That’s what I think of when I hear the rumors and buzz going on about Brian Burke potentially being the next Leafs GM. Everyone associates him with the ability to assemble a championship calibre core and then win it all like he did with the Ducks in ‘07. The reality of the situation is that he is NOT the right man for the Toronto Maple Leafs job, and I’m going to explain why I think so.
Let’s say you’re Leaf management and are getting ready to interview some GM candidates. As you light up your cigar with a twenty, you sit down to write a couple qualities that you would look for in a GM to take over a young, rebuilding team. My list would look like such:
1 – Ability to assemble a dynamic core of elite young players
2 – Ability to surround that core with cheap, quality young talent
3 – Ability to manage the cap, assets, and long-term contracts
Let’s take a look at Brian Burke on those 3 categories:
1 – Anaheim boasts very little high end young talent other than Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry at the NHL level, along with possibly Bobby Ryan at the minor league level. That’s not too bad I suppose, but wait, it gets worse. Getzlaf and Perry are Murray’s boys, drafted in ‘03. So what good young talent has Burke brought in? Bobby Ryan, and that was with the #2 overall pick in a loaded draft. The scary part? Ryan is Burke’s only draftee to play more than 3 NHL games thus far. Hmm…
2 – A team’s long-term success is often indicative of its ability to have a constant pipeline of cheap, young talent to fill in the holes and needs at the NHL level. You have your 1st line snipers and your top pairing D-men, but you still need 5/6 defensemen or grinders on cheap, entry level contracts. How many of Burke’s draftees have made the NHL in the last 4 seasons? Two, combining for a total of 26 games. Ouch.
3 – This is Brian Burke’s calling card right? Brilliant cap maneuvering and asset management, correct? Anaheim is currently pinned up against the cap, can’t afford to have its top prospect play in the NHL; has already given away PPG centre Andy Mcdonald, starting goalie Ilya Bryzgalov, and 50 pt defenseman Mathieu Schneider for basically nothing because of cap trouble. Imagine where this team would be right now if Burke did not have his ace in the hole of being able to ask a PPG sniper like Selanne to play for $2.6M. Not too good I’d say.
So what exactly is Brian Burke going to bring to the rebuilding project in Toronto? He doesn’t know how to lay the foundation of elite young players, or how to put up the walls made of cheap, supporting role players, or heck, even keep track of the bills once the house is built. Brian is an interior decorator, someone who comes into a finished product, adds some of his own personal touches and takes credit for the work of someone else. Think about his most heralded moves. Signing an elite free agent defenseman who wanted to play with his brother, an elite free agent sniper with ties to the organization, and then trading away young talent for an elite, 30 year old defender. Those are the short-term finishing touches to a long and arduous building project undertaken by Bryan Murray who drafted the young talent (Perry, Getzlaf), left behind some of the core (Mcdonald, Giguere), and even provided the resources for the Pronger trade (Smid, Lupul, picks). Burke added a new paint of coat and some new curtains.
That’s all fine and dandy, but that’s not what we need in Toronto. It’s exactly what we’re trying to steer away from, is it not? We’re just barely starting to lay the foundation for what could be a championship calibre core down the road, and yet some people are already flipping through the yellow pages looking for the number to Martha Stewart’s Interior Decorating Hotline.
No thanks… No thanks.
Always a pleasure,
Alex Tran
alx_22@hotmail.com
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November 13th, 2008 at 12:11 am
Ditching a terrible contract in Federov… And adding 3 hall of famers including 2/3 of the best defensemen in the league is not a new set of curtains.
How would you feel if the Leafs traded Schenn and Tlusty but ended up with Malkin and Ovechkin… Because that is essentially what Burke did. He got 2 of the 3 best dmen in the league on his team.
It took guts, and it took a huge risk, and he did it.
He may not be a builder, but to claim that Murray assembled the previous team is just hogwash. He went out and got 3 players… Who happened to be the 3 best players on the Ducks!
I hate that everyone makes it sound like it was easy to acquire these guys. If it was so easy, and a real no brainer then why the crap didn’t the Leafs trade Kaberle and Steen for Pronger.
Cause it takes a certain amount of guts to make that trade. Guts that no Leaf GM has had.
Even Fletcher doesn’t have the guts to pull off a big deal. He refused to trade Kubina when there was a window. He doesn’t even have the guts to walk away from Sundin.
Burke may not be perfect, but he is certainly better than any GM the Leafs have had in the last 10 years.
November 13th, 2008 at 12:20 am
Tyler, the Niedermayer signing was nothing special.
It was because Scott was determined to play with his brother Rob.
Here’s the ESPN article from that signing:
“Scott Niedermayer has left the New Jersey Devils to play with his brother on the Anaheim Mighty Ducks.
Scott Niedermayer has played all of his 13 NHL seasons with the Devils.
Niedermayer, the NHL’s top defenseman in the 2003-04 season, agreed to a four-year, $27 million deal Thursday that will take him across the country and make him a teammate of his brother Rob.
“I think it was a big factor,” Niedermayer’s agent Kevin Epp said. “Playing with Rob, the West Coast, closer to family. A little bit of everything.”
Epp said Niedermayer picked the Ducks over the Devils on Wednesday afternoon, despite New Jersey offering over $1 million more per season and the willingness to add a fifth year to the deal.”
http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/news/story?id=2124267
Nieds took less money, shorter term, to join a bottom third team in the NHL.
November 13th, 2008 at 12:23 am
“How would you feel if the Leafs traded Schenn and Tlusty but ended up with Malkin and Ovechkin… Because that is essentially what Burke did. He got 2 of the 3 best dmen in the league on his team.”
The day that Ovechkin hits UFA, and is willing to take less money on a shorter term, to play for a bottom third team in the NHL because of the GM and not because of some fluke factor like a sibling, then I will eat my hat.
November 13th, 2008 at 12:30 am
And to continue onto the next player you mentioned, Chris Pronger, was 31 when he was acquired from Edmonton.
Anaheim traded their top defensive prospect, Smid, their very good young forward Lupul, along with two 1st rounders and a 2nd for Pronger.
Would you be happy if Burke comes in tomorrow and trades Schenn, Grabovski, two 1sts, and a 2nd for Chara, who coincidentally is also 31 years old and finished 3rd in Norris voting this past season.
November 13th, 2008 at 1:11 am
Alex… I take it that you don’t like Burke… passionately I might add.
I’d suggest that watching Burke and Wilson go up against Cox and his cohorts would be too much fun.
There is a sick sense in me that wants this to happen…… and no that wasn’t a spelling mistake.
Cheers
November 13th, 2008 at 1:12 am
I understand the points for and against on Burke. In the big picture if you had the final say who would you be targeting?
I would thing Rick Dudley would have to be considered. That’s just my opinion. I think the media would love Burke in Toronto and I think there’s no question that he’s coming here, but I have to agree that I have some serious doubts on how good of a gm he can be in the cap era where developing young talent is the top priority.
November 13th, 2008 at 1:18 am
RE: TYLER
Give Fletcher more credit than that. Why would he walk away from Sundin. I think he has offered him a contract as long as he accepts that there will be no NTC, in that case Fletcher would flip Sundin at the trade deadline. He’s not stupid, I think that’s a major reason why we won’t see Sundin in a Leafs jersey.
November 13th, 2008 at 1:26 am
I still think Colin Campbell would be a decent choice and maybe even the former Jackets GM there, I can’t remember his name.
November 13th, 2008 at 3:11 am
I agree that the leafs don’t need Burke….yet. I think the best time for Burke to come in is in and around the entry draft or after the trade deadline where he can start evaluating the team for free agenc and possible moves at the entry draft. Obviously Burke wouldn’t be the one to make the choices b/c he hasnt been around long enough and track record.
November 13th, 2008 at 4:55 am
So we all hate Burke now? I don’t think he’s the best GM in the league, but that doesn’t mean revitalizing this team isn’t beyond his reach. For those criticizing his drafting record, let’s not forget he made a move to draft both Sedin twins in the 1999 draft. His other notable picks in Vancouver include Allen, Ruutu, Umberger, Bieksa, Kesler, Schnieder, Edler and Hansen. Also to those suggesting he walked into a Stanley Cup set up in Anaheim, let’s not forget that he took over a team that had finished twelfth in the conference the season before (pre-lockout) and fourteenth in goals scored. Burke hired head coach Randy Carlyle and dumped a couple big contracts in Sergei Federov and Peter Sykora, acquiring Francois Beauchemin in the process. In doing this he made room on the team for Perry, Getzlaf and Lupul, all rookies.
Burke’s drafting record has some pretty big holes and he’s gotten himself into cap trouble with the Ducks, but let’s give him credit for what he’s done right. He’s revitalized teams in both Vancouver and Anaheim, teams that were once as mediocre as ours. Or do we think Toronto is so completely broken that only the second coming of Sam Pollock would do?
November 13th, 2008 at 8:47 am
To Roacho:
I would target either David Poile of Nashville or Doug Riesborough of Minnesota. Both are hometown boys from Ontario with plenty of experience, and have been rumored to be interested in this job.
Look at the excellent young nucleus Poile put together in Nashville over the years: Weber, Suter, Ellis, Legwand, Erat, Hornqvist, Hamhuis, Klein Radulov (too bad). Their excellent farm system: Wilson, Pickard, Franson, Blum, Rinne. Not to mention the players they had to let go or trade away because of their limited budget: Timmonen, Vokoun, Kariya, Hartnell. Poile’s done one heckuva job assembling a ton of talent on a limited budget.
What about Riesborough in Minnesota? Burns, Sheppard, Gaborik, Harding, Schultz, Bouchard, Koivu, Backstrom, Pouliot. Great core right there. Imagine how good they’d be if Gaborik actually played 70+ games a season.
Those are two guys who know how to draft and maintain excellent young cores and stay competitive year in and year out, without the benefit of a full cap (in Nashville’s case) or personal ties to lure free agents like Selanne or Niedermayer.
November 13th, 2008 at 8:50 am
To Betterforsome:
I don’t think Burke is the worst GM in the league by any stretch. His ability to get things done, and his decent record in Vancouver, tells me he’s a pretty good one. But I just wanted to downplay this image that he’s a true “elite” championship building one, or one that is a good fit for Toronto.
Let’s say if you fast forwarded this rebuild another 2-3 years, and we’re on the verge of making a serious playoff run, then Burke would be one of my top candidates for the job.
November 13th, 2008 at 8:51 am
To Aldred:
I hope you aren’t thinking of Doug Maclean. Other than Nash, he pretty much left that Columbus team with nothing after multiple years of rebuilding and terrible drafting.
November 13th, 2008 at 10:05 am
To. Tram. I have always agreed he is definitely not the man for a young rebuilding team.
But based on Toronto’s managements arrogance, and 40 year history, Burke is exactly the Man Toronto would end up with. You just have to wonder what will happen with Nieuwendyk, Gilmour and the many other key players being introduced into the system. Burke is as arrogant as Peddie and would love the King of the hill glory at all cost. Rest assured the re-building years.. I should say year, would be over and watch the money flow.
November 13th, 2008 at 10:43 am
I think the cap problems in Anaheim are hardly the fault of Burke. Firstly, the team won the cup. If you’re a player that has recently won a cup your contract negotiating is going to be in your favour especially if it’s on the same team that won the cup and wants to repeat. It happened in Carolina and Tampa as well (Brad Richards anyone? How about Dan Boyle?). Secondly, he got screwed over by Selanne and Nieds taking a half year off. He needed to replace them with similar players like Schnieder, which doesn’t come cheap, and then you have those two players come back and put you in a tough position for the next season.
As for Burke’s drafting. Isn’t that why you have scouts? The final say is that of the GM, but he’s not the one travelling the world to see young players. It also helps if you have picks, which he traded to land a big fish or two.
The real question here is do the Leafs want a chance at the cup now and be aggressive in trades for it or wait a few years and have a few good seasons due to the rebuild. The former option is Burke’s specialty, but I wouldn’t say the latter option is out of his reach either. Every situation is unique.
November 13th, 2008 at 10:57 am
I’m not sold on Burke as GM of the Leafs, but if you go back and look at the roster that won the cup in Anaheim, he brought in something like 11 of the 23 man roster. That includes a lot of cheap 5/6 defenders and 3/4 liners as well as getting rid of Federov. I don’t think he’s as bad as you make him out to be, and I don’t think he’s as good as others think. Basically I’m sitting on the fence and not really contributing to anything.
November 13th, 2008 at 11:17 am
well! I, for one, would also like a new paint of coat… lol
November 13th, 2008 at 11:30 am
Screaming Will’s post is pretty funny if you read it as someone screaming.
November 13th, 2008 at 11:52 am
…Alex, I pretty much agree with everything you just said, and have been saying the same thing all along…Its too bad that us saying this probably means nothing and they get this overrated bum burke anyway…nashville is my second favourite team behind the leafs and it has nothing to do with the city of nashville…its because i really like this squad…despite all the troubles the franchise has had financially, they are a tough team to play against every year, and detroit’s toughest challenge in last year’s playoffs…they are built to challenge and built to last…also ron wilson’s coaching style isnt that different from trotz…this would work and be the best choice in my opinion
November 13th, 2008 at 12:31 pm
Considering Fletcher managed to get rid of Tucker, McCabe’s hefty contract as well as Raycroft, he might as well be the greatest GM of all time compared to Burke.
November 13th, 2008 at 12:38 pm
To Blair:
Yes, the last say is with the GM, and a GM’s style is very evident for each particular team and the amount of emphasis they place on scouting a certain area of type of player.
In Detroit and in previous years in Toronto, when your Swedish scout speaks, the GM listens very intently and usually goes with those recommendations.
Last season, we saw an obvious shift in Toronto’s drafting philosophy as evidenced by more emphasis placed on size and toughness. That mindset comes from the top, and that’s the type of team Fletcher wanted to build.
In Anaheim, Burke is another one of those GM’s who really wants to influece his team’s drafting style. The preference for size, toughness, and North American prospects is pretty evident. The Bobby Ryan pick is a perfect example of that, as he was an off-the-board pick ahead of a pair of smaller, skill-type players at that time during the draft.
Toronto has an excellent track record of Euro scouting and development over the last few years under Ferguson, and it would be a shame to see it more or less completely ignored by Burke’s bias toward a certain type of player.
November 13th, 2008 at 12:41 pm
To Theshawn:
Is it the right time to do so?
Would you be happy to see picks/prospects traded at this point in time in order to garner perhaps a 1 or 2 year window to win the Cup?
Or would it be better to build for the long-term core that can strive for perennial competitiveness and success?
November 13th, 2008 at 12:59 pm
“2 – Ability to surround that core with cheap, quality young talent” – Hmm there must be a lot of that around the league that must be easy to get right? Its almost like you’re saying, “I want a Ferrari but want one for 30k”. Well there are some like that but they are built on a Fieros.
Many people are trying to make Burke sound like he is incompetent and that’s just not true. He knows his shit. He knows what pieces a team needs to bring that team over the hump. Something no Toronto GM have been able to do in a long long time. I don’t know if he is the best thing for Toronto at this stage but I’m like all of you, just a fan – I can only speculate on my limited knowledge. I don’t know if my first choice last year, Armstrong, declined the offer the Leafs made to him last year and who knows for sure if (my other choice, Poile) would take the job or do better than Burke – my crystal ball is acting up so I can’t really say.
The bottom line is this: The Leafs need a GM. Someone that has won a cup and as much as you want to say he walked into it, many could of done that but didn’t – he did win it which sadly you cant say that about very many potential suiters for this position. When and If he arrivals in Toronto, I hope he would do a great job and if he doesn’t, sadly, not that I or any of you could do anything about it if he doesn’t.
November 13th, 2008 at 1:16 pm
To Puckbuddy:
Point #2 refers simply to roster fillers via the draft on cheap entry level contracts.
Every good team has them, and prevents you from paying a few million for 3rd and 4th line grinders.
November 13th, 2008 at 2:08 pm
Alex, you had me on your article, but lost me with your European Scout remarks. Toronto has one of the lowest Canadian born player’s roosters in Canada. In the past, Other than Detroit, High Volume Canadian Rosters not European was what won the cup. Most Imports have a difficult time with our small surface and long seasons, and takes years to get use to. Just ask Kulimen. Now you’re concerned Burke will drift from Europeans? Sorry Toronto’s may be my team of choice, but Canada and North America is where my heart is. I the love splash of Europe but were not in Europe yet.
November 13th, 2008 at 3:47 pm
Daddoo, I’m not saying let’s go 100% Euro.
We need someone that can take advantage of the best talent from all parts of the Globe, and if you’re looking to build a winner, then what language that player speaks should be irrelevant.
I understand the stereotype against non-Canadian players and how they’re generally not as successful, but times are a-changing and the rest of the world is starting to produce some major talent. Just read one of my first blogs, titled International Flavor, to get an idea of what I’m talking about.
For example, 4 of the league’s top 5 scorers right now are non-Canadian.
Simply put, you need a GM who is going to take a player for his skill and if he’s Canadian, then great. What you don’t need, is for him to have a ridiculous bias towards one type of nationality, and then have organization suffer from lack of impact talent because of it.
November 13th, 2008 at 4:12 pm
True enough. I wasnt meaning it as a shot at you. I knew your point. I am just sick of Torontos ignorance towards drafting Canadians for so many years.