Good article. One error though, "Matt Frattin came in a stole an NHL position out of the gate, but will have to find the back of the net with more consistency."
No particularly groundbreaking insights for someone who is a fairly devoted fan with a head on his shoulders, but you did a good job summarizing some important details and putting together a coherent piece. Remember you being pretty bright the few times I've read/responded to your posts on here as well, so there isn't really a surprise.
The criticism on Biggs seemed a little weak, and it probably would have been better if you had sort of expanded on the various prospects a little more in the article (especially ones like Ross and McKegg).
Your article gave me a pretty cool idea though, so I can't really complain.
Good summary for the casual fan who doesn't know much about the system but I think most of us have a pretty good grasp of the system. We need a little bit of everything really.
Suffice to say, if you asked me in November 2008 what my hopes would be in June 2012, I thought we would be farther ahead of where we are now. I'm a huge Burke mark and was openly craving for him to be the GM when he was hired, but this might be his make or break year.
I truly feel that he lets his strong views get in the way of making a better team, and maybe that will actually work out in the long run. What I'm talking about is his fear of using offer sheets, of offering longer contracts, of demoting players, etc. Basically, the rest of the league is doing whatever it takes to win except the Maple Leafs, who are trying to do it Burke's way, which in his mind, is the right way (and only way).
That's why my confidence has been shaken with Burke. To start off your tenure by trading away a franchise centre (unknowingly) and a potential top pairing stud D-man for a one- way goal scorer is a terrible first impression to make. To then follow that up by not doing what it takes to win? Just not good enough.
It's make or break time Mr. Burke. I understand you were given a pile of **** to work with, but it's the job you took and you've never been afraid to tell us how you were going to build a winner. It hasn't happened and now you must put up or shut up.
Find a way to get Justin Schultz signed. Find a way to get us a stellar starting goaltender. Find a way to get a top line center. Find a way to get a top pairing defenceman. Find a way, or find the door Mr. Burke. Enough of the ********.
Suffice to say, if you asked me in November 2008 what my hopes would be in June 2012, I thought we would be farther ahead of where we are now. I'm a huge Burke mark and was openly craving for him to be the GM when he was hired, but this might be his make or break year.
I truly feel that he lets his strong views get in the way of making a better team, and maybe that will actually work out in the long run. What I'm talking about is his fear of using offer sheets, of offering longer contracts, of demoting players, etc. Basically, the rest of the league is doing whatever it takes to win except the Maple Leafs, who are trying to do it Burke's way, which in his mind, is the right way (and only way).
That's why my confidence has been shaken with Burke. To start off your tenure by trading away a franchise centre (unknowingly) and a potential top pairing stud D-man for a one- way goal scorer is a terrible first impression to make. To then follow that up by not doing what it takes to win? Just not good enough.
It's make or break time Mr. Burke. I understand you were given a pile of **** to work with, but it's the job you took and you've never been afraid to tell us how you were going to build a winner. It hasn't happened and now you must put up or shut up.
Find a way to get Justin Schultz signed. Find a way to get us a stellar starting goaltender. Find a way to get a top line center. Find a way to get a top pairing defenceman. Find a way, or find the door Mr. Burke. Enough of the ********.
Then if we had asked you in 2008, you would have been wrong.
Also, Burke is willing to do offer sheets, is willing to do longer contracts; just not ones that will cripple his team down the road, and he is fully willing to demote players (Finger, Orr).
Burke did not trade away Seguin and Hamilton. Also, Seguin is not a franchise center, and Hamilton isn't even in the NHL, let alone a top-pairing defenceman.
Find a way to make a trillion dollars. Find a way to kill everybody on the earth. Find a way to spend above the salary cap. Find a way to stop the earth from spinning.
Find a way to stop being so demanding, accept that building a team from the ground up takes time, and stop trying to push everything (including your lies) in a negative light.
Then if we had asked you in 2008, you would have been wrong.
Also, Burke is willing to do offer sheets, is willing to do longer contracts; just not ones that will cripple his team down the road, and he is fully willing to demote players (Finger, Orr).
Burke did not trade away Seguin and Hamilton. Also, Seguin is not a franchise center, and Hamilton isn't even in the NHL, let alone a top-pairing defenceman.
Find a way to make a trillion dollars. Find a way to kill everybody on the earth. Find a way to spend above the salary cap. Find a way to stop the earth from spinning.
Find a way to stop being so demanding, accept that building a team from the ground up takes time, and stop trying to push everything (including your lies) in a negative light.
Before you go off on one of your tangents. Burke said he was not interested in a five year rebuild..'because he knew better and because he was too old for that'..
Burke is not willing to do offer sheets after his pissin match with Lowe in the media. Has he ever done one? Burke is not willing to do long deals like other teams since he has said so. To the point where he was critical to the NHL of the offer of the Devils to Kovalchuk. This was at the man he considered his mentor in Lamarello.
I don't want to go on with Burke because I have listened to his BS for years. I give him a C right now for his work, even he said he has failed up until this point.
Building a winning team takes time. I know. Been watching this circus for forty years, most Leaf fans who have watched the team through the 70's, 80's, 90's, 2000's and on and on realize that. What we don't appreciate is getting BS'ed to. So continue drinking your Burke juice.
I think the club needs a Subban if he falls to 35.
Good analysis.
I prefer Vasilevski. Let Vas develop in Russia, playing against men, over the next 3-4 years and then bring him over. With Subban, he'll be forced to come over (AHL/NHL) in 2 years (?) and the Leafs will ruin him. When was the last time the Maple Leafs developed their own legitimate starting goaltender? I started watching when Potvin was in goal and I didn't think he was that good
Before you go off on one of your tangents. Burke said he was not interested in a five year rebuild..'because he knew better and because he was too old for that'..
Burke is not willing to do offer sheets after his pissin match with Lowe in the media. Has he ever done one? Burke is not willing to do long deals like other teams since he has said so. To the point where he was critical to the NHL of the offer of the Devils to Kovalchuk. This was at the man he considered his mentor in Lamarello.
I don't want to go on with Burke because I have listened to his BS for years. I give him a C right now for his work, even he said he has failed up until this point.
Building a winning team takes time. I know. Been watching this circus for forty years, most Leaf fans who have watched the team through the 70's, 80's, 90's, 2000's and on and on realize that. What we don't appreciate is getting BS'ed to. So continue drinking your Burke juice.
Burke was not interested in the 5-year rebuild. He wanted to win before then, as all GMs do. Sometimes that doesn't work out. It never does in fact, even for those with so-called "5 year plans". Show me a 5 year plan that actually lasted 5 years. Go on. Show me.
Problem is that people only see two options. Rebuild or all-in mode. Those aren't the only modes, and Burke has never sacrificed the future for the present.
Burke's problem with Lowe is how he went about it, not the offer sheets themselves. He has publicly stated he is not against offer sheets. Just because he hasn't done one doesn't mean anything. 90% of GMs haven't done one. Burke doesn't like long deals that circumvent the cap, and we are now seeing some of the ramifications of those deals. Burke doesn't mind signing long deals that are legit and won't cripple the team.
If you have really been watching the Leafs for 40 years and aren't just lying, you would know how much better off we are now.
daveleaf is entitled to his point of view and I share it - I still recall game details from watching the '67 Cup win sitting on the couch with the Old Man.
Now Brian Burke is a helluva guy: ethical, well spoken, solid citizen, one of the good men on this Earth. That said, he's been running the Leafs since, what, Nov 08? No improvement since. None. And don't give us that "potential" stuff. Every organization has it.
All that matters is making the playoffs and winning a bit. Can't even do that. daveleaf and I are not cynical (the kids call it "hating") we are pragmatic. Simply win, Brian. Its time. Else you will be gone soon, just another false prophet in a horror show playing the better part of a half-century.
What rankles the most is the upstart hockey hot beds - Tampa Bay! Los Angeles! San Jose! (insert name here of southern US city with lots of palm trees and no snow) - shoving our face in it.
oops, back to draft discussion - Brian, why don't we have a third and fourth round pick this year?
daveleaf is entitled to his point of view and I share it - I still recall game details from watching the '67 Cup win sitting on the couch with the Old Man.
Now Brian Burke is a helluva guy: ethical, well spoken, solid citizen, one of the good men on this Earth. That said, he's been running the Leafs since, what, Nov 08? No improvement since. None. And don't give us that "potential" stuff. Every organization has it.
All that matters is making the playoffs and winning a bit. Can't even do that. daveleaf and I are not cynical (the kids call it "hating") we are pragmatic. Simply win, Brian. Its time. Else you will be gone soon, just another false prophet in a horror show playing the better part of a half-century.
What rankles the most is the upstart hockey hot beds - Tampa Bay! Los Angeles! San Jose! (insert name here of southern US city with lots of palm trees and no snow) - shoving our face in it.
oops, back to draft discussion - Brian, why don't we have a third and fourth round pick this year?
Absolutely, everyone is entitled to their point of view, just don't try to present it as fact. I seem to remember Burke being ready and willing to offer sheet Kessel.
Also, just getting to the playoffs is not enough. I don't wanna just show up, I wanna win.
As an outsider, the review seems too rose coloured. "but there are few true, top-line centers likely to be available in free agency" (psst. there are less than a few, there aren't any) "only minor tweaks are necessary to the defense and forwards"??? The team hasn't made the playoffs since 2004. The prospects are all B level at best (exception to Kadri, who may still pan out), and the team has next to zero goaltending. The franchise is mediocre... again... for the 8th straight year. This is an important two weeks for Brian Burke and his scouts. Managing to grab Galchenyuk would go a long way to re-establishing the leafs' future as promising.
