Paul Bissonnette urges to ‘rerun’ Maple Leafs Core 4 following Panthers 3-0 dominance over Hurricanes

NHL analyst Paul Bissonnette has urged the Toronto Maple Leafs to retain their Core Four after the Florida Panthers's 6-2 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes, giving the Panthers a 3-0 series lead.

Bissonnette reacted to the win on X (formerly Twitter):

“This series makes me want to rerun the core 4 one more time. Who’s with me? #LeafsForever.”

The Maple Leafs played a much closer series against Florida, giving them a hard fight. They pushed Carolina to Game 7 and even won the first two games. The Hurricanes have struggled badly, making Toronto’s effort look stronger.

Bissonnette believes Toronto’s top players - Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, William Nylander and John Tavares - still have something to offer. However, change may be coming because team president Brendan Shanahan was fired after the playoff loss. Marner and Tavares are also nearing free agency, and the front office may decide to move on from one or both.

The Leafs have had limited playoff success. They have only won two playoff rounds since 2004 and have also lost seven straight Game 7s. Despite some progress under new coach Craig Berube, they again fell short in the round 2 series.

Still, Toronto’s performance against Florida looked better than Carolina’s. And that's the particular reason that Bissonnette is wondering if the Core Four deserves one more chance. Florida’s easy wins in the Eastern Conference Final have made people look at the Leafs’s effort differently.

Toronto now faces another offseason full of questions, and it will be interesting to see what the outcome is.

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Maple Leafs will look for a new president after Shanahan exit

Brendan Shanahan is no longer the president of the Toronto Maple Leafs. His contract will not be renewed after this season. He had led the team since 2014 and helped build the current roster. The Leafs made the playoffs nine times but won only two series during his time.

Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment president & CEO Keith Pelley thanked Shanahan for his work and leadership. They said it was time for a new voice to move the team forward.

"... It was determined that a new voice was required to take the team to the next level in the years ahead," Pelley said. " The franchise will be forever grateful for Brendan's contributions and wish him and his family every success and happiness in the future."

So far, the Toronto Maple Leafs have not named a replacement for Shanahan. So, GM Brad Treliving will lead hockey decisions to build a winning team.