Howard Berger of Toronto's Fan 590 gives his opinion in anticipation of Brian Burke's upcoming moves, and on the Leafs looking forward:
BURKE UNLIKELY TO EXPLOIT BUYOUT WINDOW
Howard Berger, Fan590.com, June 8, 2009
PITTSBURGH (June 8) – When questioned, at the end of the regular season, about the onerous contract commitments the Maple Leafs have for 2009-10, general manager Brian Burke dismissed the issue, suggesting there are many ways to eliminate players from the roster. Among the alternatives Burke mentioned was the buyout option – an annual license, granted by the collective bargaining agreement, which allows teams to purge up to three contracts in a two-week window that begins June 15. The Leafs utilized the option last year to dismiss Andrew Raycroft and Darcy Tucker from the hockey club, having done so previously with Ed Belfour and Tie Domi.
The buyout option, however, has a major draw-back that obliges a team to continue paying the player it releases – in most cases, two-thirds of outstanding salary spread over twice the remaining term; all of the money counting against the annual cap figure. As such, the Leafs are on the hook with Tucker for $1 million in each of the next four seasons, and the club must pay Raycroft $733,333 next season. Buyouts are therefore looked upon as a last resort and are not considered paramount by a manager choosing to be aggressive and/or creative. Burke is claiming he’ll fit that bill this summer, as he begins to place his stamp on the Maple Leafs. So, it came as no surprise when he suggested during an e-mail exchange earlier today that he's unlikely to utilize the buyout window, opening next Monday.
“Not planning to,” Burke wrote. “Buyouts carry cap hits. [But,] it doesn’t mean we won’t change our minds later.”
And, that’s the best way for Burke to position the Leafs’ early off-season strategy. If he wanted to create three quick vacancies on the roster, Burke could easily buy out, say, Jamal Mayers, Lee Stempniak and either of Jonas Frogren or Matt Stajan – none of whom are likely to lead a Stanley Cup charge in the coming years. That isn't the plan, but neither should Burke entirely discount the option, for it might prove more sensible prior to, or immediately following, the NHL draft. At some point this summer, the Leafs’ GM will have to deal with the number of commitments on the docket for next season. Trades and waivers are also effective ways to eliminate contracts without getting stuck with unwanted salary and Burke is almost certain to utilize both.
As it stands, the Leafs have 20 players under contract that most expect will either be on the roster next season, or strongly challenge for a spot. They are: Forwards Tyler Bozak, Jason Blake, Christan Hanson, Niklas Hagman, Alexei Ponikarovsky, Nik Kulemin, John Mitchell, Jiri Tlusty, Stempniak, Stajan and Mayers; defensemen Pavel Kubina, Tomas Kaberle, Mike Van Ryn, Luke Schenn, Jeff Finger, Ian White, Anton Stralman and Frogren; and goalie Vesa Toskala. Not included are restricted free agent Mikhail Grabovski; a back-up goaltender, young players such as Jeremy Williams and Phil Oreskovic, and, perhaps, a high first-round draft pick that may grab a spot as Schenn did last season. So, even though Burke scoffs at the notion it’ll be tricky for him to juggle all the contracts, the number is rather imposing, given that rosters are limited to 23 men.
Burke’s off-season maneuvering will be fascinating to observe. In his prior NHL stops, he has rarely hesitated to make quick, challenging judgments that are normally cause for deferment. That’s why he will likely take an aggressive approach to pursuing free agents, and to discussing trade options for players such as Kaberle, Kubina and Ponikarovsky. If Grabovski chooses arbitration to land a contract extension – as is threatened – Burke has the option to either walk away from a ruling, or to trade his most dynamic forward from last season.
Do not dismiss either possibility.
Spending to the cap limit has been a peculiar badge of honor for the Leafs in most years since the lockout. It has also guaranteed absolutely nothing, as is evidenced by the number of playoff appearances the club has made. So, I’m not certain why Burke got caught up in issuing a similar claim last week. Unless he engineers an all-out assault on the post-season – which will unavoidably come at the expense of long-term planning – exhausting the cap figure would be largely a grandstanding gesture.
One general manager told me on a flight last week that he thinks the Leafs are actually “looking to spend about $40 million and finish near the bottom of the league.” With Schenn in the fold, and another high draft pick this summer — Burke is angling to maneuver upward from No. 7 — a third year in the nether regions of the NHL would almost guarantee a precipitous rise through the standings [witness Chicago, Pittsburgh, Washington, etc.]. But, it’s difficult to imagine the intensely competitive Burke idling through his first full season at the helm of the Blue & White.
E-mail howard.berger@rci.rogers.com
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