Brendan Shanahan Has The Opportunity to Do Something Extremely Ironic

The Toronto Maple Leafs appear to be on the verge of losing a key member of their staff in Shanahan, whose tenure has stretched 11 seasons.

In an article from Chris Johnston of The Athletic that looks at what he's hearing on the future of Shanahan, he revealed that the New York Islanders have asked Toronto for permission to speak with him about their vacant GM position.

Not only that, but Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet later confirmed that the Maple Leafs have granted permission for that conversation to take place.

If Shanahan, whose current contract with the team runs out in June, is offered and accepts the position of the Islanders GM, he would have a chance to really stick it to the Toronto Maple Leafs, if he were so inclined, by making some really ironic moves over the summer.

On July 1, 2018, Shanahan and then GM Kyle Dubas pitched and subsequently signed John Tavares to a seven-year deal with the Leafs after he refused to sign a new one with the New York Islanders. That seven year deal is up on July 1 of this year, meaning Shanahan could potentially pull off the exact same move in reverse.

It doesn't stop there, though. Maple Leafs star Mitch Marner is currently in the exact same spot Tavares was in 2018 when he left the New York Islanders hanging by signing with the Maple Leafs. If Shanahan becomes GM on Long Island, signing Marner to a seven-year deal would be the ultimate in irony, and a move that would be talked about for years to come.

Marner, like Tavares in 2018, refused to waive his no-movement clause ahead of the trade deadline to allow his team to recoup some assets. In Toronto's case, they had a deal for Mikko Rantanen on the table.

Marner, like Tavares, also told the media throughout the year that his plan was to remain where he is. Unfortunately, now that the dust has settled, Marner appears poised to leave. It's just a matter of where he's headed.

There are a few things that need to align for this opportunity to become a reality, but if Shanahan ends up with the New York Islanders, you have to think he's aware of the opportunity to strengthen his new team, and take a shot at his old team in the process. This summer will certainly be an interesting one for Toronto Maple Leafs fans and analysts.