple Leafs' rebuild. After years near the bottom of the standings, Toronto has become a regular season powerhouse under his leadership.

He oversaw the drafting of core players like Mitch Marner, Auston Matthews and William Nylander. He also lured John Tavares to the team in free agency.

"It's more likely than not that he won't be back, and he will be off doing something similar for the New York Islanders the next several years, and trying to do for the others what he did for Toronto." Johnson said.

With Lou Lamoriello no longer serving as president and general manager, the Islanders are exploring new leadership options. Shanahan is one of the top names linked to the vacancy.

Brendan Shanahan’s postseason track record with the Maple Leafs

Under Brendan Shanahan’s leadership, the Toronto Maple Leafs have earned playoff spots in nine straight seasons. In 2023, they ended a long drought by winning their first playoff series since 2004, knocking out the Lightning.

This season, they advanced past the first round again with a win over the Senators, but were once again eliminated in the conference semis by the Panthers. Despite these steps forward, winning a championship continues to slip through their fingers.

"He had a great, really good, long run here, and he took this team from terrible, worst in the league, to one of the best regular season organizations the last 10 years," Mike Johnson said on Thursday, via 'First Up with Korolnek & Colaiacovo.' Like, he's going to leave and he will likely have a new job in a couple weeks.”

With his contract expiring, it remains to be seen whether Shanahan will re-sign with the Maple Leafs or choose to move on elsewhere.