Brian Burke, Leafs to Meet; Ron Wilson Rips Again Injured Carlo Colaiacovo

According to reports coming from sportsnet.ca, the Toronto Maple Leafs and Brian Burke have scheduled meetings for this weekend so that they may begin contract negotiations.

According to the article, the Maple Leafs will be represented by Toronto sports lawyer Gord Kirke, who is an active part of the Maple Leafs GM Search committee. Meanwhile Burke will represent himself in these meetings.

Since the Anaheim Ducks filed the proper paperwork with the National Hockey League allowing other teams to speak with Burke, Kirke and Burke's Vancouver-based lawyer have reportedly been in constant conversation.

With the Maple Leafs getting ready to celebrate one of the stars of the past this weekend, it appears that a new chapter in Leafs history may be written as early as this weekend, although there is no apparent timetable to speak of as of this writing.

I don't personally think this is going to be a done deal this coming weekend, but it's easy to see why many people feel this should be a quick, painless courtship.

The Toronto Maple Leafs have pined for Burke since they removed John Ferguson, Jr. last April.  Brian Burke has certain standards he wants met, such as full autonomy. 

He wants to be able to meet with the Maple Leafs board twice a year: once to get a budget set at the beginning of the season, and once again to report on the year at season's end.  That's it.

Other than that, it would be as if the board didn't even exist. (What a wonderful world that would be.)

Also, Brian Burke isn't going to come cheap.  But this is one of the richest sports franchises on North America we're talking about here, so I don't think that should be a problem.

The MLSE, which even owns part of Bell GlobeMedia, will also likely get Burke's wife, Jennifer, a job within Bell Globemedia, working as a journalist on one of their television stations.

So sure, there are legalities to be considered, and all things of this nature take time, but I certainly don't think it's a stretch to imagine that the Maple Leafs and Brian Burke may come out of this weekend with a verbal agreement, or at least some kind of structure set up that will bring Burke into Toronto.

Carlo Colaiacovo Injured?

oft-injured Carlo Colaiacovo left practice this morning with an apparent left foot injury.

The Canadian-born defenseman left practice favouring the leg after blocking a shot during a scrimmage. He had to be helped off the ice by trainers. 

After the practice, Leafs coach Ron Wilson said he didn't think the injury was serious, but also took the time to rip into Colaiacovo, showing no sympathy for him on this injury, or others past.

"The thing with Carlo," said Wilson, "...and I tell him every day: you're not in very good shape and it's your fault.  And it leads to all the other issues you had in the past."