Toronto Maple Leafs 2011-2012

[Built Ford Tough]

See, part of that is what worries me about him . He loves to play a dump and chase style of game that features a lot of work below the icing line and along the boards. That is great and all if you have guys like Getzlaf, Perry, Ryan, Koivu and Selanne on your team. All of those guys are excellent in these areas and have great puck protection skills.

 

Who exactly do the Leafs have that fits this mold? Kulemin is the only top 6 forward who is good along the boards. Lupul isn't bad and Grabovski is tough as nails and will never quit regardless of how outmatched he may be, but he isn't very good at this are of the game either. Kessel is absolutely useless along the boards and the same can be said of MacAruther. Connolly is even worse than Kes is.

 

It is pretty hard to play a puck retrevial game when you don't have anybody on the roster who can go and get the puck.

 

In the future with guys like Ashton, Biggs, Ross, McKegg, Colbrone and Frattin this kind of game would work very well as they are all capable of playing that style, but with the current personnel it is going to be a struggle.

 

I do like his approach defensively, though. I absolutely hated how much Wilsons stressed pinching, especially with guys like Schenn and Komisarek. There is no reason why those two should be pinching as often as Wilson had them.

 

Like I said, I'm glad Wilson is gone but I certainly have my doubts about Carlyle. Then again, I'm hoping that this team looks much different in the next year or two so hopefully he will have the right roster to match his coaching style.

[DunkinDerozan]

Right as i was getting used to the fact that we're going to have to wait another year to make the playoffs, and at the very least we might end up with a top 10 draft pick, now suddenly Burke is trying to get us into the playoffs. Don't get me wrong, i'm as happy as the next guy that Wison i gone, but like you guys said, he's not much different then Wilson personality wise. I just really hope he can help out these guys confidence. If we finish 9th place again, I will be pretty pissed off.

[Check my Stats]

Now that is what a full 60 minutes of hockey looks like. Been a while since we have gotten to witness it.

[DunkinDerozan]

Now that is what a full 60 minutes of hockey looks like. Been a while since we have gotten to witness it.

 

My thoughts exactly. If they can keep that up i think they have what it takes to maybe make a playoff spot. Not getting my hopes up quite yet though.

[Check my Stats]

Grabo re-signed for 5 years 27.5M.

 

Don't like it, but it is probably as much, if not less, than what he would probably get on the open market after teams miss out on Parise. Hopefully Grabo can be a yearly 60 point player or so, in which case I will be content with the deal I guess. I think if you give him some better linemates he can be a real solid number 2 C in this league.

[DunkinDerozan]

Grabo re-signed for 5 years 27.5M.

 

Don't like it, but it is probably as much, if not less, than what he would probably get on the open market after teams miss out on Parise. Hopefully Grabo can be a yearly 60 point player or so, in which case I will be content with the deal I guess. I think if you give him some better linemates he can be a real solid number 2 C in this league.

 

I think he's already a very solid 2C in the league. Above average IMO, and with better players then Kulemin and Macarthur he could be on of the best 2C's. I'm alright with the deal. The salary is a little high considering he's being paid more then some 1st line centres.

[Built Ford Tough]

Pretty much what you would expect him to get. He likely would get $6M on the open market since he would probably be the best UFA centre.

 

It also isn't as bad as it looks since the cap is rising and is much higher than it used to be. I'm sure if he were to have signed this deal two years ago (assuming he was the same player now as he was then) that he would've gotten $4.5-5M since that would be a comparable percentage of the cap as what this deal is.

 

Grabo is my favourite player on this team and I love the way he plays, but this signing is about as high as can be without me actually calling it an overpayment.

 

I'm not thrilled with it, nor do I hate it. I'm pretty neutral on it.

 

 

 

PS: Tank Nation may have been given a gift tonight. It sounsd like Lupul wasn't moving his arm in the dressing room after taking that hit from Krejci in the 2nd. I definitely wouldn't be surprised if it was a seperated shoulder or something.

 

Oh yeah, Armstrong probably broke his noise again after Seidenberg destroyed him in that fight. That loss obviously isn't much since he has been out of the lineup most of his time in Toronto anyways. Still sucks to see a guy hurt, especially in that sort of fashion.

[DunkinDerozan]

Well, heres to hoping we continue to lose. As of right now, we are 6th last in the NHL. By the end of the year, we could end up with either the third or fourth pick. Thats pretty much the only thing to look forward to.

 

I really don't even know what they should do anymore. I'm assuming burke is going to go into next year with the same goaltendng, which i'm not against. As long as Reimer can come back to full form. Really though, we still have a lot of issues.

 

Tim Connolly is an absolute joke. He went from being the first line centre at the start of the year to switching between the third and fourth line at the end. He was supposed to be a good playmaking centre for Kessel, but he was far from that.

 

Kulemin has lost all of his confidence, and he has been pretty much useless all season.

 

Macarthur hasn't done hardly anything all year.

 

Schenn can't control a puck to save his life and is just a turnover waiting to happen.

 

Dion can't hit the net to save his life on slap shots, and he has hands of rock.

 

Kadri who hasn't really played for us this year needs to make the push to the NHL. I feel like it's been 10 years since we've drafted him, and he still hasn't been able to cement himself a spot in the NHL.

 

The list goes on and on. I don't know why I decided to get into a rant about this now, but I just can't take it anymore. I've been a diehard leafs fan much longer then i've been a raptors fan, and i've watched nothing but losing. i'm just sick and tired of it.

Edited March 13, 2012 by DemarDerozanDunk

[Built Ford Tough]

Don't look now but the Leafs are just 1 point up on last in the East and 3rd worst overall.

 

Tank nation is alive and well.

[EastCoastNiner]

But...but...but.....Burke is soooo good!!!!

 

I can't stand most Leafs fans. The Leafs are in the same position they were when Burke took over, and he has repeatedly said they would be a playoff team. It's time to fire that bum.

[Phightins]

But...but...but.....Burke is soooo good!!!!

 

I can't stand most Leafs fans. The Leafs are in the same position they were when Burke took over, and he has repeatedly said they would be a playoff team. It's time to fire that bum.

 

Why are you taking this out on Leafs fans? Seems to me like most of them are very frustrated with Burke.

[DunkinDerozan]

But...but...but.....Burke is soooo good!!!!

 

I can't stand most Leafs fans. The Leafs are in the same position they were when Burke took over, and he has repeatedly said they would be a playoff team. It's time to fire that bum.

 

Honestly I don't think this is his fully his fault. This team was a playoff team all the way up to past the allstar break, and then they just absolutely collapsed. Ron Wilson should be to blame imo. But a lot of that has to go on Burke for not firing that asshole of a coach sooner. Although they are still only like 1-5 with Carlisle.

[EastCoastNiner]

Why are you taking this out on Leafs fans? Seems to me like most of them are very frustrated with Burke.

 

I'm not taking it out on Leafs fans. I don't know how the Leafs fans here feel about Burke, but the general feeling is that most Leafs fans will blindly defend him. It's not a shot at them, but the absurdity that Burke is some amazing GM.

[Check my Stats]

You are ignorant if you think the Leafs are in the exact same position they were in when he got here. Just look at our roster and our farm system, that alone should make you reconsider your stance. He isn't some great GM, but he is probably better than someone who would replace him if we fired him. His ego is just unbearable, he needs to check that shit at the door.

 

Yeah we haven't made the playoffs since he got here, but when he got here Matt Stajan was also our best asset, we were loaded with numerous shit contracts, and we had nothing in our farm. We are in the same position in the standings maybe, but that isn't all that matters, our team is in a significantly better position than when he got here. The biggest mistake Burke made was trying to win out of the gate (see Kessel trade, Komisarek/Beauch signings), rather than build slowly, but that could be blamed just as much on ownership as on him, because we know that MLSE was definitely breathing down his neck to win immediately.

 

Also, not sure what Leafs fans you have talked to, but more than not want him fired, I am not one of them though because I would rather him as our GM rather than someone else who best case will be just as good as him.

 

http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/leagues/seasons/teams/0000382009.html

 

You honestly think that team there is just as bad as our team now? We actually have something to build from now, as opposed to then when we had nothing.

Edited March 17, 2012 by Check my Stats

[EastCoastNiner]

You are ignorant if you think the Leafs are in the exact same position they were in when he got here. Just look at our roster and our farm system, that alone should make you reconsider your stance. He isn't some great GM, but he is probably better than someone who would replace him if we fired him. His ego is just unbearable, he needs to check that shit at the door.

 

Yeah we haven't made the playoffs since he got here, but when he got here Matt Stajan was also our best asset, we were loaded with numerous shit contracts, and we had nothing in our farm. We are in the same position in the standings maybe, but that isn't all that matters, our team is in a significantly better position than when he got here. The biggest mistake Burke made was trying to win out of the gate (see Kessel trade, Komisarek/Beauch signings), rather than build slowly, but that could be blamed just as much on ownership as on him, because we know that MLSE was definitely breathing down his neck to win immediately.

 

Also, not sure what Leafs fans you have talked to, but more than not want him fired, I am not one of them though because I would rather him as our GM rather than someone else who best case will be just as good as him.

 

http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/leagues/seasons/teams/0000382009.html

 

You honestly think that team there is just as bad as our team now? We actually have something to build from now, as opposed to then when we had nothing.

 

Brainwashed by Burke, eh? The Leafs ARE in the same position they were when he took over.....out of the playoffs. He's not a great GM, and it's about time you realize it. Oh, the same "prospect pool" that's supposed to be great every single year, yet continues to suck and disappoint? Keep hanging onto that hope, and the Leafs will keep missing the playoffs.

 

Burke has stated his goals of reaching the playoffs multiple times, and has failed every single time since he's been in Toronto.

 

 

 

 

http://hfboards.hockeysfuture.com/showpost.php?p=45665233&postcount=812

 

Boom, roasted.......

 

Burke has failed on everything he has tried to implement. That post sums up everything perfectly, with quotes directly from his mouth.

 

Oh, wow. you think the team is more talented now? Guess what? The Leafs are going to miss the playoffs yet again, under Burke's watch. The players are changing, but there has been one constant in the Leafs losing seasons recently, and that's Burke.

[Built Ford Tough]

I agree that he is a vastly overrated GM, wouldn't give a rats ass if he was fired and hasn't done a good job in Toronto, but the organization as a whole is in a better position now than when he took over. That is undeniable.

 

When he took over the team's core was Tomas Kaberle, Matt Stajan, Jason Blake, Alexi Ponikarovsky, Pavel Kubina and Niklas Hagman. They had basically nothing in their pipeline as well.

 

Say what you want about the Leafs currently sucking, they certainly do, but I'd take a core of Phil Kessel, Dion Phanuef, Jake Gardiner, Joffrey Lupul, Luke Schenn and Mikhail Grabovski (although the last two were here when he took over) over that other group any day of the week. I'm not saying that core is great or anything like that, because it isn't, but it is still a clear improvement over the other group.

 

The biggest difference is the Marlies. They had absolutely nothing when he took over. It was so bad that Jiri Tlusty and Anton Stralman were considered the best prospects in the system. Now they have Joe Colborne, Nazem Kadri, Jessie Blacker, Korbinian Holzer, Matt Frattin and Carter Ashton in the system. None of them are blue chip prospects by any means, but they all project to at least be NHL players, which is much, much more than you could say prior to him coming to Toronto. The Marlies are one of the best teams in the AHL and it is mainly built on young players.

 

Of course, that is well and good and all, but it doesn't change the fact that the Leafs still suck and that is ultimately what his job is. He can have all the Calder Cup teams he wants, but it is useless if he is never able to build a contender for the Leafs.

 

Burke isn't a great GM, no Leaf fans in this thread have said he is, but to say that they aren't in a better position now than when he took over is incorrect. That is just as much of a testament to how terrible a position they were in when he took over than what he has actually done, but it is still true.

[DunkinDerozan]

I agree that he is a vastly overrated GM, wouldn't give a rats ass if he was fired and hasn't done a good job in Toronto, but the organization as a whole is in a better position now than when he took over. That is undeniable.

 

When he took over the team's core was Tomas Kaberle, Matt Stajan, Jason Blake, Alexi Ponikarovsky, Pavel Kubina and Niklas Hagman. They had basically nothing in their pipeline as well.

 

Say what you want about the Leafs currently sucking, they certainly do, but I'd take a core of Phil Kessel, Dion Phanuef, Jake Gardiner, Joffrey Lupul, Luke Schenn and Mikhail Grabovski (although the last two were here when he took over) over that other group any day of the week. I'm not saying that core is great or anything like that, because it isn't, but it is still a clear improvement over the other group.

 

The biggest difference is the Marlies. They had absolutely nothing when he took over. It was so bad that Jiri Tlusty and Anton Stralman were considered the best prospects in the system. Now they have Joe Colborne, Nazem Kadri, Jessie Blacker, Korbinian Holzer, Matt Frattin and Carter Ashton in the system. None of them are blue chip prospects by any means, but they all project to at least be NHL players, which is much, much more than you could say prior to him coming to Toronto. The Marlies are one of the best teams in the AHL and it is mainly built on young players.

 

Of course, that is well and good and all, but it doesn't change the fact that the Leafs still suck and that is ultimately what his job is. He can have all the Calder Cup teams he wants, but it is useless if he is never able to build a contender for the Leafs.

 

Burke isn't a great GM, no Leaf fans in this thread have said he is, but to say that they aren't in a better position now than when he took over is incorrect. That is just as much of a testament to how terrible a position they were in when he took over than what he has actually done, but it is still true.

 

I've got to admit, i'd actually be pretty pissed if he was fired. I personally think other then arguably the Kessel deal, there are almost no trades he's done where he lost the trade. He is one of the best in the business in pulling off pretty one sided trades. I personally think Burke has just got to change the way he builds teams. His whole top-6 bottom-6 way of doing things doesn't seem to work. When you look at some of the top teams in the NHL like Boston or Vancouver, they don't have two top lines of skill players and two bottom lines of grinders. It just doesn't work.

 

I still think this team can have a very bright future ahead if we keep around our young core guys like Kessel, Grabovski, Gardiner and Phaneuf who are currently on the team, and develop our young players currently playing for the Marlies and in the CHL and make sure to keep our first round picks every year, then I think we'll be alright. It's just been taking way longer than everyone was hoping for and expecting. I think Burke still has a fair amount of work to do to bring in a few more really good players, and put some better role players around them.

 

Honestly, I do think Burke is very overrated by some Leafs fans, without question. But I don't think its at a point where he should be fired. It was not that long ago that the Leafs were in a playoff spot, and no body was complaining then. It just seems like the entire team just collapsed, and Burke was in complete shock. If Burke would have grown the balls to fire Wilson awhile ago, then I think we would be in a playoff spot right now.

[Built Ford Tough]

I've got to admit, i'd actually be pretty pissed if he was fired. I personally think other then arguably the Kessel deal, there are almost no trades he's done where he lost the trade. He is one of the best in the business in pulling off pretty one sided trades.

 

Trading 3 prospects for Versteeg was a bad deal, but whatever. I don't have a problem with the trades he makes, but he has had some horrid free agent signings.

 

Komisarek

Beauchemin (although he got made up for it with the Lupul/Gardiner trade)

Armstrong

Orr

Connolly (can't blame him for the deal, but still turned out to be a huge bust)

 

All of those ended up being terrible signings for Toronto and those are considered to be Burke's big free agency acquisitions. If you are going to be dealing away draft picks and insist on trying to make a futile playoff run every year, you need to strike gold in free agency and Burke has yet to even come close to doing that.

 

I personally think Burke has just got to change the way he builds teams. His whole top-6 bottom-6 way of doing things doesn't seem to work. When you look at some of the top teams in the NHL like Boston or Vancouver, they don't have two top lines of skill players and two bottom lines of grinders. It just doesn't work.

 

It works perfectly fine if you actually execute it. Look at the top teams in the league:

 

Vancouver

 

Top 6: Kesler, Sedins, Burrows, Booth, Raymond/Higgins

Bottom 6: Malhotra, Lappiere, Pahlsson, Kassian, Hansen, Raymond/Higgins

 

New York Rangers

 

Top 6: Richards, Gaborik, Stepan, Callahan, Hagelin, Fedotenko

Bottom 6: Dubinsky, Boyle, Prust, Rupp, Mitchell, Anisimov

 

Pittsburgh

 

Top 6: Malkin, Crosby, Neal, Kunitz, Dupuis, Sullivan

Bottom 6: Cooke, Kennedy, Staal, Adams, Asham, Vitale

 

Boston

 

Top 6: Seguin, Lucic, Krejci, Bergeron, Marchand, Horton (when healthy)

Bottom 6: Kelly, Peverley, Thornton, Pouliot, Campbell, Paille

 

Philly

 

Top 6: Giroux, Jager, Hartnell, Briere, JVR, Voracek

Bottom 6: Simmonds, Talbot, Couterier, Rinaldo, Schenn, Read

 

Detroit

 

Top 6: Datsyuk, Zetterberg, Franzen, Hudler, Fillpula, Bertuzzi

Bottom 6: Cleary, Helm, Abdelkader, Holmstrom, Miller, whoever

 

I could use more examples, but you get my point.

 

Now compare that to Toronto:

 

Top 6: Kessel, Bozak, Lupul, Grabovski, McArthur, Kulemin

Bottom 6: Connolly, Steckel, Crabb, Lombardi, Frattin, Brown/Rosehill

 

Other than Brown and Rosehill, who never play at the same time, the Leafs have absolutely no depth in their bottom 6. Steckel is big, but has no grit and Frattin is young and still getting used to the physicallity of the NHL.

 

The top 6/bottom 6 philosophy is still perfectly valid. The problem is that, despite what he says, Burke has never actually followed this strategy. His teams have constantly been full of soft players in the bottom 6. The best teams in the league all have a nice mix of scoring in their top 6 and grit in their bottom 6 as shown above. Some have more offense than others in their bottom 6, but they still have grit and toughness. Just like how some teams have more grit and toughness in their top 6, but they all have high end offensive talent.

 

I still think this team can have a very bright future ahead if we keep around our young core guys like Kessel, Grabovski, Gardiner and Phaneuf who are currently on the team, and develop our young players currently playing for the Marlies and in the CHL and make sure to keep our first round picks every year, then I think we'll be alright. It's just been taking way longer than everyone was hoping for and expecting. I think Burke still has a fair amount of work to do to bring in a few more really good players, and put some better role players around them.

 

I think that core has an alright future. Get the right pieces around them and you can make the playoffs, but a bright future? I don't see it. That core to me is one of a perennial 1st/2nd round exit.

 

Also, the reason why it is taking longer than people expected or hoped is because of Burke's impatience. He jumped the gun his first few years with the team and it set them back 3-4 years.

 

Honestly, I do think Burke is very overrated by some Leafs fans, without question. But I don't think its at a point where he should be fired. It was not that long ago that the Leafs were in a playoff spot, and no body was complaining then. It just seems like the entire team just collapsed, and Burke was in complete shock. If Burke would have grown the balls to fire Wilson awhile ago, then I think we would be in a playoff spot right now.

 

I'm not saying he should be fired. I was just saying I couldn't care less if he did. His time should be running out, though, if you ask me. He should have to show some serious progress in the next year or two to not be on thin ice.

 

As for the playoffs comment, a lot of people were still complaining. There were plenty of comments about the Leafs simply outscoring their problems and once Kessel and Lupul came back to earth and weren't putting up 2 points every game this team would struggle and that is exactly what happened. The style they were playing would clearly not work in the playoffs even if they had made it there. Some people just didn't care because it has been so long since Toronto has made the playoffs that they would be fine just to make them, even if it was a 4 game sweep.

 

Firing Wilson was a step in the right direction, but this teams problems are much, much more than simply Wilson.

[DunkinDerozan]

Trading 3 prospects for Versteeg was a bad deal, but whatever. I don't have a problem with the trades he makes, but he has had some horrid free agent signings.

 

Komisarek

Beauchemin (although he got made up for it with the Lupul/Gardiner trade)

Armstrong

Orr

Connolly (can't blame him for the deal, but still turned out to be a huge bust)

 

All of those ended up being terrible signings for Toronto and those are considered to be Burke's big free agency acquisitions. If you are going to be dealing away draft picks and insist on trying to make a futile playoff run every year, you need to strike gold in free agency and Burke has yet to even come close to doing that.

 

 

I don't really have a problem with the Versteeg trade. If he would have played like hes been playing in Florida all year it would have been great, but they still managed to swap him for a first and a third round draft picks. They used that pick to get Tyler Biggs, so we'll see how that works out.Other than Stalberg, none of those prospects have done anything in the NHL yet, so i wouldn't call it a bad trade by any means.

 

As far as FA signings goes, that definitely seems to be Burkies weakness. He has been unable to sign a good player in free agency that has really been able to help this team out. Unfortunately, this year probably won't be any better considering Olli Jokinen is like the top prize.

 

 

 

It works perfectly fine if you actually execute it. Look at the top teams in the league:

 

Vancouver

 

Top 6: Kesler, Sedins, Burrows, Booth, Raymond/Higgins

Bottom 6: Malhotra, Lappiere, Pahlsson, Kassian, Hansen, Raymond/Higgins

 

New York Rangers

 

Top 6: Richards, Gaborik, Stepan, Callahan, Hagelin, Fedotenko

Bottom 6: Dubinsky, Boyle, Prust, Rupp, Mitchell, Anisimov

 

Pittsburgh

 

Top 6: Malkin, Crosby, Neal, Kunitz, Dupuis, Sullivan

Bottom 6: Cooke, Kennedy, Staal, Adams, Asham, Vitale

 

Boston

 

Top 6: Seguin, Lucic, Krejci, Bergeron, Marchand, Horton (when healthy)

Bottom 6: Kelly, Peverley, Thornton, Pouliot, Campbell, Paille

 

Philly

 

Top 6: Giroux, Jager, Hartnell, Briere, JVR, Voracek

Bottom 6: Simmonds, Talbot, Couterier, Rinaldo, Schenn, Read

 

Detroit

 

Top 6: Datsyuk, Zetterberg, Franzen, Hudler, Fillpula, Bertuzzi

Bottom 6: Cleary, Helm, Abdelkader, Holmstrom, Miller, whoever

 

I could use more examples, but you get my point.

 

Now compare that to Toronto:

 

Top 6: Kessel, Bozak, Lupul, Grabovski, McArthur, Kulemin

Bottom 6: Connolly, Steckel, Crabb, Lombardi, Frattin, Brown/Rosehill ???? No one

 

Other than Brown and Rosehill, who never play at the same time, the Leafs have absolutely no depth in their bottom 6. Steckel is big, but has no grit and Frattin is young and still getting used to the physicallity of the NHL.

 

The top 6/bottom 6 philosophy is still perfectly valid. The problem is that, despite what he says, Burke has never actually followed this strategy. His teams have constantly been full of soft players in the bottom 6. The best teams in the league all have a nice mix of scoring in their top 6 and grit in their bottom 6 as shown above. Some have more offense than others in their bottom 6, but they still have grit and toughness. Just like how some teams have more grit and toughness in their top 6, but they all have high end offensive talent.

 

I agree with what you said, if you execute it properly. Look at pretty much each one of those team you used as examples. All of them have a few grit players, but each one of them has atleast 2-4 players that do possess some offensive skill that can chip in offensively.

 

The Leafs have no one. Connolly you could say he would, before this season where hes been atrocious. But Steckel, Crabb, Lombardi, Frattin and Brown/Rosehill do not posses enough skill to chip in offensively. You could argue that Frattin and Lombardi do, but really they haven't shown it at all this year. Oh, and Crabb was playing pretty good offensively when he was first called up, but he's been basically invisible for a couple months now.

 

 

 

I think that core has an alright future. Get the right pieces around them and you can make the playoffs, but a bright future? I don't see it. That core to me is one of a perennial 1st/2nd round exit.

 

Also, the reason why it is taking longer than people expected or hoped is because of Burke's impatience. He jumped the gun his first few years with the team and it set them back 3-4 years.

 

I don't have much to say to that, you basically are right. The only thing to be a little bit more hopeful for is that we've got two first round picks from last year (Percy and Biggs) and we are most likely going to have a top 5 pick this year. Maybe if he draft right, and develop these guys, we will have more then a first round knock out kind of playoff team ahead of us. IF we can finally make a few decent FA signings.

 

 

 

I'm not saying he should be fired. I was just saying I couldn't care less if he did. His time should be running out, though, if you ask me. He should have to show some serious progress in the next year or two to not be on thin ice.

 

As for the playoffs comment, a lot of people were still complaining. There were plenty of comments about the Leafs simply outscoring their problems and once Kessel and Lupul came back to earth and weren't putting up 2 points every game this team would struggle and that is exactly what happened. The style they were playing would clearly not work in the playoffs even if they had made it there. Some people just didn't care because it has been so long since Toronto has made the playoffs that they would be fine just to make them, even if it was a 4 game sweep.

 

Firing Wilson was a step in the right direction, but this teams problems are much, much more than simply Wilson.

 

For sure his time should be running out. If we're not in a playoff spot next year I think he's gone. And if we can't atleast be a contender to go to the second or third round in 2-3 years then he should be fired aswell. I'm assuming you, me and along with every other Leaf fan out there, are really getting down to our last wire of waiting. I can not stand to watch the Leafs be a piece of shit [expletive]ing team for another year.

 

 

Not going to lie, I was one of those people that didn't care if our style might not have worked in the playoffs, i just wanted to see them make it for once.

[Built Ford Tough]

What I wouldn't give to have a team like the Bruins in Toronto.

[Check my Stats]

What I wouldn't give to have a team like the Bruins in Toronto.

 

Same. Not even success-wise (though having a contender would be nice lol), i just love how that team is built and how they play.

 

Also to ECN, I don't deny that Burke isn't some sort of great GM, but at the same time I won't call his entire tenure a failure (disappointment more likely) because when he got here he had nothing to work with. His biggest faults I think are honestly his ego (obviously) and his inability to temper expectations. He tried to win immediately (though this could have a lot to do with ownership) rather than build slowly through smart signings, drafts and trades, and that burnt him big time. He traded so much for Kessel when there was nothing else here, but for how bad that move was, he also has made his fair share of very good deals (the Lupul thing was complete luck though I do not credit him for that).

 

I am not going to sit here and argue over Brian Burke because I don't really care enough to, but I would prefer to give him 1, maybe 2 more years; I won't hold him responsible for the first couple of shit years we had because when he came in we might as well have been an expansion team, but next year will have been 3 years where he could have made us a legitimate playoff team, but didn't, and at that point, I think your assessment can be fair. But I don't think it is really fair to call him a failure when he came in with really nothing to work with.

 

I would call him more of a disappointment than a failure.

Edited March 20, 2012 by Check my Stats

[Built Ford Tough]

Yeah, I wasn't even refering to them being a top team in the East or defending Stanley Cup Champions. Obviously I would love to have those things as well, but I was simply speaknig in terms of the style of play from that team. Sure guys like Lucic and Marchand may cross the line here and there, but I'd take that over players who are too soft to even win a puck battle in the corner.

 

As for Burke, I'd give him one more year. His contract is up at the end of next season so I'd let him ride that final season out before making a decision on him one way or the other. However, despite that, I'd need to see significant improvement for me to keep him around past next season.

[Check my Stats]

Cue the senseless end of season run to help us finish outside of the lottery.

[Phightins]

Cue the senseless end of season run to help us finish outside of the lottery.

 

This Flyers fan would fully support a Maple Leaf win tonight .

[Built Ford Tough]

7 years and counting and after this season officially wraps up, the only team who hasn't made the playoffs post-lockout!