NHL: Cooked Duck May Be Good Eats for the Toronto Maple Leafs

Jail, prison, the slammer, the big house, the hoosegow.  Whatever you want to call it, Henry Samueli, owner of the Anaheim Ducks, won't spend one minute inside of one.

As has been previously reported, Samueli has agreed to plead guilty for lying to federal authorities regarding a stock scam involving the company he co-founded, Broadcom. 

What he does get is five years probation and 12 million dollars in fines, a slap on the wrist but also a black eye for the NHL.

That's why NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman was quick to suspend Samueli indefinitely from the NHL, meaning he can not have any involvement with the league or his team.  Samueli's wife, a co-owner of the team, has agreed to also abide by Bettman's decision.

According to NHL.com, Michael Schulman..."will serve as the Club’s governor and will be responsible for managing the operations of the Club, reporting to the Commissioner."

After what has been a dynamite year for the NHL, this news comes as a bit of a setback.  Admittedly, this isn't earth-shattering, banner headline-type stuff, but when you're struggling to find an audience, particularly in the US, it doesn't help. One bad apple can easily spoil the bounty reaped from games five and six of this season's Stanley Cup final.

There is a way Bettman can make this bad situation better, though, one that would make a lot of rabid hockey fans very happy.

Rumors abound that Ducks' general manager Brian Burke wants to go to Toronto and be the Maple Leafs GM.  Burke, however, has one year left on his contract. What to do?

Simple.  Bettman can now go to Schulman and order him to let Burke out of his contract. 

Let's face it, Anaheim is no hockey mecca and I can't imagine I'm insulting anybody by saying that.  Toronto, on the other hand, bleeds only blue and white.  Love 'em or hate 'em, the Leafs garner that kind of support in their hometown. 

Toronto is a parched city, desiring nothing less than a gulp of expensive champagne poured down the gullet from hockey's Holy Grail.  Burke can get that done. 

Burke has stated in the past that he's not interested in Toronto.  Speaking to TSN's Michael Landsberg in a terse interview on Off the Record in January, Burke made it abundantly clear he was not pushing to get the gig, had never spoken to the Leafs, and was quite happy to stay in Anaheim.

That same month, as the rumor started picking up speed, it was reported that Samueli and his wife were likely to pony up the cash, upwards of three million a year, to keep Burke as the GM.

Life is funny, isn't it? 

The only cash Samueli is going to pony up now is 12 million buck fine and the kind of legal fees one pays in exchange for such a light sentence.

All of this leaves Burke and the Toronto Maple Leafs in an interesting position.  Toronto wants him, Anaheim no longer has any say about him, and Burke would, despite past denials, take the helm if only to be closer to his family.

The question remains, however, will Bettman force Anaheim's hand and make his number one Canadian team happy? 

He has to move fast, though.  Toronto GM Cliff Fletcher may not be willing to wait another season to get the GM the team needs. 

Fletcher has been a busy man of late, making moves, offering deals, and releasing contracts in order to make the Leafs a winner.  Will he want the helm for another season?

Bettman is the warden in this situation, holding the keys to Burke's cell.  If he orders Anaheim to let him go, the Leafs 41 year sentence may soon be coming to an end.