Those were Brendan Shanahan’s famous words when he was hired as Leafs President and set out to rebuild the ailing, storied franchise. For an organization that had been stuck in the mud for a decade at the time, it was critical that they actually put a plan in place and stuck to it to climb out of the basement and ascend the standings.
They have mostly done that, making the playoffs for eight straight years. But when you make the playoffs eight straight years and all you have to show for it is one playoff series win, it isn’t about sticking to a long-term plan anymore; it’s about being honest about where the organization stands in the here and now.