Maple Leafs Sports & Entertainment CEO Keith Pelley held a press conference on Friday afternoon following the departure of President of Hockey Operations Brendan Shanahan.

The hot button topic following the departure of somebody in such a highly-regarded role with a team like the Toronto Maple Leafs was whether or not they planned on replacing Shanahan, to which Pelley said it was not in their plans at the moment.

“Winning is the only thing that matters,” Pelley told media at the podium. “That’s what I said last year, that’s what ownership is committed to, that’s what we’re committed to. I have the utmost confidence in Brad [Treliving] and Craig [Berube]. I’m not looking to replace Brendan [Shanahan], I’m looking to work closer with Brad and Craig. In any other business, we will evaluate all facets of the organization in terms of how we utilize resources.

Pelley, who has officially completed his first year overseeing the Maple Leafs under his belt, spoke highly about the resources that the Maple Leafs have and believes the foundation to build a Cup-winning team is there.

“We have all the resources here to be a championship team. But it’s using the resources in the right way and how we structure those utilization of the resources that could make the difference. And that’s what we will spend the next weeks looking at.”

Shanahan’s departure from the organizations comes 11 years after he was originally hired. As much as the playoff success wasn’t there, he undoubtedly improved the reputation of the franchise, whether that be through rekindling relationships with alumni or setting a standard for getting the Maple Leafs into a place where they regularly contend for the Cup. Lack of success in the playoffs aside, nine-straight years of making the playoffs seems heavenly when you compare it to where the Leafs were in the late 2000s and the early 2010s.

Pelley didn’t necessarily write off the possibility of eventually hiring a President of Hockey Operations down the road, but he made it very clear that in the current moment, he wants to work closely with general manager Brad Treliving and head coach Craig Berube and keep a short pipeline between ownership and the front office.

“We’re on Day 1, anything is possible,” Pelley said when asked why he didn’t bring in a new President. “My plan right now is to not replace Brendan. Brad [Treliving] will be our GM, whether he takes on a larger role is something that we’ll determine down the road. The reality is, we’re a different organization. There’s not a right or wrong way to do it, but at the same time, there’s no real need to make a haste decision. Everything we do will be methodical and if we feel like we have to make a move, we will. I have the utmost confidence in Craig [Berube] and Brad [Treliving].”

Despite the new-look structure of the front office, Pelley said that he’s not going to be too involved in the day-to-day operations of a general manager, such as drafting players or signing free agents.

“As much as I love the game, and I love the NBA and MLS, I’m the CEO of MLSE,” Pelley said. “So, the people that are going to make the key hockey decisions and basketball decisions are hockey-oriented people and basketball-oriented people. My role is to be a sounding board and create a culture within the organization that builds a culture of winning championships. I look at it as I’m a holistic leader that can provide support and guidance from a culture side, but I’m not gonna be deciding who we draft and who we sign. That will be the decision by the hockey ops crew.”

It’s clear that Toronto Maple Leafs fans are years past the point of taking words of affirmation as any substance (58 years to be exact), but Pelley has certainly brought a different vibe to the table from an ownership standpoint. It’s been a long time since the Leafs have had a direct line between the general manager and the owner, and Pelley’s ability to get through to the fans may win some people over. But, in the end, this is a results-based business, and how the next couple of years go for the Maple Leafs will ultimately shape how people view his legacy down the line.