Brian Burke's First Moves as Toronto Maple Leafs GM

It's 99.9 percent done. All Brian Burke needs to do is sign on the dotted line, and he is the new president and GM of the Toronto Maple Leafs.

So with the deal all but done, there has been lots of speculation as to what Burke will do first as Leafs GM. Well, there are clearly going to be some early trades.

Look for is Jason Blake to be traded, which will still be hard because of his contract.

Alexei Ponikarovsky would most likely to be good trade bait. He would fit in to the plans of teams like Phoenix, with his size and ability to hit.

Fans think Burke will trade or waive a lot of the Leafs' youth to add some veterans and/or North Americans. I think they are wrong. I am looking for Burke to bring in some good prospects, possibly even Bobby Ryan from Anaheim.

Burke may also go into free agency a lot, as he is a GM that likes to sign and trade, rather than focus mainly on the draft, which only comes once a year.

There is no question that he will have his eye on Sundin—and Marian Hossa, who is a free agent at the end of this season.

Look for Burke to sign some free agents and make lots of trades, while building with the draft. If he can do this, he will be able to say that they are rebuilding, while making sure there are some veterans in the room as well.

There is still one problem that arises, however. Brian Burke has never been able to manage the cap well. He leaves Bob Murray with a mess in Anaheim when it comes to the cap.

If he can somehow manage to trade or waive Blake and Ponikarovsky, or even Toskala, then the Leafs would have dumped a lot—and boy, do I mean a lot—of cap space.

So here is a summary of what Burke should be doing as soon as he moves into his new office in Toronto:

1. Trade Blake, Ponikarovsky, and maybe even Vesa Toskala to clear some cap room.
2. Trade for some good prospects, such as Bobby Ryan.
3. Get an answer from Mats Sundin.
4. Bring in some good veterans, such as Gary Roberts and Shane Doan.
5. Get new scouts.
6. Begin scouting the likes of Tavares, Hedman, and (Braydon) Schenn.

The Burke hiring will only spice things up in Leafland.