Posts tagged brian burke
The General On MacArthur, Sir!
Aug 28th
Clarke MacArthur is a Leaf. Yes, we can now jump and celebrate the sweet top six delight. Wait, what? Is this the move we’ve been waiting Burke to make? Well no, not in the slightest actually, but there are more than plenty of positives to take out of this signing.
About Kaberle…
Aug 17th
As you may or may not know, Kaberle is not among my favorite Leafs. Not by a mile. He is a turnover machine that can’t defend like an All Star defenseman should and his only asset are his puck moving abilities that make him a beast on the PP. Be it a beast that’s afraid to shoot the puck. I don’t know how many times have I caught myself yelling at the computer screen (yes that’s how I watch my games) – shoot, shoot, only to see him pass the puck along with the opportunity to put one on net. The main thing that always bugged me is not any of the aforementioned stuff. It is his lack of will to compete. All that said, I guess you believe that I’m really angry about Kaberle staying with our favorite club. You couldn’t be more wrong.
No News, Just Rants.
Aug 9th
Ah, here we are, that point that every hockey fan hates to see. Nothing. Is. Happening. But, I’m glad to say that the worst is probably behind us. The Leafs are bound to make some more moves as time moves on. Starcraft 2 and Mass Effect 2 are good distractions from hockey but let’s face it, it doesn’t even come close. So what do you do? You get up every morning thinking ok, this is the day, the day that your favorite blue team makes a eye popping trade. Instead, Kovalchuk hasn’t signed yet. Kovalchuk’s deal isn’t finalized. Arbitrator still undecided. No blue in sight. The question becomes not who, cause I think most of you will agree, we have exhausted all the possible options, but rather when. This will be a short overview of the situation the Leafs are in right now.
Ways To Build, Rating Burke’s Model
Jul 17th

There are lots of ways of building a successful hockey team. Through the years, we have been witnesses (no, not basketball, I couldn’t care less about LeBron and the overinflated egos) of basically the two main models. Rebuilding by trade and rebuilding via entry draft seem to be the two base models of building any hockey team. It’s not one over the other, rather the symbiosis of both that often proves to be the winning ticket. Over the years, I’ve realized that the two base models can be divided into lot’s of different subgroups. One of these subgroups is the topic of discussion here. This is an article where I’ll try my best to analyze Burke’s model for rebuilding and creating a successful hockey team. Hope you enjoy it.
I’ve Got Arby’s On My Mind
Jul 7th
Earlier this week was the deadline for eligible RFA’s to file for arbitration. Initially 31 players filed, and two have already re-signed with their clubs (Jeff Schultz in Washington and Cam Janssen in St. Louis.) It is highly likely these two won’t be the last to go this route as if last year was any indication only a handful of players feel like being locked in a room and having their careers dissected. Even fewer of those players that complete the process are not re-signed by their teams. So why is any of this interesting? Why should we care if there isn’t even a Leaf in arbitration? In the always interesting salary cap world, there is a outlying possibility that there may be players who are worthwhile to Toronto that may ultimately become UFA’s come early June, and maybe that will be Brian Burke’s draft day. More >
And So Say We Hall
Jun 26th
And with the first overall pick the Edmonton Oilers select Taylor Hall of the Windsor Spitfires. A sigh of relief by all the Toronto hockey lovers. Why you ask? What does Hall have to do with the Maple Leafs? Well, let me explain. When Brian Burke traded for Phil Kessel with the two picks and made a bold (some would call stupid) move that was a topic of heated discussions throughout the year, nobody really thought it would be a lottery pick. Did you? Honestly now, did you believe with the kind of preseason the Leafs had we would end up being the second worst team in the league?
More >
Kaberle traded for State of Minnesota
Jun 25th
Tomas Kaberle, the only player on the Toronto Maple Leafs with more than two years spent playing for the team, has been traded to the United States of America for the entire State of Minnesota.
Kaberle, along with throw-in and Toronto Marlies team Captain Ben Ondrus, are heading to the North American nation in exchange for Minnesota, the thirty second state in the United States Union. The twelfth largest by area, and twenty first by population, Minnesota is most well known to Canadians for being a border state of Manitoba and Ontario, and for their hockey teams – the Minnesota North Stars of 1967 to 1993, and the Wild of 2001 to present.
How Does It Effect The Leafs?
Jun 20th

It’s now the home stretch to the draft, and it’s nice to see it’s not going to be a slow week getting there either. There are the planned events of the Award Show, the Schedule Release, and Hall of Fame Inductees announcement. As well as their should be a vote from the NHLPA on whether the cap will go up 5% (2 million dollars) this year. Plenty of interesting stuff during the week. Thank you Nashville Predators for giving us something to talk about on the weekend. The Predators pulled off two major trades effecting three different teams, so it is now easy to ask. How will it effect the Leafs? More >














