Toronto Maple Leafs Should Go After Steve Downie

         GM Brian Burke is always on the hunt for the next big deal and what could be better than acquiring restricted free agent Steve Downie.  This right wing gritty forward from the Tampa Bay Lightening is what the Leafs need.

He is the ultimate Burke type player and he will bring tenacity and aggressiveness that this team needs. I’ll admit Phaneuf, Armstrong, Orr, Brown do bring in that tenacity and aggressiveness but adding Downie will make the Leafs more tough to play against and more physical.

Quoting Brian Burke’s famous lines: We require, as a team, proper levels of pugnacity, testosterone, truculence and belligerence. That's how our teams play," said Burke.

Downie is an in your face guy, who can bring in that scoring touch as well as the physical caliber. He made a name for himself in Vancouver when he helped to Canada’s gold-medal winning effort in the 2006 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships.

Downie, who lost the hearing in his right ear when he was 13 due to a medical condition and wears a hearing aid when he’s not playing. 

This determined player can not only be resilient, he is also very aggressive. He scored a career high of 22 goals last season with the Tampa Bay Lightening and making a total of 46 points.

But there are other statistics and stories from Downie’s past that make him out to be a villain. He was suspended many times for his dangerous physical play nonetheless, I think with the right discipline and coaching he can be a versatile player.

Burke said he believes in very aggressive pursuit of the puck and physical contact in all three zones. To help achieve this, we need to add Downie. He can be that third line guy who can provide this aggressiveness. The Leafs will become that dangerous team that Burke always sought. The Leafs are a young team and in the middle of a rebuild, and bringing in tenacity in a player like Downie would create that very foundation necessary to move forward.

Overall, this team is steadily improving and Burke has done a first-class job of moving his team in the right direction, and getting them prepared for next season.