Maple Leafs: Questions Surround Management Ahead Of Burke's Arrival

If all goes well, Brian Burke could very well be in charge of the Toronto Maple Leafs by Sunday.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas, isn't it, Leafs Nation?

It isn't a lock yet, and long suffering Leafs fans wont breathe easy until pen is put to paper. But following today's developments, it is looking increasingly clear that the former Vancouver and Anaheim GM will be captaining the Toronto Maple Leafs to hopefully much smoother sailing.

A lot of people have a lot of questions; and they should. This could, after all, be one of the most altering events in the recent history of the franchise. Among those questions are things like: When will he start working with the team? What will happen to the roster? How much autonomy will Burke have?

And while those are all valid questions, there is one question that may possibly be weighing greater than all the others.

What will happen to the front office and management staff that Cliff Fletcher has amassed in his short time here?

Many consider what Cliff did since taking over in February remarkable. He traded players one deemed untradeable, and actually returned some of them for draft picks. He also freed up salary cap space, something that John Ferguson Jr. couldn't do in his three years here.

But what most marvel in, and where Cliff gets the most credit right now, is for what he did to the front office.

Most successful organizations in the National Hockey League surround themselves with former players, and bright, heralded hockey minds. This, of course, makes for better decisions which leads to a better on-ice product.

With all due respect, for a long time this was a quality the Maple Leafs office staff was devoid of. All of that changed when Cliff Fletcher came on board.

We all know what he did to bring in new coach Ron Wilson, but there are men working tirelessly behind the scenes that should make this franchise successful in the future.

Guys like Al Coates (who worked with Brian Burke and Fletcher in previous NHL posts) and Joe Nieuwendyk (who is being groomed for a future GM job), as well as smart, young hockey guys like Jeff Jackson and Dallas Eakins (who were in different roles under Ferguson Jr.)

So, what happens to these quality guys of the Fletcher regime once Burke comes in?

Well, consensus thought is nothing. At least not right away.

In previous instances when he took over in Vancouver and Anaheim, Burke did not immediately clean house, opting instead to work with what he had to get a proper barometer on who could still be valuable under his regime.

Start with Cliff himself. Burke has said in the past he has a lot of respect for Fletcher, and there is a good chance Fletcher may stay on an adviser to Burke until his contract expires in August. After that, who knows.

Al Coate will more than likely stay on. In fact, many felt the Leafs hired Coates with Burke in mind. The director of player personnel is one of the smartest and most experienced hockey minds around, and should remain with Burke, and the Maple Leafs, for a long time.

Joe Nieuwendyk, you would have to believe, isn't going anywhere either. Many inside the National Hockey League circles believe that Nieuwendyk is one of the future top executives in the league. He will benefit from being surrounded in Toronto by some of the sharpest hockey minds out there, Burke included.

Jeff Jackson and Dallas Eakins have no experience under Burke, and their futures have to be the most up in the air.

And let's not forget the "boy wonder" Dave Nonis.

Nonis was interviewed by the Maple Leafs this past summer, but the meetings didn't produce any real results. However, it appears Nonis is still interested in the Maple Leafs, and they have interest in Nonis as well.

While they didn't feel Nonis was a good fit to be their full-time general manager, don't be surprised if he ends up in Toronto. He'd be alongside his former Vancouver boss, likely filling the same role he did out west: as Burke's right hand man under the title of assistant general manager.