Brian Burke and the Future of the Toronto Maple Leafs

Patience seems to be wearing thin with Brian Burke these days.

On November 30th, SkinnyFish over at Pension Plan Puppets put up a post on How Cup Winners are Built where he looked at teams that had reached the pinnacle of success in the last 20 years of NHL hockey.  The conclusion he arrives at is that most teams breakdown of forwards among their top six scorers would be 3 drafted, 2 acquired via trade and 1 acquired through free agency.  As an extension of this, he argues that Brian Burke's 'July 1st is our draft' mantra means that he's not the right guy for the job.

Firstly, I think it's difficult to look at any team building that took place prior to the salary cap and use it as a model for how teams should or even can be built within it.  With free agency occurring at a younger age and teams being restricted in the dollars that they can spend, the dynamics of team-building are very different now than they were prior to the lockout.  This makes using stats extremely difficult as sample sizes are necessarily small and smaller still if you consider that very few teams have actually been built without the legacy of the pre-cap era.

Where the PPP article is bang-on (though it is never explicitly stated) is that it is enormously difficult to land a franchise player anywhere other than the draft.  These guys, even in a cap league where spending is restricted and UFA years come sooner than later, simply don't hit the market.  You'll get the occasional Hossa, Gaborik, or Kovalchuk but forget any pipedreams about Stamkos coming to a team near you.

Today's elite teams such as Chicago and Washington are successful precisely because they were able to land franchise talent in the draft by tanking out.  Other GMs have taken notice and first round draft picks have appreciated in value to a point that in my mind is patently absurd.  This means that everyone is trying to build through the draft now.  In some ways it makes perfect sense but in other ways it doesn't.

Early Season Report Cards

With the season a quarter done we here at BCP feel it’s time to hand out some report cards. As a Maple Leafs fan the ride has been much like a roller coaster these first few weeks. From the hot start, to franchise long losing streak, to the recent bounce back (led by my guy Nazem Kadri) – it’s been anything but boring.

Some players have greatly exceeded our expectations, while others have struggled to produce. Below are the early season report cards for some notable Leafs.

Getting Unsportsmanlike Activities Out of the Game

Everyone agrees that referees have a tough job.  They're expected to make split-second decisions on the activities of 12 different players on the ice at any given time in one of the fastest games in the world.  It's enough to make your head spin.

Making this more difficult are the "fake artists" (trademarked, Colin Campbell - not really) of this world.  Call them whatever you like, they're bad for the integrity of the game and they make things extremely difficult on the referees.

This week, it wasn't a fake artist but another type of unsporting activity coming out of Ottawa (no surprises there).  In a game against Los Angeles, Matt Carkner appeared to intentionally lift the net out of position to prevent a goal by the Kings.  The play went to review but the referee was powerless to determine whether there was any intent on Carkner's behalf and could instead only pass a ruling on whether the net was on its moorings when the puck crossed the line which, of course, it was not.

From Carcilo's faked high-stick in the playoffs to Carkner's net push, these plays cheapen the game and the referees are essentially at the mercy of these slimy players. 

The Dion Phaneuf Deal

We all remember the day we heard the news.  I was in my car on my way to Chapters listening to sports radio when I first heard.  Within minutes I received a flurry of text messages from friends who were eager to share the news.  Who was heading out didn't much matter at the time.  We knew it wouldn't be Kessel or Schenn and anyone else was completely expendable.

As near as I can tell, the move was met with near unanimous approval among Leaf fans - which is no small feat.

As time has gone by, the shine has started to come off.  The Leafs' record has improved since the deal but Phaneuf's cap hit of $6.5M is well above the standard of play he's provided the team thus far which has left many Leaf fans wondering if the deal should have been made in the first place. 

The way I see it, there are two things that matter in any deal in a cap world - dollars and talent. 

Brad Richards - Is He the Answer?

Today at work I overheard some interesting water cooler Leafs talk (ok we don’t actually have a water cooler – it’s a coffee station – water cooler banter just sounds better). Two guys were going on and on about how good Brad Richards would look wearing the beautiful colors of the blue and white.

The Dallas Stars' 1st line center, Richards is currently playing out the final year of his massive contract and is garnering interest from a number of teams around the league. Normally a player of his calibre would be a candidate for a long term extension; however ownership woes in Big D will likely result in Nieuwendyk sending Richards out of town at the deadline for a package of picks and prospects.

Sh*t My Girlfriend Says (While Watching Hockey) Vol. 2

Three games this week as the Leafs beat both the Predators and the Devils before losing to the most disgusting team in the NHL.  With the Predators' game being the rollercoaster that it was, my girlfriend was in predictably fine form.  I've also included a gem from the past for your reading pleasure.

Context: Nashville scores their first goal of the game.

"Oh geez.  Even the suits aren't impressed!"