The Burke Way: Part 1

Since the Toronto Maple Leafs brought in Brian Burke as their new president and general manager, speculation has remained consistent as to when and how Burke will begin shaping the roster in his image.

Many will argue that the Maple Leafs need work on all three fronts: goaltending, defense, and forwards. Let us first focus on goaltending, arguably the most important position on an NHL team.

Goaltending has been the Achilles' heel of the Toronto Maple Leafs since the NHL resumed play in the 2005-06 season. It started with Ed Belfour, a goaltender who provided the Leafs with two solid seasons prior to the lockout.

Leafs' fans quickly forgot the name Curtis Joseph and proudly chanted "Eddie" game in and game out at the Air Canada Center. Belfour's play, however, quickly trailed off in the post-lockout season, as new rule changes and smaller pads left the aging netminder looking shell-shocked on most nights.

Former Leafs general manager John Ferguson Jr. then decided to send out highly-touted Finnish netminder Tuuka Rask to Boston in exchange for the disgruntled Andrew Raycroft, a goaltender coming off an 8-19-2 season with a 3.71 GAA and an .879 save percentage.

Raycroft's play was a downgrade from the play provided by Belfour in his last season with the Leafs, leaving fans wondering if the situation in goal would ever improve in the near future. The Raycroft trade will haunt the teams for years to come.

Ferguson, once again, was forced to bring in help between the pipes, acquiring Finnish goaltender Vesa Toskala from the San Jose Sharks in exchange for three more draft picks. Toskala's play only stabilized by January of the 2007-08 season as head coach Paul Maurice continuously juggled Toskala and Raycroft as starting goaltenders.

Now, on to this season. Vesa Toskala's play has once again frustrated not only the fans, but also head coach Ron Wilson and Burke. Speculation continues that Toskala is battling a hip and/or groin ailment, which could potentially explain the goaltender's poor play throughout the season.

Justin Pogge has also seen some action between the pipes this season for the Maple Leafs. The young goaltender, who was supposed to make Leafs fans forget about Tuuka Rask, has not yet met expectations of the fans or Wilson. The potential is there for Pogge to someday be a solid NHL starter, but a lot of work remains for the kid.

So how will Brian Burke approach the goaltending situation? Burke is already well aware of the importance of solid goaltending for an NHL team through his experiences with Dan Cloutier in Vancouver and J.S Giguere in Anaheim.

Burke has publicly stated on numerous occasions that goaltending is his top priority with any National Hockey League Team. As more games pass, it becomes more and more unlikely that Toskala will remain the starting goalie for next season.

Depending on Burke's plan heading into the trade deadline and draft day, do not be surprised if a deal is made to bring in another young goaltender into the system to provide support for Pogge. Jonathan Bernier in Los Angeles and Chet Pickard from Nashville are two players who can be had at the right price.

If Burke decides to go for experience, expect an offer to be made to either Nikolai Khabibulin or Niklas Backstrom.

In any event, be certain Burke will address the situation, whether it is at the trade deadline, on draft day, or via free agency. Do not expect Burke to make the same mistake as Ferguson, who sacrificed a goaltending prospect and three draft picks and was still not able to solve the situation in Toronto.