What's Next for The Maple Leafs?

By the way, here's a nice mix of Nazem Kadri in Junior. Not sure it'll all translate into the NHL, but Burke landed a kid with a lot of character (as did we).

asq2 wrote:

Cap'n Clutch wrote:Remember when Murray tried the Gritty toughness angle by obtaining Smith and Ruutu to go along with Neil, Bass and Schubert? We couldn't get the puck out of our own end all season.

I see a similiar result coming for the Leafs. Leafnation may be excited about the goon squad on paper but it will likely fall flat come October.

If it falls flat, they'll land a franchise player at the draft.

If they succeed, it's with a younger team with more character.

Win/win.

Not so black and white though. Knowing the Leafs they'll scrap themselves out of a top 10 pick and still out of the playoffs.

Kadri already signed to an entry-level deal!

http://tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=283884

After some hesitation, Brian Burke has made some of the big moves he promised as GM of the Leafs. The Leafphobia of the Sens-centric on this forum aside, Burke has, it can be said, made some changes that should see Toronto improve on last year's results under the irascible Ron Wilson. How that translates in the actual standings is anyone's guess at this point; but Leafs scribe and radio commentator Howard Berger took his shot this past week...

Wilson: Playoffs, But Only Within Structure
Howard Berger, Fan590.com, July 6, 2009

TORONTO (July 6) – A long-anticipated, richly-deserved bonus awaits fans of the Maple Leafs if those running the hockey club can translate their words to action.

For the first time in almost a quarter-century, the Leafs appear content to properly assemble a team that is capable of repeated challenge in the National Hockey League. Such a venture will require added patience and the willingness to endure at least one more season of hardship in the standings. But, it could lead to a circumstance almost completely foreign to the hockey club – and its legion of followers – in the post-expansion NHL.

“We would like to make the playoffs next year,” said Leafs’ coach Ron Wilson to a small group of reporters at Lakeshore Arena on Monday. “But, I think for the next couple of years, we’re going to be spending a lot of time developing players. If we can make the playoffs while doing that, it’ll be great. But, primarily, if I’m going to have five or six rookies on the team [next season] – which is a real possibility – I have to make sure they get better as hockey players.

“When the pressure is on you to make the playoffs,” Wilson continued, “a lot of coaches will throw young guys under the bus in an effort to do it, and rely on all the veterans. I’ve got to guard myself against doing that.”

One way to avoid such folly was for the Maple Leafs not to lapse into their usual routine of signing established, front-line players as stop-gaps. The additions, this past week, of Colton Orr, Garnet Exelby, Michael Komisarek and Francois Beauchemin provide the club with much-needed toughness, depth and leadership, particularly on defense.

General manager Brian Burke is smartly bolstering the team from the back end out, not in the reverse order. Grade-A free agents were bypassed, and they stayed away from the Blue & White. The old Leaf method could result in a temporary rise through the standings, but the move forward would be artificial and almost surely followed by a precipitous decline.

That’s why fans of the hockey club should not fret over Burke's apparent shortcoming in free agency last week. Burke got people excited with his bold statements prior to the draft and July 1st – presumably, he can learn about the Toronto hockey market as we learn more about him – but he did not succumb to temptation.

A signing coup involving Swedish twins Henrik Sedin and Daniel Sedin may have accelerated the process of winning, as did Cliff Fletcher’s landmark acquisition of Doug Gilmour from the Calgary Flames in 1992. A five-year plan for a terrible hockey team suddenly became a one-year plan, as Gilmour lifted the franchise on his back and carried it to within one game of the 1993 Stanley Cup final.

But, even that accomplishment – as memorable as it is for Leaf fans – had a negative impact on the organization. It got Fletcher to believe he could take the final big step by adding more veteran NHLers at the expense of player development… thus the short, mostly-inglorious Leaf tenures of Kirk Muller, Dave Gagne, Larry Murphy, Mike Gartner, Rich Sutter, Benoit Hogue, Mike Ridley, Sergio Momesso, and others.

It didn’t work 15 years ago and it won’t work today.

That’s why it has to be assuring for Leafs Nation to hear Wilson say that making the playoffs next season would be a surprise bonus in the midst of a development program. It keeps the bar at a higher level than it’s been in recent years, but it also clearly indicates that Wilson and Burke are adamant about providing opportunity for the club’s growing cadre of prospects. And, it sounds the most encouraging note for the team since the mid-to-late 1980s.

That decade rightfully stands as the absolute worst in the history of the franchise, and there are several periods to choose from. The Leafs went through the ‘80s with a near-complete void of direction. It was Harold Ballard’s final decade as owner of the team – he died in April, 1990 – and chaos prevailed at almost every turn. Without stability at the top, the Leafs were unable to harness their most impressive group of young players in the post-1967 era. Rick Vaive, Russ Courtnall, Gary Leeman, Al Iafrate, Wendel Clark, Vincent Damphousse, Tom Fergus, Ed Olczyk and Mark Osborne – acquired via trade and the draft – should have set the Leafs on a proper heading.

Noticeably absent from that group (besides Iafrate) were defensemen and goalies. Combined with the trickle-down effect of poor ownership, the Leafs’ inability to keep the puck out of their net scuttled a promising era. Not until now, a generation later, has the club chosen to amass a group of enticing prospects. In prior years, the quick-fix method – popular among owners, sponsors and fans – was the design of choice, leading to a decade that strongly rivals the awful ‘80s in Leafs lore. But, lessons finally appear to have been learned.

A portion of the results are on display this week at the Leafs’ annual development camp. Christian Hanson, Tyler Bozak, Dale Mitchell and Nazem Kadri are among those taking part in the week-long activity, which includes on-ice sessions at Lakeshore Arena. All of the abovementioned are today considered prime NHL material. Added to the likes of Luke Schenn, Mikhail Grabovski, Nikolai Kulemin, Jiri Tlusty, John Mitchell, Anton Stralman – with potential contributions from Chris Didomenico and Viktor Stalberg (perhaps even Jonas Gustavsson) – the Leafs are finally headed in the right direction. Imagine the possibilities three years from now.

Abetting this capacity is a management and scouting department that is the polar opposite of the 1980s, though it’s not entirely fair to judge those that attempted to thrive under Ballard’s repressive thumb. But, Burke, Wilson, and the posse assembled to grade up-and-coming NHL material, is solidly capable of providing the Maple Leafs long-term fruition. All that’s required is continued patience, and the determination to avoid bogus fulfillment.

***************

Wilson provided added insight to the saga, last season, of starting goalie Vesa Toskala. “He was banged up he didn’t come clean with us as to what was really ailing him,” said the coach about hip and groin injuries that required surgery. “I’ve been around Vesa for a long time and that’s just the way he is. The harder you dig [for answers], the more he puts up a wall of denial.

“His situation finally came out near the end of the season; only after Brian [Burke] kind of called him out in the papers (the GM openly criticized his No. 1 goalie while talking to reporters at the annual Conn Smythe Sports Celebrities Dinner in early February). Everything came forward for Vesa after that and it was probably the best thing Brian could have done. It enabled Vesa to get the treatment he needed a bit earlier and to be ahead of schedule in his rehab, which he is.”

E-mail howard.berger@rci.rogers.com

I dont think there is a shot in hell that The Leafs are better then last year, I actually think they got worse, a lot worse.

Neely4Life wrote:I dont think there is a shot in hell that The Leafs are better then last year, I actually think they got worse, a lot worse.

Well, hate him or hate him even more, the GM got better. Their goaltending went sideways, unless The Monster can steal the starting job in camp. Their defense improved ... for now; when Kaberle is moved, they are bigger, slower and will find it hard to move the puck. They might have the defense that we had at the start of last season.

Yeah, overall they probably got worse. I don't know about "a lot worse", but probably worse.

Im saying a lot worse in the sense everyone else except the Islanders look to be better in The East, while Toronto looks to be worse. If Kaberle is moved, Taylor Hall is a serious possibility.

You look at the teams that finished below them in Tampa (waaaay better then TO next year) and Atlanta (took 2 of Toronto's best players from last year) and Toronto is drafting in the bottom 3. The only team that is on the same level as Toronto in NYI and even then, a healthy Di Pietro they could actually surprise. I think the team that will have the biggest fall from grace though is going to be NYR... look for them to become the biggest joke in the league, again.

It's way too early to tell for a few teams. Like the Habs.

I can't make heads or tails of Montreal. On paper it looks like their top line will get murdered on a nightly basis, and unless Price does a 180 in his development they could seriously challenge the Leafs.

That is, of course, assuming the Leafs really are as bad as that. Burke is a good GM, and Wilson is a good coach -- I can say that even though I cannot stand either of them.

Philadelphia certainly looks like they got stronger, but if Emery does not do another 180, then they just blew their future on that Pronger trade and contract. Personally, I think Emery will show Murray that he was a little too quick on the target (too quick yet too late, in a way) but it's a big question mark.

Anyhow, it will be an interesting season. You never know what makes a team full of AHLers come together (like Buffalo a few years ago) or a team of superstars fall apart (you know who I'm talking about).

Stan Fischler shows us a different side of Brian Burke and tosses his tuppence into the ring regarding the Burkization of the Leaves.

BRIAN BURKE - PUTTING HIS MOUTH WHERE HIS MONEY IS
Stan Fischler, MaxHockey.com, July 14, 2009

You've got to love Brian Burke.

Or, hate him.

It goes both ways.

With me, it's the former.

I love the guy; always have ever since he showed me his sensitive side in the Summer of 1993.

My son, Simon, was in Manhattan's Columbia-Presbyterian Hospital
suffering from a severe heart ailment (cardiomyopathy), desperately awaiting a heart transplant.

The hockey world responded nobly; but nobody came through better than Burke; then general managing the Hartford Whalers.

Brian heard about Simon's plight and dispatched his goalie -- Simon had been a goaltender -- Sean Burke and forward Jim McKenzie to the hospital.

It was the kind of encouraging visit that other terrific hockey people (Mike Keenan, Mike Richter, et. al.) would make but this was extra special considering that the pair drove all the down from distant Connecticut to New York City; and then back.

A lot of folks are unaware of Brian's soft side and for good reason. Often -- maybe too often but I don't think so -- he comes off as hockey's version of Mister Bluster.

Nobody intimidates him; especially the media.

Burke has taken on journalists who consider themselves the toughest in the business and neutralized every last one of them.

This was easy in Hartford and Anaheim; less so in Vancouver and, now, in Toronto he's immersed in a lake of print piranas and has the voracious media fish on the run.

A disciple of Lou Lamoriello's "Be Pro Active" school of g.m.s, Burke has taken it to a new dimension, over-gabbing with the media types.

He displayed this verbally aggressive mode the moment he landed in Toronto and began tossing the Maple Leafs roster as if it his persona chef's salad.

Promising a more aggressive -- Anaheim-type -- team, Burke has imported an imposing collection of heavyweights some whom bear extra scrutiny.

The one The Maven likes best is Mike Komisarek, the ex-Canadien who bypassed his hometown Islanders for the Maple Leafs. He can play it tough and smart and will go down as one of Brian's best moves.

Not so wonderful is the addition of Colton (Don't Ever Confuse Me With Bobby) Orr; a large version of last year's Toronto toughie flopperoony, Ryan (Hit 'Em From Behind) Hollweg.

Orr has one -- and only one -- primary asset; he CAN fight.

He was a zealous battler under Tom Renney during the latter's reign as Rangers coach. Skating on a fourth line -- sometimes with Hollweg but almost always with Blair Betts -- Orr got more ice time than third-liners on other NHL clubs.

Colton worked his butt off to become a better player but the only area in which he improved was whacking foes in the head.

Give him credit, the left hooks and right crosses did wonders for Orr in the area of fiscal prowess. Burke admired him so much, he signed the free agent to a ridiculously fat contract which only will pay off if Toronto wins twenty times more games than Colton wins fights.

No matter; Burke vowed vim, vigor and vitality and Orr fits into that plan, for better or worse.

Brian's other compelling hire is Jonas Gustavsson, No meatball, this Swedish signee brings the best nickname any Leaf goalie has ever had. (And let's not forget that they boasted Walter "Turk" Broda, Frank "Ulcers" McCool and Harry "Applecheeks" Lumley.)

Never in NHL history has there been a puckstopper nicknamed "The Monster."

Appropriately, Tyrannosaurus-lover Burke nabbed him over the objections of several other meat-eating managers.

Menacing monicker notwithstanding, Gustavsson may not be the hotshot Brian hopes he'll be but there's always Vesa Toskala prepared to be Numero Uno so there's no gigantic worries there.

We have here the makings of a very, VERY compelling Toronto team. It's Burke's first from the outset and he'll be making mucho noise from tomorrow until season's end.

You won't see Brian's sensitive side the way our family did but that's not what Hogtown fans give a darn about.

What they want is what the bossman promised, a fighting and (hopefully) winning club.

They'll get plenty of the former with Komisarek, Orr, Inc. providing the aggression.

As for the wins, well, for the moment who cares?

There's big guy Burke to entertain us and that'll be just fine until the season opener.

That's just it. My impression is that the majority of Leaf nation just wants their team to be tough. Forget the win column, unless you're talking about fights. The Hits column will be more important than goals for or against. If, at the end of the game their opponents have less teeth, more bruises and more injuries than Leafs then score one for TO. I'm sure that may wear off if they continue to miss the playoffs but even if they can scrap their way in and win a round or 2 here and there then that'll be enough to keep them satisfied.

davetherave wrote:

BRIAN BURKE - PUTTING HIS MOUTH WHERE HIS MONEY IS

You mean near his wallet, which is in his back-pocket. Yeah, Burke putting his head up his a**.

Cap'n Clutch wrote:That's just it. My impression is that the majority of Leaf nation just wants their team to be tough. Forget the win column, unless you're talking about fights. The Hits column will be more important than goals for or against. If, at the end of the game their opponents have less teeth, more bruises and more injuries than Leafs then score one for TO. I'm sure that may wear off if they continue to miss the playoffs but even if they can scrap their way in and win a round or 2 here and there then that'll be enough to keep them satisfied.

They'd have to win enough of the first 82 games to get in first, though, and I don't think they can this season. It may take a couple of years with top-five picks to start getting respectable again, and by that time some of these tough guys are either getting slower/older or their contracts are up.

I think he's building a rough team so that these top-five guys come in and learn to play tough. And until then, at least the blue-collar fans will continue to be entertained.

wprager wrote:

davetherave wrote:

BRIAN BURKE - PUTTING HIS MOUTH WHERE HIS MONEY IS

You mean near his wallet, which is in his back-pocket. Yeah, Burke putting his head up his a**.

No, I don't mean that, as I didn't write the article. Stan Fischler did. And I doubt Stan did either.

But as an evident Burke hater, you are absolutely clear about where you stand.

With all the d-men The Burke has on his roster, the Tommy Kaberle rumour machine continues to churn...this from ESPN today...

TRADES: So who still wants Kaberle?
ESPN INSIDER, July 27, 2009

Tomas Kaberle | Maple Leafs | Interested: Sabres? Canucks? Blues?

The Blues, Canucks and Sabres are still interested in Tomas Kaberle, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch's Hockey Guy.

This comes after Maple Leafs GM Brian Burke said he's not talking to anyone about the winger, and that he's not actively seeking a trade.

"It's interesting, I watched JP's (Blue Jays GM Ricciardi) comments about Doc Halladay and I feel the same way. We're going to talk about this every day until the 'no-trade' goes away. It's the nature of the business I guess," Maple Leafs GM Brian Burke told TSN.

If he moves Kaberle, then you can bet a solid forward is coming back - but Burke will want the team to take Stempniak as well (he sucks).

If he can get a real center at some point, the Leafs might start looking pretty serious. VanRyn and White will have to be the prominent puck movers, which is an issue though because Komisarek and Beauchemin will eat up 25 minutes a game, while Schenn and VanRyn would get 20 ish.

We'll see what happens. Burke can't be done yet.

Brian Burke just reacquired his 2nd rounder today.



http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=290103

Well, it looks like Mr. Kessel should be receiving a hefty fax tonight...
5mil per?

Isn't Burke the same guy who ripped Lowe for submitting RFA sheets prior to Penner, or maybe it was Penner. Anyway, funny how now he's ok with the thought of stealing someone elses RFA away.

Kessel isn't going anywhere as Boston will match and ultimately turn the tables on Burke in the future.