All quiet on the Leaf front. But why?

[rdowdall]

I just don't understand how either statement could make people upset. Are people really hanging on to everyword he says as though by saying it, it'll happen.

Given the complexity in making a trade, I'm surprised that anyone thinks what Burke says publicly means anything.

I really don't think it has much of anything to do with what he says. It's a dissatisfaction that's born out of problems with the team as a whole. The criticism is that Burke hasn't done anything significant to improve the team. When people are on him for that and he says "Just wait, I'm about to" and he doesn't the criticism doesn't really change, even if people vent it in different ways.

This is where I was trying to get to, but was having a real tough time getting there.

 

[Bullfrog]

That makes more sense.

 

[13th fan]

Come on people I know its been slow process and nothing to show what is needed to improve our team but the man got rid of Jason Freakin Blake, his a hero in my books 

 

[Kin]

Come on people I know its been slow process and nothing to show what is needed to improve our team but the man got rid of Jason Freakin Blake, his a hero in my books 

He got rid of Jason Blake and then signed Tim Connolly. That's like taking out your garbage and bringing back your neighbor's.

 

[moon111]

When Vancouver went to the finals, I don't think there was any significant pieces on that roster that weren't acquired by Burke or Nonis.  If they had both stayed as the Canucks management team, would they have even been better?

 

[13th fan]

Come on people I know its been slow process and nothing to show what is needed to improve our team but the man got rid of Jason Freakin Blake, his a hero in my books 

He got rid of Jason Blake and then signed Tim Connolly. That's like taking out your garbage and bringing back your neighbor's.

That will teach me to play devil's advocate, Poor Burke doesn't have a leg stand on.

 

[Champ Kind]

Come on people I know its been slow process and nothing to show what is needed to improve our team but the man got rid of Jason Freakin Blake, his a hero in my books 

He got rid of Jason Blake and then signed Tim Connolly. That's like taking out your garbage and bringing back your neighbor's.

Well, yes, but given the length each were signed to, Burke really only came back with the compost and some diapers, not the whole bag of trash.

 

[jonlleafs]

Burke has his self imposed "Olympic trade freeze" in effect.  You don't want to ruin your player's vacations as they watch the Olympics.

*like*

 

[jonlleafs]

Come on people I know its been slow process and nothing to show what is needed to improve our team but the man got rid of Jason Freakin Blake, his a hero in my books 

He got rid of Jason Blake and then signed Tim Connolly. That's like taking out your garbage and bringing back your neighbor's.

Well, yes, but given the length each were signed to, Burke really only came back with the compost and some diapers, not the whole bag of trash.

And let's not forget about Toskala.  Granted Giggy was only marginally better, I'd rather have Giggy as a mentor to the kids than having Toskala be the #1 on my team.

 

[Kin]

Well, yes, but given the length each were signed to, Burke really only came back with the compost and some diapers, not the whole bag of trash.

Blake's contract ended last year. There's a year left on Connolly. Blake was dealt with two years remaining, Connolly got a two year deal. I'm not seeing a world of difference there.

 

[princedpw]

I don't think people have a problem with the lack of deals.  It's a problem of saying that there are going to be deals, and then nothing happening.  If Burke had just said "We'll make a move if we can" and left it at that, I don't think people would be upset.  It's that he said that it there is a remote possibility that things stay the same before training camp opens.  There are two problems that I can think of with him saying this:

1.  By saying that stuff, he paints him self in to a corner and sets an expectation that he possibly can't meet.
2.  He said it about 2 weeks before CBA negotiations were about to start, which comes across as he either doesn't care about the ramifications of the CBA, which in my mind is a bit silly, or that he is going to use it as an excuse as to why things didn't get done.

I think Burke is his own worst enemy right now.  He draws a lot of spotlight to himself through his posturing.  He may need to just lay low for a bit, take some lumps, and let the dust settle.  After that then maybe he can focus on improving the Leafs.

I just don't understand how either statement could make people upset. Are people really hanging on to everyword he says as though by saying it, it'll happen.

Given the complexity in making a trade, I'm surprised that anyone thinks what Burke says publicly means anything.

I think when they compare Burke to other GM's in the league and even past Leaf GM's, this just seems to be a bit abnormal.  You don't hear guys like Holland or Lombardi make statements the way that Burke does.

I'm not saying that Holland and Lombardi (or other GMs) make statements similar to Burke, but if they did, we probably wouldn't pick up on quite as many of them.  The Toronto hockey media market amplifies a lot of things that are said, and, of course, we are extraordinarily focused on analyzing every single crumb dropped by the Toronto media.

 

[Champ Kind]

Well, yes, but given the length each were signed to, Burke really only came back with the compost and some diapers, not the whole bag of trash.

Blake's contract ended last year. There's a year left on Connolly. Blake was dealt with two years remaining, Connolly got a two year deal. I'm not seeing a world of difference there.

Well you've chosen to look at the totality of the players' term in TOronto, which I guess is fine.  I was looking simply at the contracts.  From my standpoint, Blake at 5 years / $4M is slightly more egregious than Connolly at 2 years / $4.75.

 

[Kin]

Well you've chosen to look at the totality of the players' term in TOronto, which I guess is fine.  I was looking simply at the contracts.  From my standpoint, Blake at 5 years / $4M is slightly more egregious than Connolly at 2 years / $4.75.

Which would be a fine way to be looking at things if we were comparing Burke to JFJ and who signed the crappier contract. Since it's more about the credit due for trading Jason Blake all that really matters is what he traded, which was Blake with 2 years left and 8 million. That's fine and everything, ignoring that Giguere's contract wasn't very good either for the moment, but if it's replaced by a worse two year contract then, yeah, it's a zero sum game at best.

 

[freer]

Well guy's here my theory. Burke is just waiting to see if there is actually going hockey this season before making the deal you guys were all expecting. After Bettman's comments today, maybe Burke had the right idea. Who knows what the CBA is going to look like after a strike or last minute signing.

 

[rdowdall]

I don't think people have a problem with the lack of deals.  It's a problem of saying that there are going to be deals, and then nothing happening.  If Burke had just said "We'll make a move if we can" and left it at that, I don't think people would be upset.  It's that he said that it there is a remote possibility that things stay the same before training camp opens.  There are two problems that I can think of with him saying this:

1.  By saying that stuff, he paints him self in to a corner and sets an expectation that he possibly can't meet.
2.  He said it about 2 weeks before CBA negotiations were about to start, which comes across as he either doesn't care about the ramifications of the CBA, which in my mind is a bit silly, or that he is going to use it as an excuse as to why things didn't get done.

I think Burke is his own worst enemy right now.  He draws a lot of spotlight to himself through his posturing.  He may need to just lay low for a bit, take some lumps, and let the dust settle.  After that then maybe he can focus on improving the Leafs.

I just don't understand how either statement could make people upset. Are people really hanging on to everyword he says as though by saying it, it'll happen.

Given the complexity in making a trade, I'm surprised that anyone thinks what Burke says publicly means anything.

I think when they compare Burke to other GM's in the league and even past Leaf GM's, this just seems to be a bit abnormal.  You don't hear guys like Holland or Lombardi make statements the way that Burke does.

I'm not saying that Holland and Lombardi (or other GMs) make statements similar to Burke, but if they did, we probably wouldn't pick up on quite as many of them.  The Toronto hockey media market amplifies a lot of things that are said, and, of course, we are extraordinarily focused on analyzing every single crumb dropped by the Toronto media.

I have never heard Holland say he was going to fight someone in a barn.

 

[Guru Tugginmypuddah]

I have never heard Holland say he was going to fight someone in a barn.

That's because Holland does not have the proper levels of pugnacity, testosterone, truculence or belligerence.

 

[bustaheims]

I have never heard Holland say he was going to fight someone in a barn.

THat doesn't mean it (or something similar) hasn't happened. Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence.

 

[Bullfrog]

While that's technically true Busta, I think you know the point was that it's highly unlikely that someone like Holland would say something like that publicly.

 

[Kin]

Man, you challenge one guy to fight in a barn and you never hear the end of it.

 

[bustaheims]

While that's technically true Busta, I think you know the point was that it's highly unlikely that someone like Holland would say something like that publicly.

Sure - he has a more effective filter than Burke does - but, that doesn't mean he hasn't said equally stupid things that were either not reported, not remembered or came from a time before the internet exploded into what it is today.