More like Brendan Shamahan. #MyColumn:

Brendan Shanahan wants you to believe he has a Shanaplan. And while I was a Shanafan of him when he was a player, it really doesn’t seem like he knows what he’s doing.

Sure, he talks about how he has a plan in place. But in this market we’ve heard our fair share of bravado, and this sounds similar to a Shanaman that ran the Leafs a couple of years ago. 

The problem is, Shanahan doesn’t have the confidence in his bravado that Burke had. Even if I didn’t agree in theory with what Burke would say, I believed him because he believed it and sold it. I can’t say the same for Shanahan. 

Being the face of a sports franchise is very similar to being a politician. Sure, what you do while in power matters, but not as much as what you say you’re going to do. And that’s why it’s so important to make bold proclamations. It makes you memorable, likeable, and worth talking about. Most importantly, it creates hope and belief. Shanahan has done none of this.

In fact, his “plan” has been to buy himself more time. He says that this rebuild will “hot take as long as it takes”. So his plan is that he hasn’t come up with a plan. This is a classic stalling tactic if I have ever seen one. 

The big first step he made in his plan was firing virtually everyone. If he had an actual strategically-sound plan and vision, he wouldn’t have fired everyone. That’s a rash, wild decision. A clear cry of “I have no critical thinking skills”. The opposite of methodical. This kind of leadership is not a fit here.

Even more, he says Mark Hunter was responsible for most of the firing (the scouts). So clearly he is distancing himself from the decisions. So either he’s a chicken or he’s already letting others take control. Whose “plan” is this? Is it even a Shanaplan? I think we can all make Dubassumptions for who is really Hunterunning the show. 

And even if you’re okay with this Job Killer, couldn’t he at least have done it a year ago? Why did it take him a year to figure out he had to fire everyone? We could be a year into the full rebuild already. And worse, one of those people he fired was General Manager and Good Man Dave Nonis, and he is already talking about looking for a new GMGM to replace him. Why fire a guy who has the exact resume you are looking for? Makes no sense.

Maybe someone needs to fire Shanahan so that a real, bold plan can be put into action. One that is full of wild proclamations that give me actual hope. I don’t care if that hope gets shattered – I just want to feel something.