Toronto Maple Leafs' Brian Burke Looking at Roman Cervenka

With all the speculation surrounding the Toronto Maple Leafs and possible offseason moves and signings that could be made to improve the club, people can add a new name to the mix in Roman Cervenka.

Starting off the 2009-10 year as a bit of an unknown, Cervenka showed the hockey world his world-class talent leading the Czech Extraliga in scoring with 30 goals and 73 points in 50 games with Slavia Praha HC. His numbers were so good that he was named to the Czech Republic Olympic Team in Vancouver.

Although he may have only had 2 assists in five games played, this could have been due to fact that he took a backseat on a team that bolstered offensive players in Jaromir Jagr, David Kreijci, Tomas Plekanec, Patrcik Elias, Martin Havlat, Milan Michalek, and Tomas Fleischmann, Cervenka's role on the team was not a significant one.

But in the time that he did play he showed people and his teammates what he could do, earning significant praise from future Hall of Famer, Jaromir Jagr.

Jagr also went as far to say that he would love to return to the NHL, and if possible he would hope to go to whichever team signed young Roman Cervenka. This led to a lot of speculation surrounding the Edmonton Oilers possibly signing both Jagr and Cervenka this offseason after Jagr was quoted saying the following:

"I was excited when I heard that Edmonton pushed pretty hard to get me and I really appreciate it. And if I ever go there [the NHL], they would be my No. 1 pick because they showed me the interest first. I will never forget that and I respect that. They would be my first pick."

This was said during an interview Jagr had with CBC in April of 2009. Keeping that in mind and looking forward to during the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver, according to an article that Daniel Sallows wrote back in February, Jagr expressed his interest in being signed as a package with youngster Roman Cervenka which immediately led to speculation about the two of them going to Edmonton.

Of course, all this speculation was before Jagr signed a one-year deal with Omsk Avangard of the KHL at the beginning of the month, so the door is now wide open for possibilities about where this young Czech scorer will end up.

So far the only teams who have been mentioned in the same breath as the 25-year-old Czech are the Maple Leafs, Oilers, and, to some degree, the Rangers. It's been said that as of right now there are currently five NHL teams pursuing Cervenka.

If we were to speculate on the other two teams who are currently going after Roman Cervenka and who might appeal to him due to their lack of depth down the middle, I could see either Calgary, Nashville, or Florida also trying to acquire his services. 

Brian Burke and company have been rumored to be trying avidly to lure Cervenka to the Maple Leafs. Burke has already expressed his desire to make the team stronger down the middle and adding Cerevenka would meet those needs.

With a lot of currently available roster spots on this young Maple Leaf team, Cervenka would have a real shot of competing for a roster spot as early as next season. Playing in Toronto would also get his name out there around the league. While there may be a lot of pressure from the fans in Leaf Nation, it seems to be the spot where a lot of young Europeen players have been choosing to play since Burke took over as General Manager.

As a Leafs fan I would love to see Burke sign Cervenka. It would give the Leafs more depth down the middle and would make Grabovski all but out of place on the Leafs roster. Burke has been great in luring players to Toronto and has put this team in the right direction. If Burke manages to sign Cervenka, it will just be another piece of the puzzle and could only benefit the team in the long run.

While it may be under speculation which NHL team Cervenka will chose, people can't count out the possibility of him going to the KHL. It's already been reported that there are a number of teams in the KHL going after Cervenka, including Jaromir Jagr's Omsk Avangard.

Although the NHL is without a doubt the better league, hearing the praise that he got from without a doubt the greatest player ever to come out of his country and having the opportunity to play with him, that may be enough to sway his decision for now.

In the long run it would probably benefit Cervenka a lot more to go and learn from Jaromir Jagr in the KHL for a season before deciding to come straight to the NHL. Of course, he has expressed his desire to play in the NHL but he may jump at the opportunity to play with his countryman.

It is likely that Cervenka will make his decision following the conclusion of the World Hocky Championships. We will just have to wait and see where he decides to go whether it be the NHL or the KHL.