The media giveth and the media taketh ...
Nov 12, 2010 9:11:26 GMT -5
Post by Disgruntled70sHab on Nov 12, 2010 9:11:26 GMT -5
... something like that anyway. Odd isn't it? The Toronto media were the ones who engineered the whole "Burke-is-the-answer-for-the-Leafs" until Burke finally took the bait (and the money mind you).
Now look ... (odd that Simmons leaves a disclaimer at the end of the article)
============================================================
Maple Leafs are Burke's mess
By STEVE SIMMONS, QMI Agency
TORONTO - What happened in Anaheim doesn’t matter much anymore.
What happened in Vancouver or Hartford, with the nifty manipulation that led to the drafting of the Sedin twins or Chris Pronger, is ancient hockey history.
The old records, frankly, have gotten old and stale.
Just weeks away from two years on the job of running the Maple Leafs, this much is now obvious: Brian Burke has been a grand disappointment as president and general manager of the Leafs. For all his sound and all his fury — and if you get to know him you can’t help but like him — the Maple Leafs are again a horrible hockey team.
They are 25th best in the NHL. With the 26th best powerplay. The 27th best penalty killers. And 28th in goal scoring.
This is Burke’s team. This is his preferred coach, even if he didn’t hire him. These are mostly players he has acquired.
If this was John Ferguson Jr., there would be a metaphorical noose waiting for his neck. He was an easy target. But because it’s Burke, who has won a Stanley Cup, who has never ducked a question, who did good work in Vancouver, who came to Toronto with so much hope and hype, there is the tendency to give him the benefit of the doubt.
But for how long?
That is the difficulty of the Maple Leafs situation. This is a team without much hope. They had no centres yesterday. They have no big time centres today. Tomorrow, other than the possibility of Nazem Kadri, there may be no other centres to choose from. They didn’t have their first round pick last June. They don’t have their first round draft pick this June. June of 2012 is a long way away.
The Burke Leafs, unless they vastly improve, are a team lacking leadership, skill, depth and a definitive blueprint to the future. (here I was thinking Phaneuf, Komisarek were brought in for their leadership)
And there are few trades to be made in this salary capped National Hockey League world even though Burke has already made deals for Dion Phaneuf, Phil Kessel and Kris Versteeg, players that were supposed to make the Leafs better. Individually, each should add something to the Leafs. Collectively, for everything they have provided, there is something still lacking, something missing. And inside, that must bother Burke terribly.
“I’m sure this (losing) is killing him,” said J.S. Giguere, the Leafs goalie and apparent spokesman, who won a Cup with Burke in Anaheim. “And I’m sure in the back of his mind, he knows we’re capable of doing good. I know Brian. He believes in us. We’re his players. He brought us in because he believes in us.”
The Leafs best defenceman this season, Luke Schenn, was not a Burke draft choice. He inherited him from the previous administration.
The Leafs most complete forward this season, Nikolai Kulemin, was not a Burke selection. Kulemin was drafted in the Ferguson years.
The Leafs largest plus player, Mikhail Grabovski, was a Cliff Fletcher deal.
The Burke additions on defence, Phaneuf, Mike Komisarek and Francois Beauchemin, have yet to meet expectations, let alone play anywhere near the level of their salaries. All of them played better before arriving in Toronto. (no, really?)
The Burke additions on offence, Tyler Bozak, Kessel, Clarke MacArthur, Versteeg, Colton Orr, Mike Brown, Fredrik Sjostrom, Christian Hansen, were supposed to change the offensive nature of the team, or team toughness, or something: But like everything else, the wingers are strangled by the weakness at centre.
A quick confession: I was a huge advocate of the hiring of Burke. I thought he was a perfect choice for this city and the franchise. I was a fan of the way he rebuilt the Anaheim defence, which enabled the Ducks to win a Stanley Cup. I was impressed with the clever deals he had made in the past. I saw him as someone who would bring sense and stability and aggressiveness and purpose to the Maple Leafs front office, something that had been lacking for years.
But I didn’t like the Martin Gerber waiver claim in 2009, which didn’t allow the Leafs to bottom out when they ran out of goaltenders, thus costing the team a lottery pick which could have turned out to be John Tavares or Matt Duchene. I didn’t like the price he paid for Kessel. I think he sharply overpaid for Komisarek and Beauchemin. All of it in a rush of impatience.
I still believe Brian Burke can make this team work. (I wonder if he realizes here just what he said in the article)
But it’s easy to wonder now if his bark isn’t a whole lot more dangerous than his bite?
link
Cheers.
Now look ... (odd that Simmons leaves a disclaimer at the end of the article)
============================================================
Maple Leafs are Burke's mess
By STEVE SIMMONS, QMI Agency
TORONTO - What happened in Anaheim doesn’t matter much anymore.
What happened in Vancouver or Hartford, with the nifty manipulation that led to the drafting of the Sedin twins or Chris Pronger, is ancient hockey history.
The old records, frankly, have gotten old and stale.
Just weeks away from two years on the job of running the Maple Leafs, this much is now obvious: Brian Burke has been a grand disappointment as president and general manager of the Leafs. For all his sound and all his fury — and if you get to know him you can’t help but like him — the Maple Leafs are again a horrible hockey team.
They are 25th best in the NHL. With the 26th best powerplay. The 27th best penalty killers. And 28th in goal scoring.
This is Burke’s team. This is his preferred coach, even if he didn’t hire him. These are mostly players he has acquired.
If this was John Ferguson Jr., there would be a metaphorical noose waiting for his neck. He was an easy target. But because it’s Burke, who has won a Stanley Cup, who has never ducked a question, who did good work in Vancouver, who came to Toronto with so much hope and hype, there is the tendency to give him the benefit of the doubt.
But for how long?
That is the difficulty of the Maple Leafs situation. This is a team without much hope. They had no centres yesterday. They have no big time centres today. Tomorrow, other than the possibility of Nazem Kadri, there may be no other centres to choose from. They didn’t have their first round pick last June. They don’t have their first round draft pick this June. June of 2012 is a long way away.
The Burke Leafs, unless they vastly improve, are a team lacking leadership, skill, depth and a definitive blueprint to the future. (here I was thinking Phaneuf, Komisarek were brought in for their leadership)
And there are few trades to be made in this salary capped National Hockey League world even though Burke has already made deals for Dion Phaneuf, Phil Kessel and Kris Versteeg, players that were supposed to make the Leafs better. Individually, each should add something to the Leafs. Collectively, for everything they have provided, there is something still lacking, something missing. And inside, that must bother Burke terribly.
“I’m sure this (losing) is killing him,” said J.S. Giguere, the Leafs goalie and apparent spokesman, who won a Cup with Burke in Anaheim. “And I’m sure in the back of his mind, he knows we’re capable of doing good. I know Brian. He believes in us. We’re his players. He brought us in because he believes in us.”
The Leafs best defenceman this season, Luke Schenn, was not a Burke draft choice. He inherited him from the previous administration.
The Leafs most complete forward this season, Nikolai Kulemin, was not a Burke selection. Kulemin was drafted in the Ferguson years.
The Leafs largest plus player, Mikhail Grabovski, was a Cliff Fletcher deal.
The Burke additions on defence, Phaneuf, Mike Komisarek and Francois Beauchemin, have yet to meet expectations, let alone play anywhere near the level of their salaries. All of them played better before arriving in Toronto. (no, really?)
The Burke additions on offence, Tyler Bozak, Kessel, Clarke MacArthur, Versteeg, Colton Orr, Mike Brown, Fredrik Sjostrom, Christian Hansen, were supposed to change the offensive nature of the team, or team toughness, or something: But like everything else, the wingers are strangled by the weakness at centre.
A quick confession: I was a huge advocate of the hiring of Burke. I thought he was a perfect choice for this city and the franchise. I was a fan of the way he rebuilt the Anaheim defence, which enabled the Ducks to win a Stanley Cup. I was impressed with the clever deals he had made in the past. I saw him as someone who would bring sense and stability and aggressiveness and purpose to the Maple Leafs front office, something that had been lacking for years.
But I didn’t like the Martin Gerber waiver claim in 2009, which didn’t allow the Leafs to bottom out when they ran out of goaltenders, thus costing the team a lottery pick which could have turned out to be John Tavares or Matt Duchene. I didn’t like the price he paid for Kessel. I think he sharply overpaid for Komisarek and Beauchemin. All of it in a rush of impatience.
I still believe Brian Burke can make this team work. (I wonder if he realizes here just what he said in the article)
But it’s easy to wonder now if his bark isn’t a whole lot more dangerous than his bite?
link
Cheers.
