The Brian Burke Saga Part 2: Pros, Cons, and Everything Inbetween

While Burke was able to work around a lot of large contracts and construct a competitive team (and he also had to deal with the prospective "retirements" of Scott Niedermayer and Teemu Selanne last season) and the Ducks have some strong young players locked up for the next few years, the cap position the Ducks are in right now, and the mass of free agency approaching this offseason, Burke's left the club in an interesting position.

Burke is Anti-European

Pro: The Leafs have been Euro-centric for a pretty long time now, and it really hasn't gotten them anywhere. Although Burke isn't entirely anti-Euro (He's openly said that he won't deal someone just because of their birth certificate), having a GM dedicated to bringing another fledgling-star from Canada (or North America in general) to pair with Luke Schenn will bring some much-needed personality and grit to this team.

Con: Burke has said that a selection of the European players on the Leafs' roster will be safe (namely Mikhail Grabovski, Nikolai Kulemin, and Nik Hagman), but a North American makeover could take away a level of comfort from some of the European players, and a hard-nosed leader like Burke may try to blend the line too often between skill and grit, rather than one or the other.

Advantage: Pro

To be honest, I don't care if the team is stocked with European players or Canadians, however it's been far too long since the Leafs have had some good Northern content that hasn't been imported through free agency. If Burke can bring more of a national feel to a team that's named after the leaf of an iconic tree, all the better.

Burke has the ego to work in Toronto

Pro: Many have said that because of the fact that Burke doesn't care what his judges say about him, he's the perfect person to man the helm for the Leafs. Burke is a genius and he knows it, and he knows how to play the media's games.

Con: The biggest worry I have about Burke, is the idea that he could become so enamoured with being the man who brings Stanley back for a Toronto tour that he becomes too concentrated on that idea, and he doesn't actually follow through.

Normally, I'd be concerned about Burke and his attitude wreaking havoc in Toronto, but with such a diverse and intelligent group surrounding him (Cliff Fletcher, Jeff Jackson, Joe Nieuwendyk, Al Coates), that everyone's eyes should remain on the prize  and Burke  could thrive with the variety of minds around him.

Advantage: Pro

I give Burke the benefit of the doubt because Bobby Clarke has gone on record saying that he believes Burke is smart enough to stay out of his own way. It's still a concern that weighs a little heavily on my mind, but the group surrounding Burke also helps me rest a little more at ease.

So what does it all mean?

In a lot of ways, Burke looks like a good fit in Toronto, despite the items on his resume that raise a few reg flags. He does have the attitude, he's surrounded himself with smart hockey minds, he's going to bring a more home-town feel to this team, and Stanley Cup championship or not, Burke is going to build this team into a hard-nosed competitor.

I still may be skeptical, and may not be fully on board with the Brian Burke regime yet, but I'll wait to see what he does with the team before jumping on or off his case.

Who knows, in the next six years he could surprise me.

Or he could go the way of J.P. Ricciardi—time to wait and see.

Bryan Thiel is a Senior Writer and an NHL Community Leader for Bleacher Report. You can get in contact with BT through his profile, and you can also check out all of his previous work in his archives.

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