The Brian Burke Thread

[Zee]

The leafs look as they did before Burke took over 4-5 years ago with no results its almost a miracle this clown is allowed to keep yapping about how great his team is.

Well he finally quit yapping the last few days eh? I'm  not surprised he's disappeared (at least from the media I read) after 8-0 and 5-2.

I honestly think Burke has been served a very generous helping of humble pie. The Sun has been absolutely trashing him and some other media outlets are slowly following suit.

sorry to say.. i feel its the Toronto media trying to have a field day with fans that haven't had the taste of playoff hockey in order to really stand for a team they believe in and love. good night

well I have been quiet since the big drop, but I cant let this go past without saying that I agree 100%.  the toronto media sucks big time and needs to print the positive as well as the bad. we all know the Leafs bombed, but why do they not look at the system Burke has put together. why not start putting the marlies on the front page. well I guess its a case of the blind press leading the hungry Leaf fans. nuff said.

Nut weren't you predicting the Leafs to go on a crazy run at one point this season?  I know the media has been overly negative but really, where are the results?  The Leafs are as good as the standings say we are. A bottom 10 finish each season under Burke so far. That's not good.

 

[skrackle]

The Toronto media is a test of Burke's mettle, probably to a greater degree than he's previously experienced in hockey. Should they back off? No, I don't think so.

The Leafs are still and again a bad team. This season has to be seen as a failure. Burke has been his own worst enemy though, because nobody should or would have been expecting the Leafs to do anything had Burke not talked up all that "win sooner, July 1st is our draft day" stuff when he got hired.

What it means is that Burke has to make a course correction while under pressure from media, the fan-base and possibly ownership. In Toronto, it's always been 'if you can't take the heat, get out of the kitchen', along with everyone thinking they are a qualified chef.

Is Burke up to it? Can he see beyond his ego as to what has to be done and do it? This summer should be interesting.

 

[Leaf Fan Down Under]

One of the major challenges Burke has next year to alter the dynamic of the team is the fact that 25% of his salary cap (assuming no CBA related changes) is tied up in Connolly, Armstrong, Komisarek and Lombardi.  With ~16 million in cap space being almost wasted amongst these players, making any major changes/fixes for the line-up next year seems nearly impossible. 

With only ~5 million in cap space available for next year i'm not sure how this team will look any different.  Should be an interesting off season though it seems that several of Burke's free agent acquisitions may ultimately lead to his demise.  I'm hoping he can work some magic, but the fact that 25% of the cap is tied up next year for those 4 players doesn't make me feel overly optimistic.

 

[Peter D.]

I have no problem with the media picking Burke apart for his body of work.  It's deserved.  Obviously gets excessive, but that's to be expected.

The issue I have is when the team is sailing along and the media continue to be Negative Nancies and have to find a fault in any little thing.  There has to be some objectiveness. 

 

[Wendel's Fist]

Burke shot himself in the foot when he said that he didn't want to wait 5 years when he first got here.

He's going to have to wait another 5 for the Leafs to be anything close to a cup contender.

I remember seeing an interview with him before the season started and the goaltending tandem was brought up by someone who called in about what happens if it doesn't work out. Brian said something that's pretty much exact to this............I can get a goalie at any time. I can trade a draft pick to get a goalie so I'm not worried about it.

That worked out well.

Once the pressure's off though............I really believe in these goalies too.

 

[Knobby]

I think Burke has done a pretty good job. He has picked up a lot of prospects and the team was pretty competetive most of the year. Free agent signings haven't worked out so well. If not Burke, who should be the GM? Don Cherry, or maybe Steve Simmons. LOL

 

[ontariojames]

I think Burke has done a pretty good job. He has picked up a lot of prospects and the team was pretty competetive most of the year. Free agent signings haven't worked out so well. If not Burke, who should be the GM? Don Cherry, or maybe Steve Simmons. LOL

As much as I dislike Burke, I can't really fault him for the Komi and Beauch signings as there were quite a few other GM's that seemed to also think they would be good additions which is why the price got driven up to where it did. The general consensus around people in hockey, the media and fans was that they were both good top four dmen.

 

[hockeyfan1]

I think Burke has done a pretty good job. He has picked up a lot of prospects and the team was pretty competetive most of the year. Free agent signings haven't worked out so well. If not Burke, who should be the GM? Don Cherry, or maybe Steve Simmons. LOL

How about Carlton the Bear (the mascot)??!!  ;D

 

[Knobby]

I don't think that we will have to worry about his free agent track record this year as the Leafs are fairly close to the cap I think. Although Parise or Suter would be good additions. I think that he will try to move up in the draft though. If there is one thing that drives me nuts about Burke though, it is that he is always talking about being aggressive, whether at the draft, gree agency or trade deadline and then..................nothing.

 

[TML fan]

I get the feeling that some people took Burke saying that he didn't want to wait 5 years as some sort of guarantee. I think it's clear that Burke doesn't want this mess. He can't escape blame for it, but he is certainly not the sole culprit.

I think overall Burke has tried to point his team in the right direction, but he has gotten horrible results out of a lot of people he didn't expect to. It's not just Burke either. He's got a pretty great staff who has equally been let down by players not living up to their expectations.

 

[Knobby]

I get the feeling that some people took Burke saying that he didn't want to wait 5 years as some sort of guarantee.

Agreed, I think that he looked at the way that both Boston and Philadelphia did a quick reboot and hoped to do the same. Unfortunately, with different results.

 

[Peter D.]

I hope Burke's year-end presser is the most humbling we have seen him because there is absolutely no reason for him to talk as anything but a defeated man. 

 

[Zee]

Interesting Cox article today on Burke, "stay the course"

http://www.thestar.com/sports/leafs/article/1152749--cox-maple-leafs-gm-brian-burke-has-to-stay-the-course

 

[avatarx51]

The leafs are one of the worse teams in the NHL this year.  The stats dont lie, so while you guys blame media or the weather.. the fact is the leafs are not a good team, and they are not 1-2 peices away from a championshop more like 10-20 peices.

 

[L K]

Interesting Cox article today on Burke, "stay the course"

http://www.thestar.com/sports/leafs/article/1152749--cox-maple-leafs-gm-brian-burke-has-to-stay-the-course

I would respect his reasonable balanced articles so much more if he didn't intersperse them with drivel pieces.  One way or the other Burke needs to address what happened and give an idea of what he sees in the future for the team.  Not a "I guarantee the playoffs" kind of thing but I'm interested in seeing what he says at the end of the year.

 

[Madferret]

Interesting Cox article today on Burke, "stay the course"

http://www.thestar.com/sports/leafs/article/1152749--cox-maple-leafs-gm-brian-burke-has-to-stay-the-course

I would respect his reasonable balanced articles so much more if he didn't intersperse them with drivel pieces.  One way or the other Burke needs to address what happened and give an idea of what he sees in the future for the team.  Not a "I guarantee the playoffs" kind of thing but I'm interested in seeing what he says at the end of the year.

Wasnt Cox advocating / lobbying for Burke to trade Kessel 2 weeks ago?

 

[ZBBM]

Interesting Cox article today on Burke, "stay the course"

http://www.thestar.com/sports/leafs/article/1152749--cox-maple-leafs-gm-brian-burke-has-to-stay-the-course

I would respect his reasonable balanced articles so much more if he didn't intersperse them with drivel pieces.  One way or the other Burke needs to address what happened and give an idea of what he sees in the future for the team.  Not a "I guarantee the playoffs" kind of thing but I'm interested in seeing what he says at the end of the year.

Wasnt Cox advocating / lobbying for Burke to trade Kessel 2 weeks ago?

The trouble  with this piece is that he lets Burke off the hook for NOT saying it was going to take longer than 3yrs+.  The fact is that BB's shortcut plan to get to the playoffs has been a spectacular failure.  So the whole premise of the article is wrong.  What Cox is saying  is that Burke needs to radically change course, not stay the course.

 

[AvroArrow]

Interesting Cox article today on Burke, "stay the course"

http://www.thestar.com/sports/leafs/article/1152749--cox-maple-leafs-gm-brian-burke-has-to-stay-the-course

I would respect his reasonable balanced articles so much more if he didn't intersperse them with drivel pieces.  One way or the other Burke needs to address what happened and give an idea of what he sees in the future for the team.  Not a "I guarantee the playoffs" kind of thing but I'm interested in seeing what he says at the end of the year.

Wasnt Cox advocating / lobbying for Burke to trade Kessel 2 weeks ago?

That's the first thing I thought of.  What a dolt.

 

[Zee]

Interesting Cox article today on Burke, "stay the course"

http://www.thestar.com/sports/leafs/article/1152749--cox-maple-leafs-gm-brian-burke-has-to-stay-the-course

I would respect his reasonable balanced articles so much more if he didn't intersperse them with drivel pieces.  One way or the other Burke needs to address what happened and give an idea of what he sees in the future for the team.  Not a "I guarantee the playoffs" kind of thing but I'm interested in seeing what he says at the end of the year.

Wasnt Cox advocating / lobbying for Burke to trade Kessel 2 weeks ago?

That's the first thing I thought of.  What a dolt.

I asked him during his live chat.  He said:

No. I believe you could trade Kessel for assets complimentary to the state of the rebuild. Moreover, the biggest reason I suggested a trade is because of his contractual status (UFA in 2years). Sticking to the plan doesn't mean you can't and shouldn't move ANY of the assets you currently own

 

[Kin]

I don't get the supposed contradiction. This is an article entirely about giving the prospects time to develop and not trading the first rounder. Trading Kessel is something separate entirely. "Stay the course" shouldn't be read as keeping things exactly as they are.