mathonwy wrote:1 : a trick that deludes : hoax <feared that the deal was a sham>
The hoax is, Burke was brought in to
improve the team, and after 4 years of spending almost to the cap, he hasn't improved his club at all in any respect.
More tricks that delude from Burke when he became GM:
"I like the pressure that's put on the team," said Burke. "The pressure that's on the players and the coach and the general manager to me is a positive thing."
"We require as a team proper levels of pugnacity, testosterone, truculence and belligerence," he said. "That's how our teams play."
And the real problem with the team:
"If we didn't know the group could win hockey games, then it would be, 'OK, we've got real problems and we've got to tear this thing down to the foundation and rebuild it.' But we know this team can win hockey games, and yet, we're not doing it."
That quote is from 2 years ago. The group could not win hockey games then, and they cannot win hockey games now. And thanks to Burke's Kessel trade, the group also can't lose properly.
A chart of Burke's improvement since joining the club:
2007-08 2011-12
GAA 3.08 (27th) 3.03 (27th)
SV% 89.3 (29th) 90.1 (24th)
GFA 2.74 (11th) 2.98 (6th)
PP 17.8% (15th) 20.6% (4th)
PK 78.0% (30th) 74.4% (30th)
Points 83 (12th in east) 89 (projected, 9th) (from Jan 9th, so points projection has gone down)
Going back to your dictionary definition, Burke has
deluded Toronto and MLSE into believing that he is going to turn the Leafs into a Cup winner. He can't even turn them into a good team.
Tell me this: if you're the new GM of the Leafs who can see the clear need for a total rebuild, who would you rather have: Kessel and Phaneuf or Tyler Seguin and Dougie Hamilton plus $10 million in cap space? And oh yeah, by the time the Leafs are even close to being good Kessel is going to need a new contract and a massive raise to stay in Toronto.
I'll give him full props for the Phaneuf trade, as he did absolutely rob the Flames. I don't think he was the kind of player that the Leafs needed at the time, and the salary isn't great for a team that is already near the cap, but it was a solid trade.
Other than that, can you name a single good thing Burke has done in Toronto?
Eddy Punch Clock wrote:(but secretly i'd like to see the Leafs make the playoffs. Not to see them humiliated, but because I have a great deal of empathy for their faithful)
I'm with you there, and I have far more empathy from the Canucks experience with Burke. Even one round of playoff hockey in Toronto would bring in enough revenue to boost the cap significantly. Sadly Burke's not the man to lead them there.
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