Brendan Shanahan ready to risk it all to save his job with the Maple Leafs

Brendan Shanahan has one year left on his contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs, and he may be forced to take drastic measures to save his job.

It's no secret the Leafs have been struggling to win when the games matter most in the playoffs. Now that new MLSE President Keith Pelley is in charge, he has made it clear that he will not accept losing for long, and that he wants a championship in the near future.

Shanahan knows that if he wants his contract renewed, he will need to do whatever it takes to win, and it appears he is ready to risk it all.

Shanahan is likely going to force GM Brad Treliving to trade either Easton Cowan and/or Fraser Minten, in order to add as many veteran players as possible so that the Leafs can win now, not later. Shanahan isn't as concerned with the long-term, as he knows that if he wants to save his job, he needs to win in the short-term.

This is going to be very interesting to keep an eye on over the next few weeks and months, as the Leafs may be unusually more aggressive than they've known to be in the past, in order to compete for a Stanley Cup, and for Shanahan to save his job.

Easton Cowan hasn't played an NHL game for the Toronto Maple Leafs yet, but had an absolutely marvellous OHL season last year. He scored 34 goals and had 62 assists in 54 games. With stats like that, it's no doubt that the Leafs would be able to get a huge return for him in their win-now mode.

Fraser Minten has suited up in four NHL games with the Leafs and didn't record any points. He did however have 38 points in the 36 games he played for the Saskatoon Blades of the WHL last season.

Source: HockeyDBEaston Cowan Statistics

Source: HockeyDBFraser Minten Statistics

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