Shanahan optimistic about Leafs' direction: I 'see adversity differently'

Brendan Shanahan isn't worried about the Toronto Maple Leafs' direction despite the criticism aimed at the club during its inconsistent season.

"I just see adversity differently," the team president said Thursday, according to Sportsnet's Chris Johnston.

It's been an up-and-down campaign for the Maple Leafs, who were pegged in the preseason as a Stanley Cup contender. Shanahan believes the pressure the team faces is a privilege.

"If we are lucky enough to be the kind of team that can compete and win Stanley Cups it will not be peaceful," Shanahan said. "It’ll be loud and noisy because the decisions are worth more and the small decisions, the small tweaks, will have a bigger impact on a bigger stage."

Shanahan, who won three Stanley Cups while playing with the Detroit Red Wings, shared what he believes is the difference between teams that evolve into perennial Stanley Cup contenders and those that fall short.

"To me, one of the biggest separations between the elite teams and the good teams is consistency, and that’s something that we are definitely as a group trying to learn and develop," he said.

The Maple Leafs own a five-point lead over the Florida Panthers for the third seed in the Atlantic Division entering Thursday's action.