(Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
Written By: Mark “The Hard Hitter” Ritter
What a difference six months makes! Six months ago, Toronto Maple Leaf fans were begging for Brian Burke’s selection as the Leafs general manager.
Hell, Leaf fans were willing to give Burke the keys to the city! Now, after joining the Leafs halfway through the season, completing his first National Hockey League entry draft as Leafs GM and stumbling through the first two days of free agency, you are hard pressed to find a Leafs fan who isn’t ready to lock Burke in a room and throw away the key. I guess the saying is true, “Be careful what you wish for, you might just get it.”
In all fairness, Burke is trying to make a beautiful flower out of a turd. What Burke inherited was a far cry from a competitive NHL hockey team. In fact, there are many NHL fans that suggest the Leafs were nothing more than a glorified American Hockey League team last season. There is some truth in that statement.
With that in mind, just what were you all expecting Burke to do over the past six months? I know there are those of you out there that think Burke is the second coming of Moses, but come on people!
In the span of six months, Burke has rid the Leafs of several bloated salaries, signed some interesting college hockey players, been active in the free agent market, and has signed Swedish goal-tending sensation Jonas “The Monster” Gustavsson. He has also tried to land the No. 1 overall pick in this year's draft (unsuccessfully), acquired some tough players, has attempted to change the culture of the club and has been in on just about every trade rumor that’s been out there. What more do you want Leaf fans?
The reality is, unlike most Leaf fans, the majority of NHL general managers know talent. As such, GMs are not going to trade their first-round draft choice for the likes of Pavel Kubina, Jason Blake, Vesa Toskala or Lee Stempniak. Any or all of those trades are laughable.
Furthermore, no GM in their right mind is going to give up a top-ranked player for the likes of Justin Pogge. Sorry folks, that just isn't going to happen. With all due respect, give your heads a shake!
What Burke has set in motion is a long term plan, “baby steps” towards building a winner. Gone are the days of the “quick fix." No longer can teams make up for decades of poor drafts by signing free agents or acquiring a top-notch player by taking on salary from cash strapped teams. The landscape in today’s NHL is very different.
The task in front of Burke is going to have to take a fair bit of gambling, creativity, a long-term vision, a sales job on potential free agents and most of all, patience.
Sure, watching the likes of Marian Hossa, Mike Cammalleri, Scott Niedermayer and the Sedin Twins sign elsewhere when the Leafs had buckets full of cash to spend was a painful exercise. Burke did not see any of those players fitting into the Leafs master plan, period.
Brian Burke is a good hockey man. He is the guy many Leaf fans wanted as GM. Give the guy a chance to see a few pitches before he hits his first home run, will ya?
I have all the faith in the world in Burke. He is slowly starting to put his stamp on this team and the Leafs will look very different from last year's crop come Sept. 1st.
What have you got to lose Leaf fans? Another bottom-10 finish?
Hang in there; you can count on the wait being worth it. Burke will not allow the rest of the hockey world to laugh at the Leafs, not on his watch anyways.
Until next time,
Peace!
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