The Toronto Maple Leafs' Long Road Back Will Be Long

The Toronto Maple Leafs have decided that a new direction is necessary for the team. Keith Pelley deemed it time to part ways with Brad Treliving, though Treliving himself, upon hearing the rumors, asked to accelerate the process. However, Pelley appears disinclined towards a full rebuild, preferring a "retool" of the roster instead.

During a media meeting, Pelley spoke about having "foundational players" and the need to surround them with the right elements for success. The problem is that the Maple Leafs have followed this principle for ten years without a Stanley Cup, winning only two playoff rounds and consistently falling short in crucial moments.

Perhaps it's a matter of culture, players, management, or overall vision. As Pelley noted, there's a lack of proper alignment and structure within the club. However, under President of Hockey Operations Brendan Shanahan, there was a reluctance to change the core of the team, with the "Core Four" — William Nylander, Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, and John Tavares — considered an untouchable foundation.

Kyle Dubas attempted to rectify the situation but eventually left for Pittsburgh. Brad Treliving came in and also tried to alter the mix, perhaps too aggressively. But now Treliving and Shanahan are gone, with the former leaving the team in worse shape than he found it, given the absence of promising players in the system.

When the Toronto Maple Leafs embarked on a "scorched earth" policy in 2014, Nazem Kadri, Nylander, Marner, and Morgan Rielly were already in the system. They won the draft lottery and acquired Auston Matthews. There was a group of young, developing players. However, year after year, first-round draft picks and prospects departed, with almost no new talent emerging, save for Joseph Woll, Easton Cowan, and Matthew Knies.

Toronto failed to address its biggest needs during the "Core Four's" prime: goaltending and defense. Due to an obsession with losing to the Florida Panthers and Boston Bruins and a desire to avoid "bullying," the Maple Leafs became older and slower last year. Now, there are more questions than answers, as the team's fate rests in the hands of a new head of hockey operations.

Again, what is the direction? There are many holes in the roster, and it's impossible to simply acquire six new high-level elite players. As Chris Pronger stated on SiriusXM NHL Network Radio, a long road lies ahead with much work to be done in a very short amount of time.

"They have a lot of work ahead of them. I don't think there's an easier way to say it. There are a lot of holes that need to be filled. They've got a lot of question marks. I think up and down their lineup is first and foremost, what is Auston Matthews going to do in two years now?

And I think as you kind of go down the list, you've got a number of players that have no-move clauses, and they're going to have to figure out what they're going to do with them. Are they part of the solution, or will they have to move on and find a new home for them? And those difficult decisions are going to have to be made pretty quickly as you get closer to the draft and then into free agency."

As we've seen in other Canadian markets, rebuilding is not for the faint of heart. The Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers, and Winnipeg Jets embraced it at one point. To a lesser extent, the Vancouver Canucks need to. In the East, the Ottawa Senators understood it had to be done, and the Montreal Canadiens served as the best example.

But Montreal's ownership told fans there would be some lean years, but within 4-6 years, the team would be competitive, followed by sustained success. Will MLSE accept new years of losing?

As evidenced by the San Jose Sharks and Chicago Blackhawks, when a team hits rock bottom, it's not pretty. Therefore, the Maple Leafs must decide whether it will be a "retool," like the Boston Bruins, Washington Capitals, and Pittsburgh Penguins, or if they'll have to do what the Anaheim Ducks, Boston Bruins, and Detroit Red Wings did and build the team from scratch.

"So there's a lot of conversations, and there's a lot of planning that needs to take place to really understand who and what are going to be a part of this," Pronger said on Sirius XM NHL Network Radio. "Rebuild, retool, whatever people want to term, people want to use. It's just words. At the end of the day, how can you reshape this franchise, both from a front office perspective, to the ice, and then into what you hope will be championships?"

This will not be a quick fix for the Toronto Maple Leafs. As Keith Pelley stated, the person he brings in to run hockey operations is the most important decision of his tenure with MLSE. They have to get it right. Pelley must be prepared to hear answers he might not want, but it sounds like he desires to "retool" the team and remain competitive.

This is not easy and sometimes takes longer than an actual rebuild. As usual, nothing comes easy for the Toronto Maple Leafs.