Should Brendan Shanahan just be the new GM of the Toronto Maple Leafs?

Kyle Dubas now gone, Brendan Shanahan is tasked with finding a new General Manager to lead the Toronto Maple Leafs into perhaps their most important offseason yet. With the draft and free agency just a few weeks away, a decision must quickly be made on who will be chosen to make draft picks, sign free agents, and most importantly of all, negotiate the extensions of Auston Matthews and William Nylander.
Having all that on the table, one has to wonder if the best person for this job is in fact Brendan Shanahan himself.
A single individual taking over the role of President and GM of a team is nothing new, quite a few organizations including Carolina, Nashville, St Louis, and both New York teams already do so. Running a team this way allows the General Manager to instill their vision with little resistance, as no separate President of Hockey Operations will be around to veto their moves. With recent news of Brendan Shanahan stepping in to block a trade that would have seen Matthew Knies traded to Chicago last season, this seems especially relevant.
Part of Kyle Dubas’ demands during contract negotiations before talks broke down was increased pay and a request for full control without any oversight. Since we know MLSE has more money than anyone could possibly spend, it seems safe to assume that it w …

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Author: Filipe Dimas / The Leafs Nation

News and Notes: Chris Bassitt throws another gem, Blue Jays have some upcoming roster decisions, and more

Blue Jays right-hander Chris Bassitt was tasked with righting the ship against the New York Yankees, as the Jays were looking to try and get their first win in the series after dropping the previous two fun-filled affairs that had lots of drama including coaches yelling at each other, Aaron Boone getting ejected, Domingo German playing with sticky stuff (and also getting ejected), and the Aaron Judge debacle.

Bassitt was riding a 20-inning scoreless streak coming into today’s contest and the former Mets starter was outstanding against the Bronx Bombers, going seven innings while allowing just three hits and one walk to the tune of zero earned runs with seven strikeouts. More impressively was the fact that Bassitt appeared to be battling something physically, whether it be the back issue that limited him in a previous outing or the stomach bug currently going around in the clubhouse, yet he still made a fantastic play at first base to tag Jose Trevino and end the inning.
The Ohio product put the Jays in the best spot to win the game but the bats struggled to get him any run support, as Yankees starter Gerrit Cole allowed seven hits but put up zero earned runs with six strikeouts and really stymied the Blue Jays bats, who struggled to bring around runners in scoring position all evening. After this last appearance, Bassitt is currently at 27 innings of scorel …

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Author: Tyson Shushkewich / Blue Jays Nation