Is Burke Handicapping Himself?

[PG]

It will be curious to see what the new CBA looks like in regards to max deals.

If Kessel makes it to free agency in the summer of 2014, he will be 26 and coming off 6 straight 30+ goal seasons (assuming he scores 30+ this season and next......safe assumption IMO).

We all know his shortcomings but he would still net a max deal in free agency or pretty close to it.

Mind you, it probably won't be Burke at the helm of the Leafs in 2014.

Serious question, if Kessel walks without the Leafs ever playing a playoff game during his tenure (a very real possibility).....worst Leaf trade ever?

 

[rdowdall]

It will be interesting to see how Burke approaches Kessel and Lupul deals.  I don't think we can really answer the question posed in the title until we see what he does with those two contracts.  Either way he has backed himself in to a corner.  If he doesn't get those two signed because of his values, he loses out on the talent.  If he capitulates and signs either of them to one of those types of deals, he's a hypocrite.

 

[rdowdall]

It will be curious to see what the new CBA looks like in regards to max deals.

If Kessel makes it to free agency in the summer of 2014, he will be 26 and coming off 6 straight 30+ goal seasons (assuming he scores 30+ this season and next......safe assumption IMO).

We all know his shortcomings but he would still net a max deal in free agency or pretty close to it.

Mind you, it probably won't be Burke at the helm of the Leafs in 2014.

Serious question, if Kessel walks without the Leafs ever playing a playoff game during his tenure (a very real possibility).....worst Leaf trade ever?

Nah, I still say the Courtnall for Kordic or the Kurvers for the 3rd overall pick are worse.

 

[PG]

It will be curious to see what the new CBA looks like in regards to max deals.

If Kessel makes it to free agency in the summer of 2014, he will be 26 and coming off 6 straight 30+ goal seasons (assuming he scores 30+ this season and next......safe assumption IMO).

We all know his shortcomings but he would still net a max deal in free agency or pretty close to it.

Mind you, it probably won't be Burke at the helm of the Leafs in 2014.

Serious question, if Kessel walks without the Leafs ever playing a playoff game during his tenure (a very real possibility).....worst Leaf trade ever?

Nah, I still say the Courtnall for Kordic or the Kurvers for the 3rd overall pick are worse.

But knowing how inept the Leafs were, they likely don't pick Scott Niedermayer.

 

[Bullfrog]

Serious question, if Kessel walks without the Leafs ever playing a playoff game during his tenure (a very real possibility).....worst Leaf trade ever?

Not even close in my mind.

 

[rdowdall]

It will be curious to see what the new CBA looks like in regards to max deals.

If Kessel makes it to free agency in the summer of 2014, he will be 26 and coming off 6 straight 30+ goal seasons (assuming he scores 30+ this season and next......safe assumption IMO).

We all know his shortcomings but he would still net a max deal in free agency or pretty close to it.

Mind you, it probably won't be Burke at the helm of the Leafs in 2014.

Serious question, if Kessel walks without the Leafs ever playing a playoff game during his tenure (a very real possibility).....worst Leaf trade ever?

Nah, I still say the Courtnall for Kordic or the Kurvers for the 3rd overall pick are worse.

But knowing how inept the Leafs were, they likely don't pick Scott Niedermayer.

True, but still he was the consensus number 3 pick behind Lindros and Falloon.  Knowing the Leafs, they would have traded up to get Falloon.

 

[Kin]

A 5 year deal at 100 million dollars guarantees them the same money that a 13 year deal would. It just won't fit under the cap.

Well, that and the team wouldn't agree to it. Remember, the NHL team  has an interest in locking up a player's services for as long as they can for the dollars they provide.

A shorter term gives the player greater flexibility. So, if you could get the same amount of money on a short term, why would you commit yourself for that long?

But they can't get the same money for the short term. They can get a front-loaded deal that pays them a bulk of it up front but the trade-off is still the years of service.

A 10 year/100 million dollar deal is a trade-off. I'm getting guaranteed money but I'm locking myself out of any future free agency. Being as my cap hit remains a constant there's no cap circumvention going on regardless of how it's paid out.

 

[Jalili]

It will be curious to see what the new CBA looks like in regards to max deals.

If Kessel makes it to free agency in the summer of 2014, he will be 26 and coming off 6 straight 30+ goal seasons (assuming he scores 30+ this season and next......safe assumption IMO).

We all know his shortcomings but he would still net a max deal in free agency or pretty close to it.

Mind you, it probably won't be Burke at the helm of the Leafs in 2014.

Serious question, if Kessel walks without the Leafs ever playing a playoff game during his tenure (a very real possibility).....worst Leaf trade ever?

Without a doubt.

 

[Rebel_1812]

It will be curious to see what the new CBA looks like in regards to max deals.

If Kessel makes it to free agency in the summer of 2014, he will be 26 and coming off 6 straight 30+ goal seasons (assuming he scores 30+ this season and next......safe assumption IMO).

We all know his shortcomings but he would still net a max deal in free agency or pretty close to it.

Mind you, it probably won't be Burke at the helm of the Leafs in 2014.

Serious question, if Kessel walks without the Leafs ever playing a playoff game during his tenure (a very real possibility).....worst Leaf trade ever?

They are going to try to sign him to an extension this year.  If he doesn't sign then he will get dealt at the trade deadline.  I don't see him walking for nothing.

 

[bustaheims]

Serious question, if Kessel walks without the Leafs ever playing a playoff game during his tenure (a very real possibility).....worst Leaf trade ever?

No, because, unlike a number of other guys high profile trades, Kessel actually produced for the Leafs. If the Leafs don't make the playoffs, the problem will have been the team around him. Courtnall for Kordic, Kurvers for a 1st, Rask for Raycroft, etc are all worse deals.

 

[jonlleafs]

It will be curious to see what the new CBA looks like in regards to max deals.

If Kessel makes it to free agency in the summer of 2014, he will be 26 and coming off 6 straight 30+ goal seasons (assuming he scores 30+ this season and next......safe assumption IMO).

We all know his shortcomings but he would still net a max deal in free agency or pretty close to it.

Mind you, it probably won't be Burke at the helm of the Leafs in 2014.

Serious question, if Kessel walks without the Leafs ever playing a playoff game during his tenure (a very real possibility).....worst Leaf trade ever?

Worst Leaf trade ever?  Um, no.  Kessel was a top 6 scorer last season.  That's elite level.  Just because we could surround him with enough talent to get in the playoffs doesn't make it a bad trade.  Worst trades in Leafs history?  Umm... Raycroft, Courtnall?

 

[Zee]

Serious question, if Kessel walks without the Leafs ever playing a playoff game during his tenure (a very real possibility).....worst Leaf trade ever?

The trade for Kessel is not at issue here.  If the Leafs allow him to walk for nothing, then that's one of the worst Leafs moves in history.  Like has been mentioned, we'll try to sign him to an extension or Burke will trade him before he becomes a UFA.

 

[Rebel_1812]

Serious question, if Kessel walks without the Leafs ever playing a playoff game during his tenure (a very real possibility).....worst Leaf trade ever?

No, because, unlike a number of other guys high profile trades, Kessel actually produced for the Leafs. If the Leafs don't make the playoffs, the problem will have been the team around him. Courtnall for Kordic, Kurvers for a 1st, Rask for Raycroft, etc are all worse deals.

Come on, don't tell me those 37 wins was a team effort.  Raycroft stole the show.

 

[Bender]

Serious question, if Kessel walks without the Leafs ever playing a playoff game during his tenure (a very real possibility).....worst Leaf trade ever?

No, because, unlike a number of other guys high profile trades, Kessel actually produced for the Leafs. If the Leafs don't make the playoffs, the problem will have been the team around him. Courtnall for Kordic, Kurvers for a 1st, Rask for Raycroft, etc are all worse deals.

Come on, don't tell me those 37 wins was a team effort.  Raycroft stole the show.

Sarcasm meter. Destroyed. Forever.

 

[Hampreacher]

I agree with Burkes sentiments but the reality is to get any good players and or keep the Kessels he must accept the reality of the situation. I believe that he must accept them until the CBA is changed. Maybe the new CBA will limit contracts to 5 years. Another thing that  they could do especially for those signed to Long term contracts grandfather them but if they trade a player under a long term contract the new team would pay the average of the remainder of the contract but the original team would be penalized the rest until the contract is over or the player retires. Say Leafs aquire Luongo.Vancouver signed him for 10 years at 69 million for a cap hit of 6.9 million for 10 years. Vancouver paid him 40 million for first 4 years. Leafs would pay 29 over last 6 but cap hit would be just under 5 million per. Vancouver would still have a cap hit of 2million off of that old contract. (Apply to grandfathered contracts.)

 

[Kin]

Serious question, if Kessel walks without the Leafs ever playing a playoff game during his tenure (a very real possibility).....worst Leaf trade ever?

I think it depends on how you're defining it. Rask for Raycroft, which probably ranks up there for fans in terms of recent terrible trades, is defensible in a sense because it was an attempt to get in a goalie who could contribute immediately and take one last shot at competing with the Sundin/McCabe/Kaberle nucleus. It failed, but it failed because JFJ did a terrible job of identifying the right goalie for the job(and chose the wrong prospect to keep)

The Kessel trade isn't that because Kessel has emerged as a pretty good player. The Kessel trade is bad in a completely different way that, as I've always argued, has nothing to do with Seguin or Hamilton or whoever. Right now, the decision to try and build a team around Phil Kessel looks insane regardless of what the team gave up.

I don't think that changes if he walks.

 

[Hampreacher]

To sign a player like Lupol and or Kessel to a long term contract does not make him out as a hypocrite. He may not like or agree but I think he will come to realize that to compete you have to follow suit. Also if we continue to see these long term contracts if we get too many it will start to hamstring teams with too much money tied up for a long time in too few a players. Imagine Minnesota in 8 to 10 years with 15 million of cap space tied up in 2 players past their prime.

 

[Rebel_1812]

There are two sides to things.  Not wanting to do long term deals has pushed away some guys but on the other hand the leafs don't have any contract albatrosses.

 

[Madferret]

Didn't Burke say he didn't give out NTC's once upon a time too?

 

[BlueWhiteBlood]

Didn't Burke say he didn't give out NTC's once upon a time too?

He said something to the effect of players having to earn them, or certain players get them. Not that he doesn't give them out.