Brian Burke.

[walleyejigger]

GO HABS GOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!

[Rizzo]

Considering what he had to work with he's done an admirable job

 

I don't follow hockey too closely but as a casual observer I'm not so sure about this statement. The leafs I remember from the last 5 years would be in the playoff hunt right up until the end, usually missing out in the final week (or even final night?). This year they were not even close, and can't even take consolation in a high draft pick. How is this admirable? They are worse than they have been in years and don't even have draft picks to rebuild with.

[Jigger]

The way I see it, Kadri is absolutely tearing it up in the Knights playoffs. He was voted by his peers as equal to or exceeding Hall and or Seguin in many facets of the game. If memory serves me correctly, The draft day deal last year that would have seen Kessel come to the Leafs included the Leafs pick(Kadri was the player) and Kaberle. Would you have done that deal? I wouldn't. Burke had every reason to doubt that he was trading a 1st or 2nd overall pick. So they still have a great bargaining chip in Kaberle, a very highly rated prospect in Kadri and a proven 21yr 30 goal guy in Kessel. I'd say Bozak was a good outside aquisition as well.

[moose]

dont you guys remember boston wanting kaberle and whos to say that burke wont trade for one of these pics their already talking about trades and dumping salaries to make room for new aquistions , burke is a very smart man

and the bandwagon people are phenomlell if leafs made playoffs and did well you guys would all say burke is a hero just like you all did with fletcher

sorry to burst all your bubbles but thats the way it is

Edited April 14, 2010 by malcolm

[Rizzo]

Burke had every reason to doubt that he was trading a 1st or 2nd overall pick

 

if that's true, Burke can not evaluate talent because this team clearly is very bad. I didn't doubt for a moment they would finish near the bottom...maybe something to do with the fact the team was full of 3rd, 4th or really, 5th line players. Stajan is your number 1 centre??? you are a bad team.

[solopaddler]

I don't follow hockey too closely but as a casual observer I'm not so sure about this statement. The leafs I remember from the last 5 years would be in the playoff hunt right up until the end, usually missing out in the final week (or even final night?). This year they were not even close, and can't even take consolation in a high draft pick. How is this admirable? They are worse than they have been in years and don't even have draft picks to rebuild with.

 

 

Change doesn't come overnight.

He's rebuilt the defense, improved the goaltending dramtically imo, and releived the team of many of contractual millstones.

 

As mentioned they're now the youngest team in the league.

 

Overall team speed is the best I've seen in years.

 

Seriously, considering what he had to work with since taking over he's worked wonders.

 

Unlike other years where they've placed their hopes on overpriced and over the hill vets at least this time they're rebuilding with youth.

 

In my eyes it's waay more of a positive plan than what we as Leaf fans have seen in the past.

 

Personally I'm optimistic.

[Rizzo]

Unlike other years where they've placed their hopes on overpriced and over the hill vets at least this time they're rebuilding with youth.

 

this idea I like (although Giguere is old and overpaid but we dumped an overpaid guy in getting him). Not sure if they were smart enough to figure this out or if the salary cap forced them into it. Either way, I'm glad the days of Krushelnyski's and Larry Murphy's and Jason Allison's are over!

[jediangler]

Kadri is golfing thanks to the Kitchener Rangers putting out London, he'll get a chance to golf with all the other Leafs now. If he makes the team next year, you know Boston will be getting another high pick in the draft.

[ADB]

Kadri is golfing thanks to the Kitchener Rangers putting out London, he'll get a chance to golf with all the other Leafs now. If he makes the team next year, you know Boston will be getting another high pick in the draft.

 

That's logical.

[Jigger]

Yeah, I guess if the Leaf draft pick is on the team and they get beat by a better team, it must mean that the player sucks. Weird how that works.

 

Good thing Chiarelli is such a wizard throwing all that money at Derek Morris and Michael Ryder. They really covered the goals Kessel would've potted. If it werent for Rask, they would have the first two picks in this years draft.

[JoeG]

Looks like I am in the minority here.

I think Burke is a HORRIBLE GM . He seems to be building a team for yesterday and not tomorrow. Size over skill.

His aquistions have been marginal at best.

Beauchemin has been exposed as a overly priced defenceman , Leaving the side of Neidermeyer has exposed his lack of skills.

The trade for Kessel I would understand if this was 3 years from now but if you are going to rebuild you keep that pick and have a chance at Taylor Hall or Tyler Seguin. if you are rebuilding you do it thru the draft! But then again the Leafs have the worst scouts in the NHL so maybe he doesnt have any choice.

Trading Kaberle will be the worst thing they do, none of there present D possess puck movement skills to get the puck out of there own end.

A goaltender that has a bad heart, hence the reason he wasnt drafted.

Jeff Finger ( You paid what for whom? ) this was an actual headline on ESPN after this aquisition!!!

 

Phanuef hopefully works out buut his stock has fallen over the last few years as he has been showing more and more defensive liabilities. I ope playing under a bigger microscope helps and doesnt hurt his game.

 

Same for Giguere , his numbers have been sliding very badly over the last few years , maybe a change of scenery can reignite his game. If not you have a 33 year old goalie and one with a bad ticker....not good after you had Rask

 

ill give him credit for Bozak and Stalberg, some potential there, but that is over shadowed by good players th.ey have let go like Stempniak and Rask.

 

There only chance is to rebuild thru trades which the Maple Leafs have tried for 40 yeaars ( we seen how that works)

No draft picks , no future.

 

But what does it matter, winning is not important to the worst team in North American sports....just the bottom line as lemmings file thru the gate to watch Junior B hockey!

[/quot

Edited April 16, 2010 by JoeG

[JoeG]

Looks like I am in the minority here.

I think Burke is a HORRIBLE GM . He seems to be building a team for yesterday and not tomorrow. Size over skill.

His aquistions have been marginal at best.

Beauchemin has been exposed as a overly priced defenceman , Leaving the side of Neidermeyer has exposed his lack of skills.

The trade for Kessel I would understand if this was 3 years from now but if you are going to rebuild you keep that pick and have a chance at Taylor Hall or Tyler Seguin. if you are rebuilding you do it thru the draft! But then again the Leafs have the worst scouts in the NHL so maybe he doesnt have any choice.

Trading Kaberle will be the worst thing they do, none of there present D possess puck movement skills to get the puck out of there own end.

A goaltender that has a bad heart, hence the reason he wasnt drafted.

Jeff Finger ( You paid what for whom? ) this was an actual headline on ESPN after this aquisition!!!

 

Phanuef hopefully works out buut his stock has fallen over the last few years as he has been showing more and more defensive liabilities. I ope playing under a bigger microscope helps and doesnt hurt his game.

 

Same for Giguere , his numbers have been sliding very badly over the last few years , maybe a change of scenery can reignite his game. If not you have a 33 year old goalie and one with a bad ticker....not good after you had Rask

 

ill give him credit for Bozak and Stalberg, some potential there, but that is over shadowed by good players th.ey have let go like Stempniak and Rask.

 

There only chance is to rebuild thru trades which the Maple Leafs have tried for 40 yeaars ( we seen how that works)

No draft picks , no future.

 

But what does it matter, winning is not important to the worst team in North American sports....just the bottom line as lemmings file thru the gate to watch Junior B hockey!

 

 

Burke had nothing to do with Rask. I think that was either Quinn or Ferguson. They thought they had the next coming of Terry Sawchuk in Pogge and got rid of Rask for Raycroft. Stempniak was invisible here on most nights. It was as if he didn't want to be here and who could blame him. I've told most of my buddies this, there hasn't been a flop in a first overall pick in a while. Won't find out until either Hall or Seguin play but they could possibly be the next Alexandre Daigle. You guys remember him? Then ask yourself if was worth it.

Edited April 16, 2010 by JoeG

[Rizzo]

there hasn't been a flop in a first overall pick in a while

 

they could possibly be the next Alexandre Daigle. You guys remember him? Then ask yourself if was worth it.

 

true, but they could also be the next Lecavalier, Sundin, Malkin, Staal etc etc etc There are more success stories from top picks than failures I would think. Rather than comparing the pick to a monumental bust, wouldn't it make sense to just look at the last 10 years and see who went 2nd over-all? Unfortunately I'm far too lazy to look up who went 2nd lately, although i would imagine there are some pretty good players in that mix. Whoever those guys turn out to be, double their value since next years pick will be a good pick too barring some miracle (free agents coming for half price?)

[Guest ThisPlaceSucks]

Won't find out until either Hall or Seguin play but they could possibly be the next Alexandre Daigle. You guys remember him? Then ask yourself if was worth it.

 

you could easily say the same thing about kadri. truth is we won't know until 5 years from now, but if burke's rushed approach to rebuilding a team doesn't pan out, the kessel trade will be looked at as the achilles heel of the latest version of the maple leafs.

 

no doubt the leafs will be better next season, but if they don't make the playoffs then the burke era will be regarded as a monumental failure.

[solopaddler]

Won't find out until either Hall or Seguin play but they could possibly be the next Alexandre Daigle. You guys remember him? Then ask yourself if was worth it.

 

Forget Daigle.

Any of you Habs fans remember Doug Wickenheiser?

I believe they passed on Dennis Savard to pick this guy. LOL!

 

 

 

you could easily say the same thing about kadri. truth is we won't know until 5 years from now, but if burke's rushed approach to rebuilding a team doesn't pan out, the kessel trade will be looked at as the achilles heel of the latest version of the maple leafs.

 

no doubt the leafs will be better next season, but if they don't make the playoffs then the burke era will be regarded as a monumental failure.

 

I believe the Leafs will be much better next year.

 

I wonder what spot Kessel would be drafted this year if he was magically eligible?

 

He may very well go first overall.

 

The guy is still a kid and is a proven commodity.

[ADB]

 

I believe the Leafs will be much better next year.

 

I wonder what spot Kessel would be drafted this year if he was magically eligible?

 

He may very well go first overall.

 

The guy is still a kid and is a proven commodity.

 

 

Thank you Mike for the commonsense, for it has been lacking in some of the other posts.

Edited April 16, 2010 by ADB

[Guest ThisPlaceSucks]

It's not a lack of common sense, it's a lack of faith in selling the farm for a quick fix. Most of the top teams in the salary cap nhl that are succeeding did so by building up depth in the farm, not chasing free agents.

 

No one doubts the talent of Phil Kessel. My personal doubts are that he's worth TWO first rounders and a 2nd round, especially when you're giving away the 2nd pick overall.

 

Since you guys want to wave the Burke banner so much, what will you do if the leafs finish 9th or worse in the East next year? Burke claims this isn't a 5 year rebuild, and last season claimed that you would be competing for the playoffs. Instead you finished worse. So who lacks common sense?

[jediangler]

I'm sure the Leaf fans love affair with Kessel will end after another season. Take it from someone who has watched him for two years before he came to Toronto. He has one move, shoot it through the legs of the defence. He won't go into the so called "dirty areas", he won't take a hit to make a play, he won't throw a hit to save his life, he is not a team first kind of guy and if Wilson ever benches him for being selfish, he'll be demanding a trade within the week. Didn't any of you Leaf fans wonder why he couldn't score a goal in 6 games against the Bruins? If you play him physically, he disappears. Be happy with what you got from him this season because it will be his most productive one as a Leaf. I figure next year he'll miss 30 games or more with injuries. He looks good playing on the Leafs because the rest of the team are college players that never got drafted. This is probably one of the best trades ever made by a Bruins GM, next to Barry Pederson to Vancouver for Cam Neely and 3 first round picks.

[ADB]

It's not a lack of common sense, it's a lack of faith in selling the farm for a quick fix. Most of the top teams in the salary cap nhl that are succeeding did so by building up depth in the farm, not chasing free agents.

 

No one doubts the talent of Phil Kessel. My personal doubts are that he's worth TWO first rounders and a 2nd round, especially when you're giving away the 2nd pick overall.

 

Since you guys want to wave the Burke banner so much, what will you do if the leafs finish 9th or worse in the East next year? Burke claims this isn't a 5 year rebuild, and last season claimed that you would be competing for the playoffs. Instead you finished worse. So who lacks common sense?

 

Look, when I heard the Leafs had got Kessel, I said, "if they gave up two firsts, it may not be a good deal."

 

What I find ludacris is the opinion that #1) Burke's rebuild has failed, considering he spent the better part of a year getting rid of the team than so many Leaf-haters loved to bash, and #2) that Phil Kessel is somehow worse than draft picks who haven't played a game in the NHL yet. I won't even get into the statement that Kadri will somehow make the team worse next year...

 

If Seguin/Hall turn out to be better then Kessel, than I'll be the first to admit it was a bad trade, but I think most people don't truly understand how rare it is to find a player who can score 30 goals with their eyes closed.

Edited April 16, 2010 by ADB

[solopaddler]

It's not a lack of common sense, it's a lack of faith in selling the farm for a quick fix. Most of the top teams in the salary cap nhl that are succeeding did so by building up depth in the farm, not chasing free agents.

 

No one doubts the talent of Phil Kessel. My personal doubts are that he's worth TWO first rounders and a 2nd round, especially when you're giving away the 2nd pick overall.

 

Since you guys want to wave the Burke banner so much, what will you do if the leafs finish 9th or worse in the East next year? Burke claims this isn't a 5 year rebuild, and last season claimed that you would be competing for the playoffs. Instead you finished worse. So who lacks common sense?

 

 

Obviously Burke didn't think they'd finish this low.

If he had any clue he wouldn't have made the trade.

 

However as far as I'm concerned if the Leafs are strong next year he still wins the trade.

 

He's already proven he's able to find young talent elsewhere besides the draft (Bozak, Gustavson, Hanson).

[ADB]

I'm sure the Leaf fans love affair with Kessel will end after another season. Take it from someone who has watched him for two years before he came to Toronto. He has one move, shoot it through the legs of the defence. He won't go into the so called "dirty areas", he won't take a hit to make a play, he won't throw a hit to save his life, he is not a team first kind of guy and if Wilson ever benches him for being selfish, he'll be demanding a trade within the week. Didn't any of you Leaf fans wonder why he couldn't score a goal in 6 games against the Bruins? If you play him physically, he disappears. Be happy with what you got from him this season because it will be his most productive one as a Leaf. I figure next year he'll miss 30 games or more with injuries. He looks good playing on the Leafs because the rest of the team are college players that never got drafted. This is probably one of the best trades ever made by a Bruins GM, next to Barry Pederson to Vancouver for Cam Neely and 3 first round picks.

 

I'm sure than Boston is the only team in the league that played Kessel physically and knows about his "only move"...give me a break. He must have scored 30 goals by fluke then.

 

It's funny how the tune of Boston fans can change so fast. When Kessel was drafted you would've thought that the Bruins had the second-coming of Gretzky. Boston fans make it seem like they wanted to trade Kessel. Please. The only reason he was traded is because Boston wouldn't give him the money he wanted because they were bound by the cap, and then the Leafs came along with a deal they couldn't refuse. Notice how Boston went from 1st in the East in 2009/2009 to 6th in 2009/2010? I wonder why that happened... 276 to 204 goals? I wonder why that happened...

 

In terms of Kessel being injured, he missed 30 games over four years, which I'd say is pretty decent. And what injuries has he had? 2006: testicular cancer. What a testament to his durability...the idiot just had to go out and get cancer...2008/2009: Mono...he must have a pretty bad immune system I guess...2009/2010: Missed games after shoulder surgery...big deal, most NHL players have had at least one surgery. He's not Eric Lindros personified, or the Vince Carter of hockey.

 

You would think the fact that he scored 30 goals with college players would make him a better player? I don't know, that seems logical to me. What were all the Leafs-haters saying after they got him? "Oh, without Savard dishing him the puck he'll be nothing." Well, he still managed to score 30 goals in 70 games with virtual nothings playing centre for him.

 

Don't get me wrong, Phil Kessel isn't Sydney Crosby, or Alex Ovechkin, but the endless bashing of his play and character, to me, is ridiculous.

Edited April 16, 2010 by ADB

[Guest ThisPlaceSucks]

However as far as I'm concerned if the Leafs are strong next year he still wins the trade.

 

 

I agree with this to an extent.

If the leafs can outperform the bruins over the next 2 seasons he won the trade. But if the bruins become a dominant force or worse yet win a cup, burke should ask for some sort of royalties from boston.

[JohnF]

I'm sure the Leaf fans love affair with Kessel will end after another season. Take it from someone who has watched him for two years before he came to Toronto. He has one move, shoot it through the legs of the defence. He won't go into the so called "dirty areas", he won't take a hit to make a play, he won't throw a hit to save his life, he is not a team first kind of guy and if Wilson ever benches him for being selfish, he'll be demanding a trade within the week. Didn't any of you Leaf fans wonder why he couldn't score a goal in 6 games against the Bruins? If you play him physically, he disappears. Be happy with what you got from him this season because it will be his most productive one as a Leaf. I figure next year he'll miss 30 games or more with injuries. He looks good playing on the Leafs because the rest of the team are college players that never got drafted. This is probably one of the best trades ever made by a Bruins GM, next to Barry Pederson to Vancouver for Cam Neely and 3 first round picks.

 

Jeez. I'll betcha Burkey is really sorry he didn't consult with you before making that trade.

 

JF

[solopaddler]

I agree with this to an extent.

If the leafs can outperform the bruins over the next 2 seasons he won the trade. But if the bruins become a dominant force or worse yet win a cup, burke should ask for some sort of royalties from boston.

 

I have no problems with Burke. He's a smart man and not afraid to make a bold move when necessary.

 

I will however never forgive JFJ for giving Rask to the Bruins.

[Dutchy]

Don't get me wrong, Phil Kessel isn't Sydney Crosby, or Alex Ovechkin, but the endless bashing of his play and character, to me, is ridiculous.

 

Well, you quote me over the page, but I didn't bash him. I simply maintain he is not worth the draft picks they gave up for him even if he does score 30 goals. Burke said he would not trade draft picks away and its the first thing he did. I'll give you Kessel is young, but you will need way more than him to become contenders. Kessel is a solid player, but when you start comparing him...... top teams have 4 or even 5 players who have more points than him. If you change the players surrounding him will he become better? Only time will tell.