Should Burke be given one extra year to redeem himself?

[Frankie]

I'll ask again (since you avoided it): what success did he have as a GM at any level prior to being handed the reins to Toronto?

i don't avoid anything. if you asked before, i must have missed it. there's no reason to avoid anything around here. if i'm wrong, i'm wrong, i acknowledge it, and move on.

jfj was the gm of the ahl's worcester icecats, i believe (stand to be corrected). they were a decent, certtainly not great ahl team when he was their gm.

other than that, no gm experience that i'm aware of.

what difference does that make? should no team hire a gm without previous nhl gm experience? that would seriously limit the pool of available candidates, and you'd be looking almost exclusively at guys who have been fired.

 

[CellarDweller0]

LOL

You're making a fool of yourself.

In the time Burke has been here we have seen the following centers in circulation among 29 other teams through the draft, trade, and free agency:

Richards, Carter, Richards (Mike), Tavares, Nugent Hopkins, Schiefle, Huberdeau, Couturier, Galchenyuk, Staal, Duchene, Ryan O'Reilly, Mike Fischer, Jiri Hudler,

all of them being better than Bozak

Oh yeah, and he also decided to let Antropov go for a 2nd round pick who has like 2 points in the AHL

What makes you think he didn't try? You can only do so much with the assets you have. Do you really think he could have attained all those centremen willy-nilly?

 

[Mystifo]

LOL

You're making a fool of yourself.

In the time Burke has been here we have seen the following centers in circulation among 29 other teams through the draft, trade, and free agency:

Richards, Carter, Richards (Mike), Tavares, Nugent Hopkins, Schiefle, Huberdeau, Couturier, Galchenyuk, Staal, Duchene, Ryan O'Reilly, Mike Fischer, Jiri Hudler,

all of them being better than Bozak

Oh yeah, and he also decided to let Antropov go for a 2nd round pick who has like 2 points in the AHL

None of those C you posted that were draft picks were available when we are drafting and the UFA minus Hudler had their teams already picked. I.E Fisher was going to Nashville to be with Carrie Underwood and Richards was going to join his friend Torts in NYR.


As for the ones who could of been obtained via trade please make an offer that would of made sense using pieces we had and show us how these C were obtainable?

 

[InterceptSchenn]

If I am bad at my job for four years I get fired......Same with Burke. The team right now is terrible. We are a bottom feeder.

 

[hotpaws]

So he was wrong about his 'timeline'. He's admitted he was wrong. I know its tough for perfect people who are always right such as yourself to understand, but yes, even general managers can be wrong sometimes. The real test is how you respond to being wrong. Burke started trading for youth and prospects. And this 'nonsense' he's spewing to buy himself more time, what is it exactly?

The 'anti Burke' group you refer to is stuck on one trade made many years ago that brought in a 21 year old superstar, who is now one of the best players in the league at 25.

When did Burke admit he was wrong , all he keeps saying is it's taking longer than he thought . He's never said why it's taking longer and in fact he keeps saying he could make the playoffs anytime he wants if he decided to trade our youth which outside of Reilly is meh .

No one's stuck on the Kessel trade but if you're going to discuss Burkes performance with the Leafs then you include all his moves .

When did Kessel become one of the best players in the league ?

 

[Morbo]

When did Kessel become one of the best players in the league ?

Last season.

 

[hotpaws]

Last season.

So floating above the blueline playing one way hockey elevates someone to the top of the league . You must of loved the 80's .

 

[The Beyonder]

I would extend him. No point in blowing it up again. The team has shown some improvement on roster and in the farm, that I'd personally give him 3 more years.

 

[Bomber0104]

Last season.

Kessel is nowhere close to the best player in the league.

Point totals arent the be all end all.

 

[Bomber0104]

I would extend him. No point in blowing it up again. The team has shown some improvement on roster and in the farm, that I'd personally give him 3 more years.

Improvement?

The Leafs have gotten worse in the standings.

 

[hotpaws]

I would extend him. No point in blowing it up again. The team has shown some improvement on roster and in the farm, that I'd personally give him 3 more years.

The team needs a massive overhaul regardless of whether Burke is here or not .

 

[Morbo]

So floating above the blueline playing one way hockey elevates someone to the top of the league . You must of loved the 80's .

I know it hurts you deep inside, but Kessel finished 6th in scoring last year. A while back Zeke posted a list of the players who have done that. I'd encourage you to find it and read it again.

 

[Bomber0104]

None of those C you posted that were draft picks were available when we are drafting and the UFA minus Hudler had their teams already picked. I.E Fisher was going to Nashville to be with Carrie Underwood and Richards was going to join his friend Torts in NYR.

Sure they were.

The Leafs have been terrible for years now.

Yakupov/Murray, Nugent-Hopkins/Landeskog, Hall/Seguin, Tavares/Hedman

have all been within reach of the Leafs. Im not a professional general manager so dont ask me how you make a team bad enough to get them but the fact is these players were within reach obviously since the Leafs could have had Seguin, just for starters.

As for the ones who could of been obtained via trade please make an offer that would of made sense using pieces we had and show us how these C were obtainable?

Again, not a pro manager here.

All I know is that LA got it done...Columbus got it done...and many other teams have been able to land star free agents.



During four years the best center Burke has been able to come up with was Bozak.

During four years the best goalie Burke has been able to come up with was Gustavsson.

The need now is the same as it was then and Burke has put absolutely NO EFFORT OR PRIORITY into shoring up these positions.

 

[hotpaws]

I know it hurts you deep inside, but Kessel finished 6th in scoring last year. A while back Zeke posted a list of the players who have done that. I'd encourage you to find it and read it again.

Yup he was 6th in scoring while being a minus player again on the 26th place team while playing soft one way hockey .

Why would this hurt me inside ? I never said he wasn't a talented player , i simply said Burke got bent over in that trade but what Burke gave up to get him has nothing to do with PK since he wasn't the one who made the deal .

 

[Bomber0104]

I know it hurts you deep inside, but Kessel finished 6th in scoring last year. A while back Zeke posted a list of the players who have done that. I'd encourage you to find it and read it again.

Who cares?

Really.

Who cares?

The Leafs have been **** with Kessel, and I have a feeling they would be just as **** without him.

So Kessel doesnt really improve the Leafs.

The best players in the league elevate their teams level of play.

The Leafs have been even worse with Kessel.

He's not among the best and he has not been the answer for this franchise.

He's not a franchise player, in other words.

 

[K19*]

I couldn't read past the first couple pages because the Burke apologists made me want to gouge my eyes out. I couldn't imagine living in such denial.

 

[The Blue Devil]

THe pleasure of doing?

More like the managerial competence to acquire.

Yeah, it's his fault that teams aren't just throwing them away.

 

[CellarDweller0]

I couldn't read past the first couple pages because the Burke apologists made me want to gouge my eyes out. I couldn't imagine living in such denial.

Almost as much as the delusional armchair GM's that think that trades in the NHL happen like they do in NHL 13.

 

[Rare Jewel]

I couldn't read past the first couple pages because the Burke apologists made me want to gouge my eyes out. I couldn't imagine living in such denial.

What that we have more faith in a guy who has won a Stanley cup and silver medal at the Olympics then a few pissed off fans sitting in their wreck room on a computer thinking they know how to run a hockey team better than a guy who the job for nearly 20 years.


Sorry then.

 

[Rare Jewel]

Who cares?

Really.

Who cares?

The Leafs have been **** with Kessel, and I have a feeling they would be just as **** without him.

So Kessel doesnt really improve the Leafs.

The best players in the league elevate their teams level of play.

The Leafs have been even worse with Kessel.

He's not among the best and he has not been the answer for this franchise.

He's not a franchise player, in other words.

I guess you just didn't watch last year from October to February where he pretty much held down a spot in the top 5 in scoring while team was in a playoff spot.

I guess if you can't put pads on a stop pucks as well you can't be considered one of the better players in the league.

 

[The Blue Devil]

I guess you just didn't watch last year from October to February where he pretty much held down a spot in the top 5 in scoring while team was in a playoff spot.

I guess if you can't put pads on a stop pucks as well you can't be considered one of the better players in the league.

I guess he also thinks Stamkos sucks.

 

[Frankie]

What that we have more faith in a guy who has won a Stanley cup and silver medal at the Olympics then a few pissed off fans sitting in their wreck room on a computer thinking they know how to run a hockey team better than a guy who the job for nearly 20 years.

does this mean we shouldn't question anything any nhl gm does? because they all have far more experience than any of us.

we should applaud everything they all do?

 

[Frankie]

Yeah, it's his fault that teams aren't just throwing them away.

if having a #1 "franchise" centre is crucial to the team's success, doesn't burke absolutely have to find a way to get one? shouldn't have have found a way by now?

is it acceptable for him not to find a way to land a top centre, while the team continues to lose?

 

[Michel Beauchamp]

You're nothing without goaltending and good coaching.

Who was responsible for the team having neither?

You're funny.

 

[LeafsNation75]

LOL

You're making a fool of yourself.

In the time Burke has been here we have seen the following centers in circulation among 29 other teams through the draft, trade, and free agency:

Richards, Carter, Richards (Mike), Tavares, Nugent Hopkins, Schiefle, Huberdeau, Couturier, Galchenyuk, Staal, Duchene, Ryan O'Reilly, Mike Fischer, Jiri Hudler,

all of them being better than Bozak

Oh yeah, and he also decided to let Antropov go for a 2nd round pick who has like 2 points in the AHL

If you remember Burke said he was in talks with Paul Holmgren about Mike Richards, then told him he would think about it and get back to him. So it's not his fault that while he was talking it over with his staff that Richards was traded to Los Angeles.