Can Burke pull it off?
Posted 2:48 PM ET | Comments 45
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After a disappointing end to what had seemed to be a good season, it is more apparent than ever the needs of this young leafs team. Although James Reimer has shown that he has the talent to be a number one goalie he has not shown the consistency that comes with that duty.
Therefore obtaining a goaltender is and should be first on Brian Burke's list, the more obvious choice in my opinion would have to be Canucks tendy Roberto Luongo who has seemed to be thrown to the side after the emergence of understudy Cory Schneider. Luongo has proven over his career that he can handle the full time duty of a starting goalie in the NHL and can put up impressive numbers in the process, without a doubt adding Luongo to the leafs roster would vault them into at least 8th in the eastern conference. Another advantage of picking up Luongo would be the ability he has to mentor young goaltenders such as Reimer or Scrivens as he had done with Schneider, which seemed to work out quite well. The conservative route to take would be trading for Jonathan Bernier has proven to be a solid backup but has yet to take on the responsibility of a starting goalie in the NHL and is just as much unproven as Reimer or Scrivens, therefore leaving Toronto with the same question mark going into the season that they have now.
Another gaping hole that has crippled the leafs is the need for a number one center with some size. Grabovski has emerged in the last two seasons as a solid number 2 center but does not have what it takes to be a number 1 in the NHL. The leafs do have a few prospects that could have the potential to fill that role such as Nazem Kadri who is believed to be too small and defensively challenged or Joe Colbourne who in a few years may be ready to take on such a role but still needs more time to develop and fill out his rather lanky frame. Which leaves Burke with no other option but to trade and the first name that comes to mind for the ex-general manager of the Ducks is Ryan Getzlaf. Although Getzlaf had a very poor season last year he has the size and has proven that he has the skill to play with any star player this league has to offer. As well has the experience of winning a Stanley cup and a gold medal Getzlaf would bring many different aspects to the Leafs lineup.
It’s easy to say what any team needs to win but can Brian Burke actually pull it off and finally turn this Toronto maple Leafs team into a winner again, that’s for him to know and Leafs nation to find out!
After a disappointing end to what had seemed to be a good season, it is more apparent than ever the needs of this young leafs team. Although James Reimer has shown that he has the talent to be a number one goalie he has not shown the consistency that comes with that duty.
Therefore obtaining a goaltender is and should be first on Brian Burke's list, the more obvious choice in my opinion would have to be Canucks tendy Roberto Luongo who has seemed to be thrown to the side after the emergence of understudy Cory Schneider. Luongo has proven over his career that he can handle the full time duty of a starting goalie in the NHL and can put up impressive numbers in the process, without a doubt adding Luongo to the leafs roster would vault them into at least 8th in the eastern conference. Another advantage of picking up Luongo would be the ability he has to mentor young goaltenders such as Reimer or Scrivens as he had done with Schneider, which seemed to work out quite well. The conservative route to take would be trading for Jonathan Bernier has proven to be a solid backup but has yet to take on the responsibility of a starting goalie in the NHL and is just as much unproven as Reimer or Scrivens, therefore leaving Toronto with the same question mark going into the season that they have now.
Another gaping hole that has crippled the leafs is the need for a number one center with some size. Grabovski has emerged in the last two seasons as a solid number 2 center but does not have what it takes to be a number 1 in the NHL. The leafs do have a few prospects that could have the potential to fill that role such as Nazem Kadri who is believed to be too small and defensively challenged or Joe Colbourne who in a few years may be ready to take on such a role but still needs more time to develop and fill out his rather lanky frame. Which leaves Burke with no other option but to trade and the first name that comes to mind for the ex-general manager of the Ducks is Ryan Getzlaf. Although Getzlaf had a very poor season last year he has the size and has proven that he has the skill to play with any star player this league has to offer. As well has the experience of winning a Stanley cup and a gold medal Getzlaf would bring many different aspects to the Leafs lineup.
It’s easy to say what any team needs to win but can Brian Burke actually pull it off and finally turn this Toronto maple Leafs team into a winner again, that’s for him to know and Leafs nation to find out!
Again would love to hear some feedback!
The Leafs need none of these currently. Eventually maybe, but right now no. Why give up all the pieces we have acquired for 2 pieces that wont be enough right now for us? Let us develop out talent, and when we finally need to make the push from a playoff contender to a cup contender, we can acquire those last few pieces (i.e. the NYR way)
Luongoo would simply make us a fringe playoff team, and byt the time we are ready to compete, he will be windin down... Might as well give Reimer and Scrivens the ice-time, and collect any high-end picks that result from their learing curves
Burke has built a great bottom 4 D and bottom 6 F corps. Now it's time to accessorize the roster with top-end talent and have the team buy Carlyle's systems. It's as much execution as the roster Burke puts down on paper.
Spell check helps.....
Burke isn't in a great spot, and it's going to hurt your team I think. He should continue to develop the kids and rebuild properly. Thing is.. he's toast this year if you don't get in, so that path isn't in the best interest for him.
^^ This.
Toronto has nothing that any other team would want except for their first round picks and Burke has succeeded in giving thoes away of late and their drafting has been atrocious with the picks they kept. Get Luongo, get Getzlaf....won't help. Fire Burke and start the full-on rebuild and maybe in 7 years they will have something. Imagine no playoffs for the leafs for 15 year...oh my!
@MadMan Rielly, Gardiner, JVR, Kessel, Lupul, Grabovski, Phaneuf, etc... Nothing that anyone would want? Your trolling needs work.
LOL@the blog title.
@ GuyLaDouche.............do you think he means Burke's tie?
put thanks for the comments guys love getting peoples thoughts and opinions
i dont agree at all though that they need to rebuild i think the players to win are there (colbourne,lupul,jvr,kadri,phaneuf,reilly,gardiner) just think need to add a center and veteran goalie
Colborne and Rielly are at least 2 years away from making an impact with the NHL club. Until they are ready, let's keep building up the prospect pool cause... why not
rielly can be a gardiner and step in given he is younger tho but i can see him making opening night
Yes.. rushing your defencemen into the NHL is a great idea.. just ask Luke Schenn.
im not saying rush him but if he performs in training camp and can contribute at an nhl level why not give him a chance?
He just came off a season where he is was out for the majority of it. Going from an 18 game season in the WHL, to an 82 game season in the NHL, after a serious injury is not a very smart idea. Give him 1 year in the AHL minimum!
Let Reilly go to Presason, if he does well give him ten game try out, send him back to Junior. Next year have him in the A as a call up for injuries and various tryouts, send him back to help the Marlies play for a title. Next year assess what you have.Reilly looks like he might have the skill to be NHL Ready, but injuries and growth are fundamental for tapping into that talent
Burke knows that with new ownership he must produce at least a playoff bound team. That being said, I would like to see a season wherein Reimer is a) Healthy and b) shed of the sophomore curse. (Why the hell does that ALWAYS happen). We are still in need of a big solid number one centre-and where we will come up with that is anyone's guess.
Burke doesn't know he must produce. You assume he must. If there's enough progress with the youngsters i'm sure he's given one more season. He has 18.5 coming off the cap next summer. He will be judged on being able to get getzlaf and perry
mfreedman........Rielly (just drafted...all hype at this point), Gardiner (unproven), JVR (potentially great), Kessel (enigmatic and ultra streaky), Lupul (made of glass...one decent year), Grabovski (not bad), Phaneuf (decent but severely overrated), etc. Again I say.....Leafs got nothing! Giver your head a shake mfreedman!
Furthermore....many think of these players only because Burke is a master at manipulation and self promotion. Like it not the Leafs are a massive mess. Burke's plan failed EOS! Time for that franchise to move on.
I aree that we should stand pat and add pieces along the way, but what do you call a good piece? I think for sure wait till this CBA plays out and hopfully gets rid of the long term crazy deals that just handcuffs teams down the road. Getzlaf is probably the first player I'd want to lead this team and at a perfect time UFA next year in his prime with tons of experiance. I say sign Getz asap, even if it takes Gardiner!
I would have liked to have seguin, but he would have needed mentoring and that we did not have. He would have looked bad and we would have trade him for shit and then he turn good so kessel is ok
@MadMan Ha! You're an idiot... By your logic, no one would want Nail Yakupov because he was just drafted... No one wanted Schultz either cause he was unproven? No one wants a somewhat streaky PPG player? No one wants a #2 d-man?... And I guess no one would want Crosby either because he's injury prone...
MadManPaddy .. is definately a person who knows very little about hockey. Leave the poor sap alone, he is clueless and has no way to defend his statements.
Freedman you are right bro.... That guy is an F***ing idiot.!!!! go LEAFS go
Reimer has still yet to play a full season. I believe he needs to be a back-up behind a solid yet older number 1 for the next year and then he will be ready for fulltime number 1 duties...I think that Backstrom (from the wild) is going to be the Leafs #1 target, he is going in to his final year of his contract (6-million) and possibly Reimer maybe ready after a year as a back-up.!!! FRANCIS ALLAIRE HAS TO GO AS GOALIE COACH FIRST BEFORE ALL THIS HAPPENS.
Look for this as well if the veteran goalie thing doesnt happen. Bernier (LA) to Tor for Frattin and a 2nd rounder, this is an official offer that LA has proposed to Toronto but Burke is hesitating to trade Frattin right now.!!! because of the Luongo situation and The wild are still thinking about the possibilty of Harding as their #1. MY UNCLE IS MY #1 RUMOUR SOURCE AS HE IS BURKE CLOSEST ASSISTANT.
You guys....or should I say little boys. Name calling????....temper tantrums?????....foul disrespectful language.........c'mon boys....be mature when you post please. Yikes.
You Leafs fans...you think you got a big ol' pot o' gold there in T.O.......be realistic. I never said that the Leafs had no NHL players but they DO NOT have any star players. Burke's options are limited when it comes to trades.
Kessel is a star player as is phaneuf he has star status in my opinion
cimini9...fair enough but certainly you can acknowledge that opinions vary...widely sometimes and I would suggest that is the case with both of those players
True but phanuef would be a top 2 d Plus kessler has had more then a few 30 goal seasons in a row plus top 5 last year for points on a team that bombed the last 25 games, don't see how anyone doesn't consider him a star in the league
Kessel*
In my opinion kessel and Phanuf are good players....no denying that but I would not rank them as "stars" in the league. They have not shown the kind of consistency that star players do. Now, in all fairness, neither of them have elite talent to play with though either so that makes a difference. I just think that T.O. has a long way to go before they will amount to anything more than a fringe team. Oh and Burke has to go!
What Burke does this summer will most likely define his career with the leafs
MadManPaddy how do you score 35-40 goals in a season and not be a star player how does that work was Sundin a star player did Kessel put comparable numbers to what Sundin din the last few years as a leaf hummmm i think so you my friend really should do more home work before you spout off I do how ever agree that Kessel is very enigmatic needs to stop trying to hard to not get hit youre reference to Lupol being made of glass what are you talking about ,,,Phaneuf overratted thats funny
Doubert...you are clearly just another half-blind (or maybe your completely oblivious) leafs fans. Your talking like I said that they were bad players that don't belong in the NHL. I simply said that they are good but not great. Phaneuf is over-rated...how can you argue that???? He is good....but not a star. Kessel has the potential to be a star player but he has consistency issues. And yes....Lupul is made of glass. Read and understand before you reply. And your comparing Kessel to Sundin...shame, shame.
Of I write more leafs blogs would you guys come back to read them? Looking to get serious about them