BRIAN BURKE'S TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS

[Strangelove]

(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)

[Potatoe1]

Burkie shoulda gone all-in on the rebuild!

It wasn't even about going "all in", it's just plain stupid to trade your first rounders moving forward when you're not an established playoff team. That's why you almost never see it happen.

Kessel is a good player but he's not a franchise type player, and he's only a few years from free agency.

If they had stood pat they would have a 20-year old first line caliber center, and an embarrassment of richest on the blue line (Hamilton, Schenn, Gardiner, Dion).

That trade really is inexcusable, it's just such a stupid and unnecessary thing to do.

[Reefer2]

It wasn't even about going "all in", it's just plain stupid to trade your first rounders moving forward when you're not an established playoff team. That's why you almost never see it happen.

Kessel is a good player but he's not a franchise type player, and he's only a few years from free agency.

If they had stood pat they would have a 20-year old first line caliber center, and an embarrassment of richest on the blue line (Hamilton, Schenn, Gardiner, Dion).

That trade really is inexcusable, it's just such a stupid and unnecessary thing to do.

Hey Pot - that is BB, it is all about him and what he does. I love it, he walks in with all this swagger that he has not earned and is falling flat on his face. He is an average GM at best but give him credit for no bad deals like DiPietro.

[Strangelove]

Burkie shoulda gone all-in on the rebuild!

It wasn't even about going "all in", it's just plain stupid to trade your first rounders moving forward when you're not an established playoff team. That's why you almost never see it happen.

Kessel is a good player but he's not a franchise type player, and he's only a few years from free agency.

If they had stood pat they would have a 20-year old first line caliber center, and an embarrassment of richest on the blue line (Hamilton, Schenn, Gardiner, Dion).

That trade really is inexcusable, it's just such a stupid and unnecessary thing to do.

During Cherry's angry anti-Burke rant on Saturday I couldn't help but imagine he was thinking:

"Hmmm Boston ended up with two lovely Ontario boys in exchange for the NHL's Most Easily Intimidated AMERICAN!"

[coco_canuck]

As you & others have mentioned, that Kessel trade is unforgivable.

It really was.

What a horrible move.

Burkie's ego fucked him early.

The leaves were going from one quick re-build to another without any results, and the Toronto market was prepared to bite the bullet for a couple of years in order to patiently build the club up, but Burke couldn't help himself and had to prove that HE IS BRIAN FUCKING BURKE and he was going bring the Cup back to Toronto sooner than people expected.

He doubled down on Kessel and a quick re-build, and all it has done is eat a couple years off his shelf-life and has put him in a position where he likely has to make the playoff next year to keep his job.

Burke would have to be a fool not have learned a lesson, and as much as I abhor the laffs, Burke is probably a better choice to keep as GM rather than some other stooge the CEO's will control.

Can't say I'm not enjoying laff nation's implosion and the blustery Irishman squirm.

[DavidPratt_]

but Burke couldn't help himself and had to prove that HE IS BRIAN FUCKING BURKE and he was going bring the Cup back to Toronto sooner than people expected.

BELOW: A 'HAPPY' BRIAN BURKE AS GM OF THE LEAFS. TOO BAD HE DIDN'T INHERIT A TEAM WITH COREY PERRY, RYAN GETZLAF AND J-S GIGUERE IN TORONTO



YOU HIT THE NAIL ON THE HEAD. BRIAN'S EGO IS TO BLAME FOR A LOT OF THE PROBLEMS IN TORONTO. ONCE AGAIN, THIS STANLEY CUP WINNING 'GENIUS' WAS SUPPOSED TO DO WHAT HE DID IN ANAHEIM AND BRING THE CUP TO TORONTO WITH SOME KIND OF REBUILD. THE PROBLEM IS THAT BRIAN DOESN'T WORK THAT WAY, AND HE COULDN'T REPLICATE WHAT HE DID IN ANAHEIM BECAUSE WHEN HE BECAME GM OF THE DUCKS, HE INHERITED A GREAT TEAM ALREADY THAT NEEDED SOME ADDITIONAL PARTS TO TAKE THEM OVER THE HUMP. BRIAN DID IT AND HE WEARS A STANLEY CUP RING. NOT THE SAME SITUATION IN TORONTO WHERE THE TEAM WAS A MESS WITH LITTLE DEPTH BOTH AT THE NHL AND AHL LEVEL LET ALONE DRAFT PICKS.

THERE' S A BIG DIFFERENCE BETWEEN BRIAN BURKE AND A KEN HOLLAND, RAY SHERO, PETER CHIARELLI AND YES, MIKE GILLIS. BRIAN IS ALL ABOUT EGO AND DOING THINGS HIS WAY. HE LACKS THE PATIENCE TO FLY UNDER THE RADAR AND DO THE 'RIGHT THINGS' AND BUILD A SUSTAINABLE, CONSISTENTLY COMPETITIVE TEAM THAT WILL COMPETE FOR THE CUP EVERY YEAR. NOPE - BRIAN HAS TO DO THINGS 'HIS WAY', AND 'HIS WAY' USUALLY INVOLVES SOMETHING THAT IS SHOWY, GETS THE ATTENTION OF THE MEDIA (WHILE HE WILL CONSTANTLY CRITICIZE THE MEDIA THROUGHOUT THE PROCESS).

MIKE GILLIS IS EASILY ONE OF THE BEST GM'S THE CANUCKS HAVE EVER HAD. YES, HE INHERITED THE SEDINS AND RYAN KESLER AND WELL AS ROBERTO LUONGO....BUT HE IS JUST FAR MORE THOUGHTFUL AND PATIENT AND THAT'S WHY VANCOUVER HAS BEEN CONSISTENTLY COMPETITIVE THE PAST NUMBER OF YEARS. INSTEAD OF 'CLEANING HOUSE' WHEN HE BECAME GM OF THE CANUCKS, HE GAVE THE COACH AND FRONT OFFICE STAFF A CHANCE. LORNE HENNING DIDN'T GET FIRED. NEITHER DID STAN SMYL. ALAIN VIGNEAULT KEPT HIS JOB...IT WASN'T ABOUT 'MIKE'S WAY' WITH 'MIKE'S PEOPLE', IT WAS ABOUT BUILDING A CONSISTENTLY COMPETITIVE TEAM THAT CAN COMPETE FOR THE CUP EVERY YEAR WITH PEOPLE WHO COULD HELP MIKE GILLIS MAKE IT HAPPEN.

LOOK AT CORY SCHNEIDER. UNDER BURKE, SCHNEIDER WOULD HAVE BEEN RUSHED INTO THE NHL SOONER. REMEMBER WHEN CORY SCHNEIDER FIRST PLAYED A FEW GAMES IN THE NHL 3 SEASONS AGO? SOME GOOD GAMES AND SOME POOR GAMES AS WELL. GILLIS GAVE HIM THE TIME TO DEVELOP, MADE HIM SPEND TIME PERFECTING HIS GAME IN THE AHL, MADE SURE SCHNEIDER GOT SOME GOOD COACHING FROM GUYS LIKE ROLAND MELANSON AND NOW LOOK AT SCHNEIDER. HE'S CONSIDERED BY MOST HOCKEY INSIDERS AS THE BEST BACKUP GOALIE IN THE NHL WHO SHOULD BE A STARTER. SCHNEIDER MAY NOT HAVE LIKED RIDING THE BUSES TO PLAY IN WORCESTER OR ROCKFORD BUT THANKS TO AN ORGANIZATION THAT DEMONSTRATED PATIENCE AND A FOCUS ON A PLAN, SCHNEIDER WILL BE A STAR IN THE NHL. THAT MAY NOT HAVE BEEN THE CASE IF ANOTHER MANAGEMENT TEAM WAS RUNNING THE CANUCKS.

DP

[dhabums]

As you & others have mentioned, that Kessel trade is unforgivable.

2 more wins and the Kessel deal is Son, Sen or Reiter and nobody cares. I'm glad it blew up in his face, but it was a calculated risk that didn't pay off.

[dhabums]

BELOW: A 'HAPPY' BRIAN BURKE AS GM OF THE LEAFS. TOO BAD HE DIDN'T INHERIT A TEAM WITH COREY PERRY, RYAN GETZLAF AND J-S GIGUERE IN TORONTO

And Rob Neidermeyer calling his bro, and Pronger asking to leave.

He fell into the perfect storm in Anaheim and apparently is going to ride it until he decides to retire.

[Potatoe1]

And Burke pony's up 5.5 mill for 5 years to Grabovski....

500k more then Kesler and less then Sedins...

Wow.

[tantalum]

Burke may have thought the Kessel trade was a calculated risk but it was more of a miscalculation. He assessed his team and said "we are a 30-40 goal scorer away from being a playoff team". Most everyone else looked at that team and realized they weren't even close and that the pick was likely to be a lottery pick. They missed out on Seguin. A first line center in the making and already better than anything they have right now (and for less money). A scoring winger is certainly nice asset but a first line center is a much bigger asset. He screwed up not so much on the deal or type of deal but when to do it. When you are missing a first line center (at that time I'm not even sure they had a second line center), a goaltender and a reliable blueline you don't make a 'get a scoring winger to put us over the top' type of deal with that first round pick (best case scenario that pick was going to be 15th/16th overall which is a nice pick).

He set the rebuild behind by an undetermined amount with that trade. He's still looking for a #1 center and a good chance that this time next year he's still looking for that player. Without that first line center they aren't going anywhere. Add to that, without a goaltender they aren't going anywhere. Burke has not shown any ability to acquire or manage his goaltending assets in the past so it might be a long road ahead for that organization.

To be perfectly honest his first year or two as Leafs GM was a complete disaster that he is still trying to dig himself out from it.

[Arachnid]

Burke may have thought the Kessel trade was a calculated risk but it was more of a miscalculation. He assessed his team and said "we are a 30-40 goal scorer away from being a playoff team". Most everyone else looked at that team and realized they weren't even close and that the pick was likely to be a lottery pick. They missed out on Seguin. A first line center in the making and already better than anything they have right now (and for less money). A scoring winger is certainly nice asset but a first line center is a much bigger asset. He screwed up not so much on the deal or type of deal but when to do it. When you are missing a first line center (at that time I'm not even sure they had a second line center), a goaltender and a reliable blueline you don't make a 'get a scoring winger to put us over the top' type of deal with that first round pick (best case scenario that pick was going to be 15th/16th overall which is a nice pick).

He set the rebuild behind by an undetermined amount with that trade. He's still looking for a #1 center and a good chance that this time next year he's still looking for a first line center. Without that first line center they aren't going anywhere. Add to that, without a goaltender they aren't going anywhere.

To be perfectly honest his first year or two as Leafs GM was a complete disaster that he is still trying to dig himself out from.

Burke made the trade because he had no choice. This market, with it's idiot fans (annoying 'this is OUR year' blue collars and corporate 'oh look at me, I have tickets to see Phil score lotsa goals') need a marquee proven goal scorer player. Ever since Matts walked, they didn't really have one and no one wants to take a chance on a rookie as the messiah (though everyone wanted the local Taveres). Everyone knows they must suck for 3-5 years and finish last in the league but no one can or will let it happen. It's the same mentally that keeps this city from getting a fixed link to the airport or more transit.
A NIMBY attitude if ever I saw one. Fuckwads.

[the Dogsalmon]

i LOVE Brian Buke,his stupid moves and delusional Leaf fans...they are responsible for adding anywhere from $300-$700 dollars to the family coffers every year from Canuck/leaf bets...a delusional team with idiotic fans is a recipe for cash...go out make some Leaf friends and have them contribute yearly to your family's vacation account...Because of brian we may be going to Disneyland...

THANKS MR.BURKE!!!!

[Jovocop]

And Burke pony's up 5.5 mill for 5 years to Grabovski....

500k more then Kesler and less then Sedins...

Wow.

Seriously, can anyone complain about the Sedins and Kesler deal? Even Booth's deal is looking good now... except to RD.

[Arachnid]

i LOVE Brian Buke,his stupid moves and delusional Leaf fans...they are responsible for adding anywhere from $300-$700 dollars to the family coffers every year from Canuck/leaf bets...a delusional team with idiotic fans is a recipe for cash...go out make some Leaf friends and have them contribute yearly to your family's vacation account...Because of brian we may be going to Disneyland...

THANKS MR.BURKE!!!!

I usually don't pay for the beer butt they bet less cash now than when they were even stupider in the 90's.
Thing is, this happened before Burke, since 1967 actually and will happen after he's gone

[ESQ]

They missed out on Seguin. A

To be fair, they may not have made it all the way to 29th in the league without Phil