The Leafs' current situation was by no means inevitable. How could various checkpoints in recent team history have played out differently?

But in the short term, Brendan Shanahan isn’t going to New York and Marc Bergevin is obviously in L.A. to stay. Bottom line? No big hires are imminent and Darche is in charge.

There's been a lot of talk this week about the Toronto Maple Leafs and pressure.A couple of Florida Panthers suggested it was damn near impossible for Leafs players to deal with the circus that comes with playing in Toronto and its pent-up demand for Stanley Cup Playoffs success.

Brendan Shanahan has left the Leafs with significant challenges to surmount — on the roster and behind the scenes.