By HOWARD BERGER
TORONTO (Nov. 21) – Though it’s understandable why followers of the Maple Leafs are angry and disheartened by the club’s dreadful showing in the first quarter of the season, I’m astonished with the number of people that are essentially writing off the Brian Burke-Ron Wilson tandem. These are many of the same fans that celebrated Burke’s much-anticipated arrival almost one year ago; fervently endorsed his defensive make-over in the off-season, and sanctioned the hiring of Wilson the previous summer because of his long-time association and friendship with Burke. Now, after a tough stretch in their first full season together, folks are clamouring for heads to roll in the Leafs’ hockey department.
Give it a rest.
While this may not prove to be a second coming of the Sam Pollock-Toe Blake alliance from the 1960s and ‘70s [10 Stanley Cups], Burke and Wilson are accomplished enough at the NHL level to deserve a wee bit more time before getting cashiered. Given the sheer volume of GMs and coaches the Leafs have employed since Punch Imlach’s 1967 Cup triumph, there is certainly no guarantee that Burke and Wilson will have more [or even as much] success as Jim Gregory and John McLellan; Gregory and Red Kelly; Gregory and Roger Neilson; Imlach and Joe Crozier; Gerry McNamara and Mike Nykoluk; McNamara and Dan Maloney; McNamara and John Brophy; Gord Stellick and George Armstrong; Floyd Smith and Doug Carpenter; Smith and Tom Watt; Cliff Fletcher and Watt; Fletcher and Pat Burns; Fletcher and Nick Beverley; Fletcher and Mike Murphy; Ken Dryden/Mike Smith and Murphy; Dryden/Smith and Pat Quinn; Quinn by himself; John Ferguson and Quinn; Ferguson and Paul Maurice; Fletcher and Maurice; Fletcher and Wilson.
That’s quite a drum-roll in 42½ years, but many – including myself – figured the Burke-Wilson combo to be at least equal to any of the aforementioned, and perhaps superior.
And, while the first quarter of their initial campaign together has been an unmitigated disaster, it would hardly make sense for the Leafs to start over yet again; to resume their decades-long hunt for the perfect hockey amalgam. There’s still every chance it could be right beneath the tall foreheads that comprise Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment. Burke and Wilson enjoyed the proverbial honeymoon period last season, as they were directing what was primarily Fletcher’s team. Modest expectations were followed by predictable results. And though Burke did some restructuring with second and third-tier free agents, only the foolishly optimistic expected monumental advancement in 2009-10.
Not many people were anticipating a prodigious decline, mind you, and Burke will have to answer plenty for a calamitous result if the season follows the current path. But, double-B will truly begin to earn his keep next summer, when so many burdensome contracts are no longer on the Leafs’ ledger. With enormous cap space, he’ll be able to go after the biggest fish in the free agent pond, and a Toronto team built around Jonas Gustavsson, Phil Kessel, Luke Schenn and perhaps Tyler Bozak, Victor Stalberg, Christian Hanson and Nazem Kadri will begin to emerge. At that point, it will be fairer to judge Burke, and to gauge how Wilson is able to guide a representative team.
This season is a complete write-off, which is extremely and legitimately disappointing for Leafs’ fans after the manner in which it was pre-positioned. Burke and Wilson either got caught up in their own excitement, or they tried to sell the city a bill of goods. In my view, it was the former. Burke accurately determined last year’s club to be devoid of valor and he sought to remedy the problem in free agency. But, he may have overestimated the caliber of his acquisitions and their ability to withstand the Toronto hockey spotlight.
As of now, it appears Michael Komisarek is precisely what he was in Montreal – a keen, fearless warrior who badly wants to win, but a player that lacks the proper discipline to augment his enthusiasm. Francois Beauchemin also gives the appearance of what he proved so be so capably in Anaheim – a premier third defenseman. No longer sheltered by Chris Pronger, Scott Niedermayer and a tepid hockey market, Beauchemin is struggling to certify his advance billing. We can add Colton Orr to the “looks awfully familiar” department. He proved capable of beating up opponents in Boston and New York, and he’s been able to do it north of the border as well. To what end, I’m not sure. Garnet Exelby, Wayne Primeau and Rickard Wallin were expected to be middling acquisitions and have thoroughly justified that tag.
But, if even one of last summer’s additions is able to move forward with a contending team, Burke will have done his job.
The GM’s finest catch – and the one he expended most energy to acquire – was Gustavsson, who has taken on a mortal appearance after a blazing start to his rookie campaign. But, I have little doubt that the 25-year-old native of Sweden is going to be a top-notch goalie in the NHL. His weaknesses – handling the puck and acclimatizing to the North American hockey environment – can be remedied through proper coaching. His strengths – reflexes, lateral mobility, and anticipation – can’t be taught. I suspect Burke will ultimately be lauded for his netminding coup.
Otherwise, he and Wilson are saddled with the core of a modestly talented team that has garnered absolutely nothing since the lockout. Had Burke not popped off so frequently about burying lousy contracts in the minors – and about the conceivable playoff worthiness of his partially re-designed club – he’d have given himself a calmer environment in which to work. But, the Leafs’ GM has never been the shy, reserved type. That shouldn’t be held against him, for it was exactly the character trait MLSE was looking for in a hockey czar. And it could prove beneficial in the long run.
As for the Kessel trade, Burke and the Leafs’ faithful will probably have to endure an awkward, troubling moment near the start of next summer’s NHL draft, and time will determine if the club received commensurate value for yielding two first-round draft picks and a second-rounder to Boston. But, the feeling of dread among Leaf supporters has to stop for no other reason than its utter futility. If you choose to bang your head against the wall for 15 minutes at the notion of Peter Chiarelli selecting Taylor Hall with the No. 1 pick next June, you’ll simply wind up with a sore noggin. And, when you’re done, you’ll be no further ahead than when the conniption started. The deal has been made and nothing is going to reverse it. Instead, Burke, and fans of the hockey club, must turn their focus to building a team around Kessel and hoping for the best.
Optics have not been kind to Wilson in his first year-and-a-quarter behind the Leafs’ bench. Elements of the game that are normally affiliated with good coaching – defensive posture and penalty killing – have consistently ranked at or near the bottom of the 30-team league. Additionally, Wilson chose not to build equity with the Toronto hockey media in his first season on the job, and that may prove to be damaging. But, Ron didn’t become the most prolific American to coach in the NHL purely by accident. He knows the game very well, and has experienced the ambience of several winning seasons.
Given Pat Quinn’s failure with the post-lockout Leafs of 2005-06, and Paul Maurice’s inability to re-create virtually the same team in his two seasons behind the bench, it’s only fair that Wilson gets a crack at coaching a vastly remodeled outfit – the kind Burke will provide him once the current season mercifully ends.
From my point of view, it’s too early to give up on either of the Leafs’ head honchos.
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What a load of bull. First off if the coach, in your own words ranks at the bottom of the leaque in all the statistics he can effect, why would you keep him? Wilson was supposed to be a strong teacher, agreat systems coach, show me where ny of that is being shown? Name one player that has made great strides or even shown a modest improvement? Maybe White, that is the only one.
Secondly, take away a four game stretch and the Monster has been alright but not even close to great. Ditto for Kaberle, take away four games and 12 points, and he is middle of the road. That’s four games out of twenty, whoo hoo.
Thirdly where is any help coming from? There is not one player on the Marlies who can make a difference. Those young players every one crows about, except Hanson (the worst one in terms of talent) who is twenty I believe, are all 23-24 years of age. That is only three years from unrestricted free agency. At 24 years of age these guys are of a sudden going to be superstars? I seriously doubt it. They maybe decent players but hardly saviors.
Fourthly Kadri is having a horrendous year in juniors. Last I heard he was 64th in scoring. His year has been so bad he will be lucky to make the junior squad at christmas.
Lastly, with no first round draft picks, likely to be first overall and a lottery pick, there is no franchise player in sight. Kessel is good as a secondary player not the big dog. First over all picks do not flop anymore, they are not guesses they are sure things. The last big flop was the kid from Ottawa and how many years agp was that? Burke has set this team back at least 3 years with this trade exactly the thing he was hired not to do. Good job.
Will
Ps. What free agents have been used to build a team around in well ever? What franchise player is out there next year that will make the difference? Free agents by defintion are over paid because to get them you have to win a bidding war. They can be used to plug holes, some succesfully others (anyone the Leafs sign), not so much so. To get a franchise player you have to DRAFT one and that is at least three years away.
- Will DOne last mini rant. I keep reading all these pundits who say Burke can’t fire Wilson before the olympics because they have to work together on team USA. Newsflash I don’t care. I care nothing for team USA, nor do I care anything for team Canada (I will care come the olympics in THREE months and only if Heatly doesn’t make it) I care only for my beloved Maple Leafs. If any player, GM or coach is putting his national team above his NHL team they deserve to be fired.
The Maple Leafs are dead last with little or no hope for the next couple of years. That is what I care about and it had better be what Burke, Wilson and the rest of them care about.
- Will DI feel you are far too kind to Burke. After how many decades in the game his judgement was to trade away two 1st rounders and 2nd rounder and hope that ths group will make the playoffs. Clearly he was wrong and shouldn’t people question his ability for team building for the future. What type of GM gives away the 1st overall pick?
- Andrew OsborneI would tip my 60’s fedora to you if i owned one Howard..once again a very well written, eloquent, historical prespective.
As a dyed in the wool Leafs fan i can sit this season out knowing that Burke/Wilson are the right tandem. You cant replace talent overnight.
- AndreyHoward, I’m one of the many who wish the Leafs dispose of Brian Burke as he has vastly over-estimated the talent on this team and consequently ruined their immediate future. But, please don’t include me in the group that celebrated his arrival. I think this man is way over-hyped and it is clearly showlng!
- LeftTurnTo date Burke has only proved one thing to me. That is he a loud bully. His skills as a “master G.M.” are no where to be seen … actually he is a failure so far.
I will give him to the end of this season for a full judgement, but since he arrived, (and before when he was the puppet G.M. while still in Anaheim pulling Cliff Fletcher’s strings) Burke has done nothing but take the Leafs backward.
The future looks bleak and unless something drastic happens between now and next training camp, the 2010/11 season could be deja vu all over again. That will not be pretty.
- pdhHoward - you have to make up your mind on the GM and coaching combo here. I don’t know how may times you have had negative things to say about both - especially the Burke deal with Boston.
I agree that getting rid of them is not the thing to do and it would be unfair to those who take over to saddle them with what Burke has put on the ice.
We all know Burke was running the Leafs during his last year with the Ducks - hence the hiring of Wilson. There is not a coach that can teach hard work and discipline. The latter being what is missing with the Leafs.
Burke is getting what he deserves with results. He blew in here with his big mouth like a monsoon. And like a monsoon the same drastic results.
Trading away the future is a rookie GM move. The same thing Ferguson was ripped for when he was here and did the Toskala trade.
Burke is no saviour - he for whatever reason is riding on a reputation brought about by what others did and as a result of being the loudest in the room. As they say “the squeakiest wheel always gets the oil”!
He should have kept his mouth shut during the summer and training camp (I know impossible) - but at least he would have all the heat directed towards the coach rather than himself.
Hopeless and hapless - quite a combo and all as a result of the artist! Wilson is a good coach and should keep his job! Burke on the other hand is questionable in his position and would more than likely love to be fired right now.
- Bob (from Burllington)If Wilson knows the game very well, his decisions don’t come off that way. Foremost, and as was said before, Stajan can’t skate with Kessel, period. Why he feels it’s appropriate to put a centreman, who does nothing above average except win draws, with his star offensive player makes no sense to me. Neither does it make sense to have that same average skater on the first unit of the penalty kill or in 4 on 4 overtime situations. I don’t get it and I continue to not get his pet projects of Stajan and Stempniak. Stempniak looked absolutely miserable on the penalty shot against Carolina. Also, because Wilson likes to undermine his players with line changes every half period of every game, he has not put together a shut down defensive line that he can put over the boards when his team has a significant lead. Instead, he continued to go with the Stajan line seemingly every other shift. Moreover, I don’t see the Wilson-Burke tandem working unless Burke removes those players from the team that Wilson likes but have no real upside. Blake, Stajan and Stempniak at the beginning of the next season should not be on the roster and the latter two should not be tendered contracts.
- Will, OshawaHoward,
I agree 100%. We need to give this management team a few YEARS to build a contending team, not a few weeks.
Sure our record is extremely dissappointing, but in fairness, have you ever seen a team with a 3 and 17 record play anywhere near this well?
It’s really kind of startling, and I agree that to some extent the team has been snakebitten.
Add to that the fact that we have 10 points in the 11 games the Monster has played, and that Phil Kessel is looking like a legitimate 40 to 50 goal game breaker, and we are putting some building blocks together.
A few more free agents, flush the dead wood, and let the kids develop, and we will be right there.
Changing the guard right now wouldn’t only be a repeat of history, it would be a mistake.
I think this team of Burke and Wilson can do the job, and we need to let them do the job that needs to be done, not change mid stream.
- DavidHoward> Trouble with everyone today they want it NOW. Burke was handed a team that had nothing to offer other than Schenn. The Marlies had no one to help in the building process. I agree with you give Burke until next September to see who he brings to this team. That will be a true test of his talents.
- RONEnough is enough. Kaberle and Schenn never shoot from the blue line, so why do the Forwards pass it back to them? Can you say ‘turnover’?Poni, Mitchell carry the puck and lose it time after time. How many turnovers between the 2 blue lines occur every game. Why do we always look awful in the first period? It is time to make a Coaching change as far as I am concerned. It’s easy to pick on a player or two, but the mistakes we make are a result of our Coach playing certain players at certain times. Come on frustrated Leaf fans, don’t jump off the bandwagon but let’s face the facts, we are not good enough and Coaches/GM have to be up front and explain their side of things and STOP blaming others.
- Keon 14Its too early to cast judgement on Burke and Wilson. Having said that Burke setup this backlash starting with the Tavares comments before the last draft. He didn’t deliver but controlled his draft destiny by who they played during the season including Pogge and Joseph. He built up expectations for this season with some of the moves he’s made and by saying this is a playoff team. We as fans have some control. Stop paying to watch a sub-par product. Big negative change to the bottom line is the prime motivator for positive change.
- PeterI don’t have a problem with Burke (or the Kessel deal).
I can’t say the same for Wilson though, he’s not the right coach for Toronto. Maybe I’m wrong; maybe he just needs to throw more tennis balls at his players during practice. That’s sound coaching for elite players if I’ve ever seen any.
- Murhockey sucks and is a dying sport. Go watch the raptors and the NBA or at least the NFL. Here is one reason out of many why the NHL is a joke: If you look at the most valuable teams in each league (lakers, yankees, red sox, patriots) they consistently compete for the playoffs and even championships. If you look at the most valuable team in the NHL (leafs) they suck.
- andrewI wonder if part of the problem isn’t the “coziness” of Wilson and Burke.
At this point there may be reason to expect that some players are not thrilled with Wilson. Those players are hardly going to have any effect if they went to Burke with concerns.
Gary Roberts spoke on the other station this week about negativity on the team. Wilson countered Gary’s claims about conditioning and other things. Nonetheless, Gary Roberts isn’t far removed from being active in the NHL and you have to wonder what he knows from his contacts about the Maple Leaf situation.
My point being, Wilson may be a good coach, but not what is needed here at this point in time.
- Rob MWilson has a record, including last year when his team over-acheived…unfortunately.
You make a choice, either the players are the keeper and the coach fits/adapts or the mgt is right and the players adapt. With the exceptions noted the current Leaf crop is not talented enough to justify the players being the core that force changes in mgt, in particular the coach.
The only issue is about expectation. Evryone of those guys knows whats going to happen next year, and that is 80% of the guys with expiring contracts will not be resigned. They will either rise up of wallow….these guys wallow, Blake in particular.
It needs to be clear, the coach is in charge. Blake, as a veteran has been given a more than fair shot….if the leafs lose him for nothing on the waiver wire, oh well. He s just taking up a slot.
AS for negativity….I was wondering because the goal celebrations have been….well non existent.
The college kids, one or two of them need to turn into a top 6 forward, if 2 then the Leafs are on to something (assuming Kadri works out next year) If none, the the Leafs wont be much different.
Ditch the bitchers, they have had their chances. Oh and remember 2 years ago, the Capitals were atrocious, even with Ovechkin….it took a sophomore semin, Backstom and Green to be added to Ovie to make it worthwhile.
- StephenThe Leafs could have possibly traded away the top pick in the next two drafts. That’s enough reason to call for the firing of Burke. Sure Kessel may be a top 25 player, but you only make a trade like that when you’re knocking at Lord Stanley’s door - not when your living in the basement. You can say “how could he have known” but its a GM’s job to know and he should have to account when he miscalculates.
The other thing which unnerves me about both Wilson and Burke is that they both seem devoid of even the slightest bit of humility. One wonders how bad the Leafs will have to become before they start to publicly acknowledge some blame.
Hey, maybe we could hire Niewendyk away from the Stars to be our new GM.
- Jim EvansBerger has it right. I’m as disappointed as anyone with the team to date, but - GET REAL - Burke has been on the job for less than one year. He inherited a group devoid of any talent or toughness to speak of. Rebuilding takes time; years not months. In his short time, Burke has done a lot of good things - he’s bulked up the scouting dept., added a top-notch goalie coach, recruited several promising youngsters, and added a little toughness to a team that had none. There’s still a ton of work to be done, much of it in 2010. These things take time, like it or not. More college free agents, trades, UFA’s next summer, and clearing out the deadwood contracts currently on the roster. Can’t be done overnight. That’s why Burke has a five-year contract. Changing the culture on that team will be the toughest task of all. Not sure how he’ll pull that off, but it can’t happen fast enough for me.
Wilson and his staff have shown nothing - no improvement in any area - and that’s a legitimate concern. But the coaches are stuck with a sorry bunch that clearly lacks talent, character and toughness, both mental and physical. No one could turn this group into winners. More change is needed before we can fairly pass judgement on the coaches.
Patience is a virtue, and it’s usually the hardest thing to find when your team sucks this bad.
- Dave in SKThe problem is clearly that most of the forwards at Wilson’s disposal are unfortunate relics from previous era’s of futility and they seem to be getting worse , mostly because many of them have been promoted in the line up to replace players like Sundin, Antropov and Tucker and they aren’t even as good as those players were. Toskala hasn’t helped the coach and GM either. With this CBA it is very difficult to unload bad players esp. with bad contracts and this is why Burke may have to wait until the end of the year to reply put a stamp on the forwards here, otherwise MLSE might have to pony up and pay some bums millions to play in the minors to avoid the embarassment of a very high pick going to Boston. Coach and GM need more time they’ve barely had a season here together and it is far too early to raise questions of firing them. In this case firing players comes first. And we are still waiting for that to happen to many usual suspect forwards who we have known for years now need to go.
- ChrisHoward
I am not a Leaf fan but watched with amusement as everyone bowed in wonderment and looked forward to the Stanley Cup going down Bay St. as Burke’s arrival was announced. He is proving to be what many of us thought he was, a loud mouth blowhard. He got lucky out west. His teams are boring, lack skill and are bullies. A talent Burke seems to think is valuable. If JFJ made the Kessel deal would he be given a pass? I think not, so Burke should receive similar criticism.
- Brian SellsI must admit I agree with Will D. 100%
- RVILEOIn addition - no team improvement and no individual player improvement. Kaberle and Shenn are fast becoming untradeable. Howard this might be you worst display of reporting ever. Until you start being realistic.. as they say on Dragons Den - “I am out”. The new regime traded the picks - they burned the bridge.
Plan the parade route, they won a game. Now all you Laff lovers can tell us how great they are and that they have turned the corner and will vie for Stanley.
- garyo1) Why does Colton Orr play every game even when the other team does not dress a fighter.
- Geoffrey Palmera) he is the slowest and poorest skater I have seen in the NHL
b)he has lost or tied 7 of 9 fights, all of the staged variety. The two times he tried to protect someone he took a two minute minor and the other team scored.
c)none of his fights changed the tempo of the game noticeably in Leafs favour
d)the other guys on the fourth line might play in the third period if the had a third HOCKEY PLAYER
hind sight is 20/20 BUT BURKE ACTED TO QUICK ON KESSEL HE SHOULD HAVE WAITED TIL SEASON STARTED TO SEE HOW WEAK HIS CLUB WAS. KESSELL WASNT GOING TO PLAY TIL MID NOVEMBER AND BOSTON HAD VERY FEW OPTIONS
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- david mackinThis team will have a ton of cap space after this season when 9 players become UFA, freeing up over $18,000,000. THe problem is if you take a look at the UFA out there, other than Kovalchuck and Savard, there really aren’t any star players availalbe and I keep hearing that they both may sign with their respective teams befroe they become UFA. Where is the help going to come from?
- DomHoward, just for the record, I have to insist that I do think that Brian Burke and Ron Wilson have contributed to the lack of success we’ve seen so far. Success in hockey - and sports generally - is all about playing with confidence. Confidence is the one thing we’ve rarely seen with the Leafs this season, and - yes - the G.M and coach have contributed to that situation. Burke placed the bar way too high during the summer - apparently assuming there’d be immediate improvement - despite the fact that an adjustment period should have been anticipated. Vaudeville Wilson is doing nothing positive for the psyche of the team with his middle school mirth.
At the very least, it must be admitted that Burke’s rhetoric and Wilson’s wit - so-called - are making a bad situation worse. Playing in the fishbowl that is Toronto is hard enough for a hockey player without the G.M. and coach making the situation worse.
- Joseph DurocherThe way I see it, the problem is that there is a degree of irrationality being shown by fans who have decided that enough is enough.
Burke hasn’t been in charge since 1967 and Wilson is in only his second season of coaching this team. As a tandem, they have been working together for a matter of months, not years.
It boggles the mind how many fans can, in one instant talk about how horrible the Leaf roster is, and in the other lose their patience over Burke’s and Wilson’s inability to ice a contender immediately. Granted, Burke has brought some of this upon himself by dealing the next two first-round picks, hence driving a stake through the Tank Nation master plan. But in fairness to Burke, acquiring a 22-year-old Kessel is a long-term move. You build with this kid and I doubt any GM would be upset over landing such a player when drafting even early in the first round.
As you correctly note, Howard, Burke has to be judged not right this second but down the road when the forwards he has acquired have been integrated into the roster. Sadly, many Leaf fans now sound like a broken record. At any bad turn, however small, they dredge up the past four decades. Time to give that nonsense a rest. Burke and Wilson have inherited a franchise that needs some work. We all knew this going in. Let them do that work realizing that it’s not going to be a smooth ride start to finish and when the time comes, judge them accordingly.
- CarmHoward, once again another concise article that explains the facts and sends a clear rational message to Leaf fans. Burke cannot create a cup contender out of thin air in one summer!! When Komi, Beauch, Exelby and Orr were signed; we felt positive that our defense would play well and would punish opponents. Well they are great players, but it takes time to have half your defense play in sync and with chemistry. We got Kessel who is playing well, but others know and need to step up. So far the team is not in sync with the exception of last night. We have to be patient, there are teams that nearly relocated before they were rebuilt (i.e. Quebec and Pittsburgh).
So why won’t we as hockey fans perceive that it will take nearly the same amount of time to get to that level. Burkie is a Cup Winner and Ron is a highly successful coach in from more cash strapped markets that developed hard working responsible players. Changing a team culture takes seasons not months. So relax, go to the spa, fish, drink more bear or wine, let the season play out. If your going to comment, breathe, think about the the rational fact backed criticism. Then understand that it’s your opinionized criticsm as an amateur, not as a professional that has worked in the offices of NHL clubs.
This team will be 9th-11th in the standings because a GM cannot say he’s tanking the season. That’s when Lawyers are called by league offices or clubs are fined heavily. We want to say the goal is the playoffs, but doesn’t every team say that! Burke will not let a lottery pick go to a rival club. That’s just common hockey sense. And judging by Burke’s history, he has alot of it.
So chill out Will D and pour the beer, because it’s going to be a long season whether we like it or not.
- NelsonI have never been a burke fan..and he lost me for good last year when the leafs were in position to draft in the top 5 and meybe lower.
- davi998No GM can tell his team to tank..professional athletes will always play to win…but when toskala was hurt the leafs had cujo and pogge,two weak goaltenders.
So they could try their best and still lose games and drift to the bottom of the standings.
And what does burke do..he trades for gerber who wins them a few games they would likely have lost and costs them a higher draft pick.
For what reason?
To satisfy burke’s ego?
Don’t know but that move told me everything about burke.
And the kessel trade..to give up two lottery picks you had better get an ovechkin or crosby..and you had better have had a bunch of young prospects…oy!
Nelson, I know it is going to be a long year. Not only that, it is going to be a long 2 or 3 years. The Team is dead last in the NHL, I ask again where is the help coming from? How is this team this year going to go from 30th place to 23-24th place?
You say it is just common sense that a GM won’t let a lottery pick go to a rival team, How in all that is holy is he going to prevent it? This team is going to be dead last. There is no possible way they can better this year.
You also say it takes a while to rebuild a team, how does trading two first round picks count as rebuilding a team? Again you can not get a franchise player though free agency only through drafting and the leafs have no first round draft picks for two more years.
So your right I am going to pour a beer, but you should take off the rose colored glasses son because it is going to be a long 2 or 3 years not 1.
Will D
PS Komi, Beach, Exelby and Orr great players? Are you serious? Exelby can’t even stay in the LAST place team’s lineup. Komi, Beach are third defensemen on thier best nights, decent players but hardly great (and way overpaid). There is a reason thier former teams wouldn’t spend that much cash to resign them. Orr is an after thought and not worth discussing.
- Will DHow’s that saying go!JUST DO IT!SOON.B/W and company! We need some RIDER PRIDE!! Ops wrong sport!GO SASKS GO.
- dougieWill,I would normally agree,you cannot get a franchise player through free agency…but you have to admit, IF Ilya Kovalchuk became a free agent, and IF the Leafs were able to get him,you have a 27 year old in his prime,that has pretty similar stats to an Alex Ovechkin. This guy would be the franchise player. It all may be a pipe dream, but I would love it,if they ever could get him. I’m sure many Leaf fans were praying that Nash wanted to be a Leaf, but obviously he didn’t.
- Barry PIt will be a few years before we know how the Kessel deal works out.
Will, Kessel is a first rounder and a top five pick. So was antropov, I would take kessel over two antropovs and a kulemin. As for the draft, it’s not how high, it’s who you draft and the leafs just doubled their scouting staff and highered Dave Poulin. The chances of finding another Kaberle type player, have increased. As an example, Gunnarsson looked pretty promising. Burkie has picked up the best keeper outside of the NHL with one of the best keeper coaches in the world. Add Stalberg and Bozak which are two young player that are equivalent to to mid-low first rounders. This is more work than any other franchise was committed to do. We have $20 milion in cap space next hear to land a couple of top flight skilled players and still afford to develop the skilled youth. We can still more picks for Poni, Finger, Van Ryn and Toskala. The assets are there, the prospect cupboard is above average, the office personnel has been really well upgraded. There has just been too much change, too high of an expectation, too early with bad bounces, mis-reads and too much confidence lost too early. This team does need changes but for the most part it is just for a hand full of under performing players. But we can’t blame Burke and his crew, they did their jobs well, it’s upto the players to persist with their hard work. Even the Caps coach said that this team is better than their current record indicates. We have a 9th-11th placed team, they just haven’t got in a winning streak. When they do things will finally begin to click and the calls from other GMs will begin to ring for current roster players. Just let your frustrations go, it’s just a game we love, not the summit series.
- NelsonUm “dont give up?”
Well a guy (burke) who goes on the record (on ‘off the record’) to make sure viewers (Ontario hockey/sports/Leafs fans are aware that he was educated in prestigious schools 30 years after the fact (even naming professors ….pure joke) IS NOT ABLE to realize in a new job that he should just take time and absorb what talent he has, adjudicate what changes may be made, brainstorm possible moves, and sit on the golden egg called the Leafs. The best job he has ever had or will ever have. Instead he comes in guns a’blazin, loud-mouthing his way to ignoramity (i just made that a word) and traded, in a draft priority league (post lockout), on a team with 99% AHL’ers, (try the AHL champs against the leafs ….see what happens)the ONLY assets we have less KABERLE (maybe, Im STILL not convinced) and Kessel. Thats it! Other than that the Balsillie Ontario’s would at least have expansion draft bodies + the ‘10 and ‘11 first round draft picks in expansion order. I dont know about you but Balsille’s imaginary NHL team would have been better NEXT YEAR, than the Leafs. How could Burke have done that? How is it justified?! How can it be right to do what he did? It was horribly wrong to trade for Kessel. Kessel is a great player but these types of trades are made after an NHL team has accumulated blue chip draft picks and built a cofre of elite talent that needs to get over the proverbial hump. I have to end this now but man, I likes him at first, but Im so so angry at his cavalier mistake.
- Vincedavi998 said NAILED IT PERFECTLY!!! Last year Burke had the opportunity to stratgeically place his team in the bottom 5 of the league to get a shot of landing the 1st overall pick. Nope - let’s win games when they don’t matter with Gerber who was playing to prove he could land a new contract in the NHL again. Then he talks about trading for John Tavares!! CMON! Then you trade your 1st rounders for 2 straight years when the team is rebuilding! REBUILDING 101!!! you never trade your 1st round picks when you’re rebuilding. PERIOD!
- giacHoward, you should re-name the comments section of your blogs to crybaby corner. We’re 20 games in… relax a bit. You can resume your whining at the trade deadline, boys! If anyone truly believed this season’s opening night lineup was going to light the league on fire, well, then, I feel sorry for you. The first 20 are done. The trade is done. It’s a little early to be rigging up the gallows. Let it go. Just try to relax and enjoy the ride.
- bobbyshowHoward, I agree That’s quite a drum-roll in 42½ years, but many – including myself – figured the Burke-Wilson combo to be at least equal to any of the aforementioned, and perhaps superior.
But Howard look at the list most of them would not even be considered by most teams to be General Managers. These two clowns might be the best of the worse but really will they be able to do any better. Its sad the teams that have been able to make the Stanley Cup final since 1967, especially with the pay roll the Leafs have had. Believe me most kids under the age of 30 would be totally
- Enough Alreadyembarrassed to admit being Leaf fans. They are a joke the brunt of all jokes. MLSE honey moon will not last another generation of fans. There will come a day when the current Stock holders will be selling their assest.
This is scary for Leaf supporters. We’ve got a GM at the helm who according to you likely overestimated the caliber of his acquisitions. If a GM’s going to be trading away first round draft choices, he’d better be able to not only handicap the caliber of individuals, but be able to handicap how the team should fare based upon the players they have under contract.
As far as Wilson concerned, it is ludicrous that the man that has control of his future with the organization (Burke), has a further association with him (the U.S. Olympic Team) that could make it difficult to act objectively if dismissal is warranted.
- Marty StreeterEveryone is talking about the first round picks, like it’s a travesty. Tlusty is a first round pick, is he making as big an impact as Kessel is? NO HE’S NOT. PEOPLE STOP COMPARING EVERY FIRST ROUND PICK LIKE IT’S A TOP 5 PICK. IT’S NOT THAT BAD, IT’S JUST A HARD BARGAIN. Kessel is proven Tlusty is not. Tlusty has not scored 30 goals even in the AHL. Kessel scored 36 in the NHL!!! AND HE’S SCORED 5 GOALS ALREADY IN LESS THAN 10 games off injury. What if Leafs drafted Zetterberg, then we would be praising that GM. Or like usually leaf fans say “We expect that from a hockey team with loads of money.” Like Howard said, “GIVE IT A REST ALREADY” The fan base is like the ROMAN MOB an the coliseum always screaming for blood. If your so desperate to see the cup in Toronto, go to the Hall of Fame! Stop expecting that every leafs GM will pull a trade that always goes to their advantage. Cliff did that once and sorry guys but lightning does not strike twice in the same place. You have to give to get good players. This year is going to suck but at least they will go down fighting most games. Even Cliff said that it’s going to get worse before it gets better, why do most of us think it only takes a year to get better. All of us have the common sense to realize that it takes 4-6 years before you can build a real dynasty. I believe that’s a little less than it took Calgary and Pittsburgh to get to where they are today. Burke will get picks back soon so that you whiny, gitty, impatient leaf fans can relax and have a little..just a little faith that things will get done. I think it’s about time Toronto fans start acting like U.S. expansion fans and just wait patiently til things get better.
I just can’t wait until Burkie signs Kovalchuk or Savard. Anyways have a beer, grab some snacks and if they don’t win, vent on your treadmill, bike or at your next hockey game.
- nelsonFormer 1st round pick from the Leafs:
Convery, Ware, Cereda, Fichaud, Thornton, Pearson…etc. I ‘m happy with Kessel. If the Leafs do end up giving up the first or second overall pick, than we can be upset, but if this pick turns out to be 6th - 1oth (which is wher I believe the pick will end up), than Burkie mad a good trade.
- DomNelson, it must be nice to see everything through Maple Leaf Lenses. Your absolutely right not all first round picks are the same. However, first second or third overall picks are. A first overall pick is gold in this age. The pick this year will be first overall. Anything after the top 5 is usually an unknown and these picks may or may not pan out. The first overall pick is in this day and age a sure thing. Drafting first overall is a lot different than drafting 11 overall( which is as I believe where Tlusty was drafted).
If you think Kessel compares to say, a Tavares or is good enough to be a first round pick your dreaming. Kessel is very very good, but he does not make people better. He is not a franchise player, he is an awesome secondary type guy.
If this team was going to suck this year why would you trade away future for no tangible gain this year? Has Kessel made the Leafs into a winning team? NO
As for Kovalchuck signing as a free agent good luck with that. If I remeber correctly, it was going to be Nash this year, two years ago it was going to be Thornton and the year before that Iginla . These franchise type players NEVER reach free agency.
I can not for the life of me see how you can say a team is rebuilding when they trade away two consecutive first round draft picks espicially if they are lottery picks and probably first over all. How do you rebuild with no high draft picks? And yes you may get lucky with a late rounder, but the odds are you won’t. Even Detroit drafts more guys that fail than make it. Besides Detroit is still bragging about Zetterberg and Datysuk being drafted so late it happened 5-6 years ago. How many have they drafted lately? There is no guarentee that a late round draft pick will develope. However, a first overall is a guarentee and they will be superstars.
As for the Leafs having an baove average farm system, dude what are you smoking? Every single hockey publication had the Leaf farm system rated 29th or 30th. And yes this was after Burke signed the college kids and the Monster. Not one of those prospects has superstar written on him. They are good decent servicable players. The problem is the Leafs are chock full of servicable players and how is that working out for them?
- Will DI am going to say one thing. I watched a Leaf game on TV and the most annoying thing to me are those people who bang the glass. The noise is annoying and it should be prohibited It makes watching a hockey game unpleasant with the sound out. Of course what can we expect from stupid people?
- joe eWill, your reply tends to put alot of words in my mouth, but here goes…
First arguement, I didn’t say kessel is equal to Tavares or Taylor Hall. I said I would take kessel over 2 antropovs and a kulemin. I agree kessel is not a franchise, I didn’t say he was. He’s a top six forward for a 1st line. Burke has yet to get an elite player and that’s what next year or the year after is for. We needed a top six forward, so we had to give up an honest return for one. The price was more than leafs budgeted for but kessel is very young and has already proven he’s a 35-45 goal sniper. Burke did not throw away future, he chose to speed up the pocess, because he picked up two of the top three college free agents and a great two way skilled prospect like Hanson. Then he picked up a great young keeper to develop. Your thinking Taylor hall is better than kessel. I don’t think so and I’d prefer not to wait three years to find out if I were Brian Burke. I have schenn, gunnarson, kadri, kessel, gustavsson and money to buy more to college and high end prospect. Plus a well paid scouting staff and player development crew to make the most of all the players. Will you missing all they intangibles that is going to turn this club around and Burke will get all the support he needs to plan the parade four years from now.
As for the arguement about not getting kessel and leaving the team alone. That’s called tanking and no honest GM in this market will ever do that to leaf fans. It’s digraceful, and should only be practiced by teams that are struggling for fan base and ticket sales. Burke has respect for himself, has earned the respect from other GMs and was taught by on of the best and new HOFer GM Lou. By the way, both have won cups. They know what they are doing whether you agree or not.
As for our farm team, I believe it was a marlie that made player of the week. The team isn’t at the top but current standings are they are not in last place or near the bottom. Half the team is gone and you expect them to be gelled in 10 games. That’s a bit high of an expectation for many teams, look at the canadiens. Gainey starts fresh and he’s no better off than last year.
If JFJ were still in charge, we would be at the other end of the spectrum. Cliff is better than JFJ and burkie is better than cliff. Take the best GM available with the highest credentials and that’s who the leafs obtained. Just let the man and his people work, and If this all blows up we get to say “you were right!” but I’ll take Burke hockey savvy and education over yours anyday.
Sorry, but unless you Ken Holland, all you have are theories, speculation and examples from teams that hand no other choice then to visit the lottery.
See you on the next blog Will D
- Nelson