This is the era of L O N G term contracts in the NHL. So while John Ferguson Jr. may have been a total knucklehead, nothing that I have read or seen since he blew out of town has changed my mind about that, but at least he didn’t give away any 12 year contracts. You have to believe that is for one reason. He wasn’t smart enough to figure it out! If he was Jason Blake would have been on the books for another 9 years, not to pick on Blake, but that last contract Domi signed would have been for at least 8 years, with Tie actually having to pay the Leafs in years 7 and an8. Nope, our last full time GM wasn’t so bad after all, he didn’t stick us with any of those L O N G term contracts. Problem is, he also didn’t get any players deserving of them.

Of course that was written tongue in cheek, however it does beg the question, do you think that our Leafs will ever have the type of player you would want to sign to an excessively long term contract. I know many of you are in love with Luke Schenn. I don’t know why, but I just don’t imagine ever giving him that type of contract. I recognize that I may one day eat those words, and hell I hope I do. Other than him, is there someone you see who could one day get that deal??? A Schrute Buck to the first person who yells Kadri!

I doubt these long term contracts will be around when Buzz Hargrove negotiates the next CBA for the NHLPA, so we can only dream…

What do you think?

By the way, I loved all the emails responding to both little TSM’s bedwetting alarm and the guest vs. host question- keep em coming.

TSM

@yyzsportsmedia

No real shocker here, as JFJ has been told he will not be interviewed for the vacant GM post with the Minnesota Wild.

“The short list includes Pittsburgh Penguins assistant GM Chuck Fletcher, TSN and NBC color analyst Pierre McGuire, longtime NHL GM and coach Pat Quinn, Nashville Predators assistant GM Paul Fenton and Wild acting GM Tom Lynn.”

That from one of my favorite hockey writers, Michael Russo. Fenton surprises me because when Craig Leopold bought the Wild, as part of his deal he was apparently prevented from hiring any Predator employee. Unless the Pred’s have given him permission to do so, then all bets are off. Chuck Fletcher was with Florida under all sorts of different regimes and is a great guy with respectful pedigree. Quinn, surprises me only in that I thought he really would want to only coach. I can’t speak to Lynn’s credentials at all. McGuire is the most intriguing name on the list. If you want to build a team from the draft up, I can’t think of anyone alive who knows more about junior aged players and up coming drafts then Pierre. How that translates into the ability to run a franchise is anyone’s guess. This will certainly be an interesting hire unfold.

Poor JFJ, still stuck as a scout. Question is can he confirm or deny that to be the case?

TSM

Russo is here

And there you have it. Tavares mania has hit Toronto. As expected the papers and airwaves are full of talk of Burke going after expected number one pick, John Tavares. Here is a quick summary of who is saying what:

First off, the Toronto Sun has the story on the front cover! A tad over the top, but hey it’s the Sun. Rob Longley starts his column off with this :

“It likely couldn’t happen in any other city, in any other pro sport or from many other general managers. But few are like Brian Burke either, and the Maple Leafs president is playing his cards face up with little concern who sees them. ”

Longley has a pretty good wrap up of Burke’s day yesterday, the only new thing you may learn from the piece is this:

” – Burke acknowledged talks with the agent for Leafs rookie Mikhail Grabovski “have not been successful” and he wouldn’t be surprised if arbitration was required. “He’s a guy who has benefitted from ice time that he hasn’t earned,” Burke said of the Belarusian, who becomes a restricted free agent this summer. “But he’s also grabbed that ring and made himself a better player.”

Gotta love the backhanded compliment. Well done Brian.

Steve Simmons has a very good piece, one that is worth the time to read:

“Whether he talks a better game than he trades will be determined over the next two months, having placed himself in a position for possible ridicule after announcing yesterday morning that he was going after John Tavares and going after the first pick in the National Hockey League draft.”

As I wrote last night, Burke has clearly marked his territory and by saying he wants to hit a home run has availed himself of guaranteed ridicule if he doesn’t come through. Again, maybe it doesn’t matter. I for one give him serious kudos for sticking his neck out there and delivering the right message. The thing that is good about the piece by Simmons, is that there is actually some meat on the bones; he does some analysis:

” Pick No. 1 is owned by the New York Islanders, with neophyte general manager Garth Snow in charge. The Islanders, for the record, have issues, like a lack of money, a bad building, ownership that may be looking to move the franchise and absolutely no identity. Who knows how Snow might react to a full-court press from Burke: But from this vantage point, the Islanders have no choice but to utilize the pick. The question is: Do they pick Tavares first or do they settle for the big Swedish defenceman, Victor Hedman? The Leafs have little to offer the Islanders other than money: Burke might want the first pick but getting it from the Isles seems a long shot at best. ”

I think that is fair game. I have said it too many times now though, I can’t see the Isles moving the pick for anything less then a song. Simmons then discusses the potential of dealing with the Bolts, who, I think are going to do what they can to trade down to get rid of bad contracts and better priced defencemen:

” And in the current economy, the only real advantage Burke has is working for a team that doesn’t have money issues of any kind. The betting here is, if Burke could somehow wind up with the second pick, he’d wind up with either Tavares or Matt Duchene of the Brampton Battalion, one of the two best forwards available in this draft. If the Islanders pick first and take Tavares, and the Leafs move into the second spot, they would likely take Duchene.”

Ah yes, the JT debate. I think this is going to be an interesting topic of discussion as we approach the draft. Who is the best player for the Buds to target should they get close enough to the top? I am not an expert, so i am not going to pretend to know. Pierre McGuire was on the Fan this am and was gushing about Matt Duchene (imagine McGuire gushing over a prospect!).

Simmons then discusses the Av’s and the potential benefit of a totally raw new GM, should the current GM hire his son as many expect. Simmons however ends the column on a high for the TML, something we haven’t seen to often around these parts of late:

“It was no accident that Burke came out and said what he did yesterday. What seems off the cuff in public is actually well planned out. Without saying so, he was hoping to make people nervous. And damn, they have a plan and don’t seem to care who knows about it.”

Perhaps a tad bit too psychological for the topic at hand, however, one gets the feeling of respect. So while JFJ couldn’t or wouldn’t confirm that he had a pulse, you get the sense that Burke is, if nothing else respected for being up front and honest. In the world of sports, who would have guessed?

Over at the Star Damien chimes in:

“It wasn’t just that he made bold draft moves to land Chris Pronger in 1993 and the Sedin twins in 1999. It’s that he correctly projected those players to be the best talents of their draft class, a more difficult process by far than playing chess with draft picks. So when Burke says he has his eye on getting the No.1 pick in the 2009 entry draft and using it to acquire John Tavares, well, there’s evidence to suggest the man knows what he’s talking about.”

Respect. Burke may not get every move right but he will be respected by those who cover his team. In this town that is a big deal and worth keeping an eye on. Collangelo gets because of his pedigree, his work in AZ and because no scribe considers themselves any smarter. J.P. doesn’t get it because of his arrogance, his inability to succeed in past years and because he leaks info to American media outlets. JFJ didn’t get it because he spoke like an idiot and made critical errors out of the gate. Burke, at least so far clearly has it from the right guys.

“Wang and Islanders GM Garth Snow won’t surrender this opportunity easily. Burke got the right to draft Pronger 16 years ago from San Jose for a package that included Sergei Makarov, the sixth overall pick, a second rounder and a third rounder. Given the added value of entry-level contracts in a salary cap world, the cost to get Tavares is likely to be much, much heavier.”

I think that is 100 accurate. Getting to number one is not going to be easy.

“The second problem is that gunning for Tavares and being willing to sacrifice a chunk of talent and futures to get him just doesn’t feel like the right play in this particular draft. In fact, it feels kind of like the football drama played out a decade ago when the 6-10 New Orleans Saints traded all their picks on draft day for the right to choose Heisman Trophy-winning running back Ricky Williams.”

Ah yes, betting on the wrong horse. As I have said before, I am not Mike Toth, so I cant tell you whether or not Tavares is the guy. All I can say is that if you are going to be overpaying you can’t be wrong.

The good think about Damien’s piece is he looks at the big picture and provides an alternative thought:

“No, this seems the right year for the Leafs, if they can, to hold on to their pick, and try to acquire another top-10 selection. Get two blue-chip prospects instead of one.
Let’s say the Leafs can draft Brayden Schenn, brother of Luke, at the seventh slot, then persuade one of the next three teams in the draft – Dallas, Ottawa and Edmonton – to surrender their pick. With that, Burke could grab gritty Peterborough winger Zack Kassian, Swedish defenceman Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Russian-born blueliner Dmitry Kulikov or even University of Minnesota speedster Jordan Schroeder.Doubling up with a Schenn/Schroeder combination, or Schenn/Kassian, seems as productive a draft day harvest as Tavares, and more doable.”

These moves would certainly be safer. I think we would all be thrilled if he somehow emerged with 2 top 10 picks as opposed to one. However, Damien is smart enough to smell the roses and asses the situation:

“But Burke has his own grand plan. If he really believes Tavares is a franchise player worth sacrificing a package that might have to include defenceman Tomas Kaberle, the No. 7 pick, next year’s first rounder and promising winger Chris DiDomenico, or something roughly equivalent to that, well, he should go for it. Perhaps he believes that through more college free agents and a big name on the NHL free agent market this summer – Jay Bouwmeester? – he can quickly replace the assets sacrificed to acquire Tavares. It wouldn’t be the safe play. But you know he’s one of those who believes safe is death.”

Almost a blessing don’t you think? Damien’s proposed price is even steeper then I imagined. Kaberle, this years #1, next years #1 and a prospect??? WOW-

I am hoping people who read these guys regularly start asking them if they would make the deal they are proposing…

Damien’s colleague Dave Feschuk has perhaps the quote of the day with respect to Burke:

“Brian Burke is the Leafs president and GM, a Harvard-educated lawyer and a Stanley Cup champion. He’s also the best columnist in the city. And the crushing thing for the rest of us typists is that he’s dominating the sports pages without even trying.”

While Feschuk is joking, does anyone reading this disagree with the statement????

“Seriously, if you saw yesterday’s season-wrapping press conference at the Air Canada Centre, you’ll know Burke reeled off more eloquently phrased, funnier-than-thou, cut-to-the-bone opinions in a half-hour than this slow wit will likely conjure in the coming quadrennial. It was beautiful to behold and it had to be historic – a Leafs honcho actually acknowledging that something’s been amiss in Leafland. Imagine.”

No seriously, is Burke the best columnist in town? This article also screams of respect. Something that has been amiss for so long.

“Just when you thought there still might be room to stick the knife into the slothful jocks – the pampered collection of 24th-placers who’ve become household names for house-league feats – Burke grabbed the shiv and turned the post-mortem into a bloodbath. “A player’s here long enough, he starts thinking, `I’m special, because there’s 20 people who want to talk to me.’ No. They’re there to talk to whoever comes off the ice with a Maple Leafs uniform on. And I think players confuse their role on a team that’s struggling with being a good hockey player. `Oh, I’m on the second power-play unit. I must be a good hockey player.’ No. We don’t have a very good team, and so you get that ice time.”

The reason it’s such good material??? IT’S THE TRUTH!! The truth as we all know shall set you free…

“It brought back memories of the glory days, when scribes actually had to point these things out. It’s funny how yesterday’s rile-up-the-rabble heresy is today’s company line. Or, rather, it’s not funny: Rile-up-the-rabble heresy was a decent niche. Still, if this team ever gets good, you wonder how long Wilson can keep the gig. The Burke-Wilson tandem is good cop-bad cop, only without the good cop. It’s American Idol judged by four Simon Cowells. When the GM’s a truth-telling ball-buster, somebody’s got to balance out the negativity with some level-headed perspective, and Burke understands the game well enough not to leave it to the sports columnists.”

Funny how that point is echoed by so many of the comments and emails I get in response to stories about Burke/Wilson. This, by the way may be Feschuk’s best column ever….

Over at the Globe Jeff Blair continues to prove to be the most steady, dependable scribe in town:

“Given Burke’s track record in landing defenceman Chris Pronger for the Hartford Whalers in 1993 — it took two trades on the draft floor — and coming out of the 1999 draft with both Henrik and Daniel Sedin after dealing with four teams and essentially bullying then Tampa Bay Lightning GM Rick Dudley, it is a statement that is more than just empty bravado. Just look at the way the Leafs are constructed. Before Burke took the dais yesterday, it was telling that head coach Ron Wilson rattled off Mikhail Grabovski, John Mitchell, Nikolai Kulemin and Schenn as core players. He quickly added that now healthy goaltender Vesa Toskala was not an entire waste of space, either. (Burke said he liked the fact that after he called Toskala out, “he told me to stick it.”)”

Again you can tell that there is a matter of respect and oh my god, he actually did some homework before putting finger to keyboard (a novelty in this town).

“Burke went on from there, noting that even the worst team in the history of the NHL, the 1974-75 Washington Capitals, “had a leading scorer.” Grabovski, he said pointedly, benefited from “situational ice time on a team that wasn’t very competitive.” Zing! “You can never confuse those things when you’re a player,” Burke said. “I think players who play here for a long time confuse the media passion and attraction for this team with being a good hockey player. They come off the ice and there’s 20 people want to talk to them. ‘I must be a good hockey player.’ No … they’re waiting because you are a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs. “There are players on this team — and who have played here before — who confuse their role on a team that’s struggling with being a good hockey player. ‘I’m on the second power-play unit … I must be a good hockey player!’ No, we don’t have a very good team, and so you get that ice time. We’ll find out where that balance comes in, and whether a player’s realistic about that assessment.” This is more than just bluster or good showmanship. Burke has a great deal of currency in these parts.”

What a great piece. The stories of the guys who used to play for the leafs, sitting in corners of the locker-room yapping up to no good is the stuff of legends. Good teams have good players that play hard as a team. This team has long suffered from, if nothing else a toxic environment. Burke is going to fix that.

“He’s spat in the face of conventional wisdom that said the team’s fan base wouldn’t handle a garroting of the club. He’s had the stones to back up his talk, and don’t think the powers that be at Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment haven’t noticed. He wants a bigger team, yet he has also made it clear he will keep this club light on its feet financially. The biggest strength of this franchise is its financial resources, and even if the salary cap bites hard, the Leafs are still going to be strong relative to every other team. Maybe even stronger. So good on Burke. It’s about time this franchise started tossing its weight around. Nobody has much liked the Maple Leafs around the NHL for years because they were viewed as underachieving, smug whiners and yappers. They were the rich kids on the block who kept cracking up daddy’s Bimmer. If Burke has his way, there will be a whole new reason to hate this team in the next few years. The right phone call here. The proper whisper there …
So, John Tavares. How badly do you want to be a Maple Leaf?”

Opinion I would actually pay for! Good stuff Jeff, it’s nice to read someone who puts in the extra effort and calls it like he sees it. I am also impressed that Blair is willing to go where others haven’t, writing that which has been unprintable before.

Howie in his blog raced to talk to Tavares (remember when Maurice got fired….the famous drive to pick up the kids?) To be honest that angle of the story isn’t very relevant to me. However Berger does discuss what it may take to land the number one pick:

“As such, it’s unlikely Burke will put restrictions on particular assets a team would seek in pursuit of Tavares — whether he makes a deal before or after the entry draft. That means Luke Schenn has to be in the mix… perhaps unavoidably if Burke truly wishes to land the No. 1 prospect in the hockey world. Burke is also likely praying that the New York Islanders win tonight’s draft lottery. Tavares has cryptically made it known he not enthused about playing for the team with the best percentage chance to land him, and Burke will be very active in dealing with the club that owns the top pick. Would the Islanders, for example, trade that choice to Burke for the Leafs’ first-round pick [No. 7 overall]; at least one second-round pick; Schenn, and a wad of cash [i.e. taking an existing contract off the Islanders’ roster]? Schenn is certainly shaping up to be a dominating blue-liner, but is he in the “can’t miss/franchise-player” category of Tavares? If Burke really wants Tavares — and it sounds like he does — that’s the sort of package he’ll have to offer.”

I think Howie is more in line with what the asking price may be then others I have seen. Question I have for Howie is, would he make the deal?

Jim Kelley has similar points on his blog today:

“Burke said what he said because that’s what he wants to do and that’s what he intends to do. He might not get it done, but it won’t be for a lack of trying. It also won’t be because he’s good at slight-of-hand or pulling wool toques over rival GMs’ eyes. It will happen only if he can construct the deals and deliver the assets that other teams want. That’s not easy. It requires hard work, a gifted ability to convince others that it might be in their best interest to see things in a different reality. It might even involve a little fiscal muscle and some creative roster moves not to mention the power of Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment in the NHL boardroom, but it is doable. Not likely I might add, but doable and Burke has the track record to prove it. The odds and the sentiment among today’s GMs (Rule No. 1 Thou Can Keep a Job for a Long Time Waiting for a No. 1 to Reach Full Potential) say no, but you’ve got to respect a man who is willing to try.”

The best article of the day goes to Bruce Arthur in today’s National Post (Blair comes a close second).

“On Tuesday, after a season in charge of what was basically somebody else’s team, the president and general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs put forth a more complete and muscular mission statement. This was not quite Burke at his least filtered – not like his broadsides with Edmonton GM Kevin Lowe, or his playoff defence of the Sedin twins – but it was a more revealing glimpse at just what kind of man is in charge of the local hockey team.”

Exactly, I don’t think Burke was putting on a show. I think now that the season is over, this is really his team and he is going to make it as such right away.

“Yesterday Burke spent more than half an hour communing with the flock, via the media. It was a tour de force of intensity, intent, and ambition. It was a show. When Burke threatened the job security of every single Leaf under contract, you believed it. When Burke savaged the culture of entitlement for hockey players in this city, you nodded along.”

Not to mix politics with sports but I was asked recently what I thought of the new US president and the job he has done. I think that with him in the oval office at least there is hope. I feel the same way with Burke. He has a big job in front of him (Burke) and he is going to work his tail off to get it right. What more can we as fans ask for? (no, I am not comparing Burke to Obama in anyway….)

“Burke was not just sending a signal to his fellow GMs, or to the Tavares camp – just say you won’t play for whoever’s in the top slot, John, and we’ll come for you – he was issuing a statement of ambition to the long-suffering fans of this misbegotten franchise.We are not fooling around here, he was saying. We are not shooting for the middle, or even the upper-middle class. No guarantees, but we are aiming at the top.”

Why do you think this has more credibility then say Paul Maurice saying his team was the most talented he had ever coached? Burke has the presence. He speaks and you want to believe. Maurice said it and you were embarrassed for the guy (good luck in the playoffs by the way).

“If you tell me we can have a parade in a year, but I can’t do one interview, and I can’t put my name on one thing. Where do I sign? Where do I sign? I’ll do it right now. I just want to win.” If talking were winning, he would need new fingers for all the rings. But Burke seems to have the right idea on how to change the culture in this town. Sure, he knows talent is necessary, that youth is critical, that patience is king. Besides those basics, there is a culture to remake. The blind worship from the fans – and the omnipresence (and occasional obsequiousness) of the media – have had a hold on too many players’ minds for too long. Burke and his people even called it “blue and white disease” when he was back in Vancouver. He has no more important task than to eradicate it.”

You can feel the passion jumping off the page, you can see why Arthur felt the way he did. Burke is saying what so many of us have wanted for so long…Hope and the truth. We can live with a rebuild, just call it one and do it right….

“For far too long, the Leafs organization has been a breeding ground for comfort, for cronyism, for the indifference to unrequited love. But Burke is different. He liked it when an angry Vesa Toskala, after Burke criticized the goaltender over work habits that turned out to be related to injuries, “was basically telling me to stick it.” He was angry when he came to the rink the day the Leafs were officially eliminated this season to find “it was like the leaves are turning, a non-event … I’m still sour about it.” And if you think he and coach Ron Wilson have started breaking down the entitlement thing this season with press-box benchings, you ain’t seen nothing yet.”

Good! It’s about time the room got fumigated. Maybe Wilson isn’t the long term solution, maybe just long enough to instill the proper foundation.

“You guys think that Ronnie’s taking on players this year?” asked Burke. “You’ll know when we go after a player. Trust me. Ask Kevin Lowe if I have any problem with the English language. I don’t.” Amen, brother. The Leafs have long been more investment vehicle than sports team, but Burke seems to care like the fans care. Believe or don’t believe, but however it ends, it promises to be one hell of a ride.”

The Lowe quote is brilliant, easily the quote of the day! What a great read too.

Michael Traikos tracked down Rick Dudley, frequent guest of Rumack’s to talk all things Burke:

“To be honest with you, it wouldn’t surprise me,” said Rick Dudley, the assistant general manager of the Chicago Blackhawks. “There’s not a lot of bull— with Brian. If I said I had interest in his player, he would tell me what it would take to get him. He gets a lot of deals done because of that.” Dudley, who essentially helped Burke draft brothers Daniel and Henrik Sedin in 1999, speaks from experience.It was a very complicated deal,” said Dudley. “There was a lot of trust involved. You had to know exactly who was going to be picked at each spot. But it worked out for everybody in that we all got what player we wanted.”

That my friends is a recap of all things Burke and Tavares!

TSM

Longley is here
Simmons is here
Damien is here
Feschuk is here
Blair is here
Berger is here
Kelley is here
Arthur is here
Traikos is here

Well sports fans, as promised Damien brought out the knife today and aimed it squarely at one Clff Fletcher. At least so far Damien has been very pro Brian Burke, or at least more balanced when it comes to reporting on his actions (or lack thereof). With Cliff, he says the right things, kind of but his criticism is, like Kramer said, hanging right out there…

“Had that not happened, Cliff Fletcher would have remained in charge through to this coming June, and it’s difficult to imagine the damage that might have been done by that time. Fletcher’s a nice man who owns a Stanley Cup ring and is a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame. He is part of hockey history, and that will never change. But he wasn’t a suitable fit to run an NHL team in the cap era, yet Richard Peddie was prepared to let him to do so. Fletcher gave away viable draft picks like candy last summer (even a fifth rounder was obscene for Ryan Hollweg) to try and put a better team on the ice immediately and in so doing hang on to the “interim” GM position. The last piece evidence that he was prepared to sell the future was the deal that brought Lee Stempniak to town for Alex Steen and Carlo Colaiacovo, a deal that will be even more difficult to swallow next season when the light-weight winger earns a $3.5 million salary.”

One point to remember on Stempniak, is that is cap hit next year is under 2 million. Damien has been anti Cliff since Cliff took over. I think Cliff did a hell of a lot better then JFJ was doing or ever could have done. The Hollweg deal was a joke, I think the Mayers one was equally as bad and I have to think that Wilson was at least partially on board with trading Steen and Carlo. He did make the move for Schenn, which some people still argue was a bad move given the other players who were available at no additional cost to the Leafs. He did deal away McCabe and get Van Ryn back and he did bring in Grabovsky whom only yesterday Wilson said he “had all the time in the world for Grabovsky” which seems in stark contrast to what other media members seem to say his reputation is.

“Yesterday, meanwhile, the league fined the Leafs $500,000 and stripped them of a fourth round pick for the Jonas Frogren signing last summer. The contract was illegal, but rather than running it past the NHL first, Fletcher just did it and now the Burke administration is paying the price. Whether Fletcher really understood that the deal wouldn’t pass muster is unclear. The new CBA, after all, is a complicated beast. But that this was all done to sign Frogren, a marginal NHLer with suspect foot speed who can’t stay healthy, is ridiculous. Again, the notion was that Frogren would make an immediate difference, however, and that, not long-term growth, was the priority of Fletcher, which is why Jeff Finger was signed to such an outlandish contract How’s three more years at $3.5 million hit you today?”

Again, I may be alone on this one, but the Finger deal doesn’t bother me. By the Buds are really competitive the Finger deal won’t be so bad and it will be almost over. The guy is exactly as advertised, a steady defencemen. He doesn’t hurt you and he doesn’t embarrass you. I think if he had some strength around him his play would be even better. Let’s say that the Frogren matter is a pain in the ass and it stinks to high hell too.

“Burke may never lack for bluster, but he showed great class yesterday in not making any comment at all that could be seen as a condemnation of the previous caretaker administration for the Frogren screwup, and good for him. It would have been easy for him to roll his eyes at the loss of the very same draft pick that he essentially bought from Tampa for $500,000 in a complicated deadline deal, one that he made sure the league would accept BEFORE he did it, so instead he refused comment and issued an nondescript, let’s-move-on press release. ”

True, good for him. However what good would it have done for him to carve Cliff. There are lots of people who love the silver fox and carving him would only have made Burke looked bad. I think Burke knows that Cliff did what many of us would have if we were in the same situation. He came in midstream with no real mandate and no real timetable.

“The good news for Leaf fans is that while Burke and his underrated sidekick Dave Nonis are aggressive managers, they know the CBA and always make the extra phone call. They’ll make mistakes. Christian Hanson may be the first one, who knows. But it won’t be because they don’t have a logical plan or don’t know the rules.”

Let’s remember that when the sword comes out and Damien wants Burke to fall on it. We all know that day will come. It always does. I don’t know why he would point to Hanson in this column. I can’t imagine how he could classify signing a kid to a 2 year entry level deal as being a mistake. Say he plays less then 50 games as a leaf ever. What did it cost him. It didn’t cost him a pick. There was no compensation outside of money. Money he has lots of. Seems like a strange example to throw in to this piece.

In his mailbag segement of his blog today, he has an interesting response to a question about Justin Pogge (and no, I didn’t write it):

“What is unclear to me is whether Corey Hirsch is a suitable goaltending coach to bring the best out in Pogge, and Burke will have to make that assessment this summer. It would be a shame if the Leafs decided they didn’t even want to re-sign the young goaltender, but these are the tough decisions you have to make in a cap world.”

Funny how I said the exact same thing about Hirsch only a day or two ago. I have no clue if he is the right go or not. There are lots of good goalie coaches out there and to be honest I had never heard Hirsch’s name mentioned among them. That doesn’t mean he isn’t. With respect to resigning him, there is no way in hell Pogge will be able to demand a one way deal. His play hasn’t warranted that. So I am not sure why the cap comment here. Burke should be able to sign Pogge to a deal that pretty much pays him the league minimum. I still don’t see why they wouldn’t try to sign him to a two way deal….

Top of the am. Interesting reading Steve Simmons this am. His article, in case you haven’t read it is in praise of Ron Wilson and the job that he has done with this years edition of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Simmons suggests that Wilson’s accolades would be even greater if he were more well liked. The question I have this am, is more well liked by whom? Take a look at some of these comments:

“If there was something more likable about Ron Wilson, this city would be falling in love with the coach of the Maple Leafs by now. That’s the way it works around professional sports these days. You like somebody, you want to give them more of a break. You like their personality, you want to fight for them instead of with them. It’s a flaw of the population, a flaw of the media.”

Personally, I don’t think it’s a flaw. I think it’s human nature. Irrespective of the profession (if any) we as a society tend to go easier, if you will on those we like. I think the media, especially the sports media are much more easily swayed in their bias. If someone is good to the press they will get much better or balanced treatment then someone less kind. I am sure we can all imagine certain individual in sports providing certain members of the media with otherwise privileged information and in return the expectation is that the scribe will lean a little more favorably on the loose lipped individual.

“If Wilson wasn’t so caustic, occasionally abrasive and sarcastic — three of my favourite qualities — this city would warm up to him the way it hasn’t warmed up to a Leafs coach since Pat Burns.”

Here is where I have to take pause. Does the fact that Wilson displays these characteristics affect his acceptance from the general public? Does the fact that he is sarcastic or abrasive with the media make him less likable to us the fans? Simmons’ article seems to suggest it does. I, on the other hand would suggest otherwise. I think in other cities with other scribes in other sports it may, however in this town, right now and with the Maple Leafs, I actually think it has a positive effect. We the public have a love hate relationship with those on the daily beat. When Wilson snapped on Howard Berger the public applause and appreciation couldn’t have been any higher. That is not to single out Howard. When Wilson said to the press that they never once ask him a really hockey question, that was very well received by the public, not so much by the press. I think much of that starts with the relationship or lack there of, we have with the current group of sports press in this city. A large portion of the sports fans are tech enthusiasts in this city. Blogs, on the Leafs, Jays, Raptors, Argos and TFC are extremely popular. The NHL trade deadline day was won not by TSN, not by Sportsnet, but by Twitter. That’s a fact. Love it or hate it, understand it or master it. For Bruce Arthur in today’s paper (and I love Bruce Arthur) to essentially dismiss it as a fad shows a real disconnect with his readership (or potential thereof).

“Wilson knows how to coach. What he has to figure out — if he cares at all about his image — is how to better play the game within the game. Do that and he will have this city eating out of his hands.”

Is it possible that Wilson doesn’t care what the media thinks of him, but rather only the public perception? Are the two necessarily combined? That is, can the press loathe a figure, bash the hell out of him in their various mediums and yet have the public still adore that very same subject? I say the answer is yes and I think it happens all the time. Look at popular tv shows that get critically bashed. There seems to be an indirect correlation to the popularity of a show and whether or not the critics like it. Recall the Seinfeld episode that involved The English Patient. Most of us under 40 somethings hate the movie (if we were dumb enough to watch it). The critics loved it and it won an Oscar. Critics don’t love the movies that draw top numbers at the box office. Critics hated (with good reason) Titanic, yet it remains one of the biggest money makers of all time. So why, should we care what the press thinks of an athlete, coach or player’s personality? I think Ron Wilson is getting as much love from the city as possible under the circumstances. He could be the biggest prick to the press and win a Stanley Cup, would anyone care that he isn’t nice to Damien or Stephen? Hell no.

Now, where it can matter is when the person isn’t performing up to snuff. Then the press can certainly influence the decision makers. A coach or player who has a shitty relationship with the press and is going through hard times could be in dire straits as compared to a well liked guy. However, the well liked guy who doesn’t perform isn’t guaranteed anything either. John Gibbons was a nice guys and well liked by the press and well, look what happened to him. I think the same can be said for JFJ. The onus on the person has to be to perform to the best of their ability under the circumstances (or in many cases despite the circumstances).

It’s funny. You read Simmons’ column and it is a very well written piece. For the most part it is accurate. It is a complimentary tribute to Wilson and the job he had done. To an extent he almost disproves his own theory in his own piece of work. I can’t speak for you, only myself. I like Ron Wilson. I think his methods of using the press to speak about his players will land him in trouble as it has in the past. I think he is the perfect coach to instill winning in a rudderless ship. I love the way he handles the press. I don’t think it effects my access to him and I know it doesn’t change my view of him as a coach at all.

Thoughts?

Simmons’ article is here

burke and wilson after a loss

Sportsnet’s Mike Brophy (how cool would it be if he were John’s kid) has a pretty funny article up on sportsnet.ca

“This is the year when the Toronto Maple Leafs are supposed to lose games in an effort to get the first or second overall pick in the 2010 Entry Draft, yet when they do, they are picked apart and criticized as though they have done something wrong. I’m a little confused. I would think victories would be treated with more disdain than losses.”

At chateaux TSM last night, when I turned on the game the Buds were up 4-1 and the TSM pooch was crashed on the bed next to me. I picked up the lappy and started emailing a few fellas that I was sure the kamikaze dive was coming. When the Panthers scored their 4th goal, I think I nearly gave TSM pooch a stroke, as I know what caused that little yellow ring towards the end of the bed. I saw LT sign on to his messenger of choice and i hit him with “wow”. LT had no clue what i was talking about as he was returning from yet another “work”trip full of debauchery. I asked him what the score was when he got out of his car and he said “4-1″ When I told him the score was 4-4 i think i could hear him cheering from the 7 or 8 blocks that separate our houses. So Mike I am with you!

“Shouldn’t the Leafs Nation (not to mention the team’s coaching and management staff) celebrate each defeat? Doesn’t each loss get them one step closer to the ultimate goal? I don’t expect the Leafs to hold a celebration with each defeat, but do they actually expect anybody to believe they are truly heartbroken when they lose?”

Hey I am doing my part! One has to wonder what goes on in meetings between former dorm buddies Wilson and Burke….

“The Leafs couldn’t exactly announce its intention to lose this season, but based on what we have seen, is there anybody out there who doesn’t believe they are quietly doing whatever possible to be in the bottom five to get that cherished lottery pick – the one that could bring them John Tavares or Victor Hedman? Of course they lose; they aren’t that good. It’s a simple equation: bad players equal losses. So why can’t they just quietly lose instead of acting like losses are bothersome?”

Now what fun would that be? I mean the 485 writers that follow the team, what would they do if the players acted as if losing didn’t matter? OH WAIT, the EXACT same thing they did over the past 4-5 seasons!

“What is even more annoying is the fact the coach and manager have taken to calling out their players in public. I’m not a genius by any stretch of the imagination, but if they plan to trade any of these guys, how does publicly humiliating them add to their trade value?

LEAFS: “You want our goalie?”

OTHER TEAM: “No.”

LEAFS: “Why not?”

OTHER TEAM: “Because you said he’s lousy and doesn’t have a good work ethic.”

I completely agree- a genius you are not!

“And while we’re at it, if the players are going to be held accountable to losses, what about the coaching staff? When the Leafs blow a big lead, as they have numerous times this season including Tuesday night in Florida, what role did lousy coaching play? Everybody knew the Leafs would have trouble scoring this season, but Ron Wilson and his henchmen were supposed to instill a defensive system that would at the very least make the team competitive. Hasn’t exactly worked out that way, huh?”

You can’t make chicken salad out of chicken shit is the old saying I believe. Having said that Mike, point well taken. Man that JFJ was one hell of a GM eh?

“The bottom line is the Leafs want the high draft pick and the players they have chosen to wear the blue and white this season give them the best opportunity to get it. So let’s stop acting like losing is a bad thing. I’m not buying it.”

Good news is I aint selling it. I am not sure too many are Mike. My favorite line is when Burke says he has season ticket holders and advertisers to answer to. Ask one, pick the one who is hoping for anything other then a shot at JT this year…..

Nice job Mike, actually a funny piece…now, get back to work… I want rumours dammit!

Read Brophy here….

So folks, let’s review what we have learned from Toronto Maple Leafs General Manager Brian Burke:

1. Antropov isn’t going to be offered an extension, time for a change of scenery…

So what are we to make from this bold statement? Well, there are a couple of things to consider. Burke could be trying to motivate his player. Irrespective of what the end result is, Burke simply could be trying to light a fire under Antropov’s A$$. It worked for Ron Wilson for Jason Blake and it worked for Matt Stajan. Maybe Burke wants to take some of the bad cop reputation away from his coach. Burke could also be speaking the truth. However, dumping on a guy isn’t going to increase his trade value as we head toward the deadline. So while I think there is absolute truth in Burke’s words I am convinced that this is an attempt to motivate the hell out Nik. If you want to stay here, show us you can play like the top forward Cliff said you are. Antropov is a UFA this off season. He needs to perform at a high level in order to get the contract his agent has likely been promising him is forthcoming. So Nik either picks up the pace and gets dealt to a contender or picks up the pace and earns big bucks. The alternative isn’t good for Antropov. The downside from Burke’s comments unlike what you may read here are pretty minimal..

2. All our waiver eligible guys in the minors will get called up

Although I never really believed it, there is a line of thought out there that players don’t want to play in Toronto. The reasoning is that despite the losing, the franchise has not been run in a manner in which players would aspire to be Maple Leafs. I think Burke is certainly trying to clean up that image. By doing right by deserving guys in the minor players won’t look at signing 2 way deals with the Leafs as a trip to minor hell. The lesson is, if you get sent to the Marlies and you work hard you will get a shot, either here or on waivers with someone else. I think that is terrific. It should strengthen the Marlies and the Leafs. If Mark Bell and others are working their butts off, why not reward them with either a sniff in the NHL or a shot at being claimed. It pushes players to work harder on the pharm and provides the necessary motivational carrot that we all need from time to time. It also pushes the guys currently on the roster. If you don’t play well a hungry guy from the minors is coming up..

3. Kubina and Kaberle won’t be forced to waive their NTC

This is a real beauty by Burke. He holds the hammer here. It’s classic. He encourages the players to submit a list of 10 teams they will accept a trade to so to create the appearance of a choice in where they may play next year. Burke hasn’t said I will trade that player to one of the teams on their respective list. All it means is that if Burke get’s an offer he likes from one of those teams he has an ok in hand that the player will go(unlike when Cliff allegedly dealt Kabs last year). If Burke doesn’t get an offer he likes he can deal with all the teams in the league at the draft for either or both of Kubina or Kaberle. While JFJ was a total clown, and I would so much rather not had had either guy have a NTC, at the very least he has this small window where the NTC disappears to hang his hat on….like i said, at least…. Lastly, the honoring of the NTC is just another attempt by Burke to change any negative perception of the Leafs organization around the league. Berger and others like to say all the time how forcing players to waive their NTC or putting them on waivers would have an everlasting negative effect on the ability to sign players into the future. Well, moves like this can only help improve the reputation. Add the handling of Cujo for the Buffalo game? I mean look, the team let a veteran player stay home and be with his kids, rather then go on the road for a game and sit on the bench as a backup. Who wouldn’t want to play for a team that does that??!! I don’t wish an injury on any one person. However a timely injury to a teams top defenceman would help us out BIG time.

4. It’s up to Vesa if he is the goalie of the future

Another great motivating tool by Burke. One game doesn’t make an example. So the fact that Vesa played well against the Habs isn’t the least bit meaningful unless it is the start of a series of great games. Remember the complaint isn’t that he can’t play well, it’s that he can’t put together a string of games like the one he played in Montreal (a string is more then 2 by the way). If he keeps pushing Vesa’s buttons and he gets really hot, he either has a hot goalie to trade or one to keep. On the flip side, Vesa snaps, mentally speaking, and can’t put together a string of one good period let alone 3 games. What’s the loss, he either waves him or gulp suffers with bad goaltending to the bottom of the standings I mean top of the draft.

5. Would like to extend Dominic Moore

Sales 101- talk up the assets you want to move. Count the guys Burke has praised since he took over. Forget Schenn, mostly because he is young. I can really only think of 2. Moore and Blake (of late). Now, Blake was in Wilson’s dog house and successfully worked his way out. I have to think that Burke would love to deal Blake and the more he and everyone else talk about how awesome he has been playing the more he hopes someone gets desperate and wants to pull the trigger on a deal for him. Besides the positive reinforcement on Blake can’t be bad either. Then there is Moore. The more Burke says he wants to sign/extend/reward Moore the more he hopes others are listening. Dreger has said he hears teams ask about him quite a bit. Well, the more Burke says we want to keep him, the higher it should drive the price up. Just like the Antropov dis drives down the price, the “I want to keep Moore comments should increase the value.” The only pitfall is with regards to money. If his agent gets a fat head and says hey, you told the world how great he is, you should pay him x…well then Burke made his own monster. It says here that won’t happen and even if it does it’s a risk worth taking. Dominic Moore as good as he has been is 29 years old. In 3 years when the Burke is going to want to contend is going to be 33. Not ancient, but something to consider. He would be a guy worth keeping in the short term because he plays Ron Wilson hockey. Worth keeping, but not essential….If someone is willing to over pay…..

As an aside… we bash him all the time(even above), but a hat tip to Howard Berger is deserved for his interview with Brad May that no one else had:

“After the game, however, May had a gleam in his eye when I approached him for a quick interview. He was being hurried along to the Leafs’ team bus for a trip to Pierre Trudeau Airport and a flight down to Fort Lauderdale. But, Brad wasn’t going to leave without getting something off his chest — taking dead-aim at Guy Carbonneau, the coach of the Canadiens.
“Carbonneau put Georges out there… sent Georges out there, and he actually thought we were going to back down,” May contended. “I know all about that guy, and I’m talking about their coach. You know what? It’s not going to happen. It’s been 19 years [in the NHL] Guy… keep sending them out.”
Asked why he felt so certain that Carbonneau had instructed Laraque to fight, May replied: “Guy just doesn’t have any idea what’s it’s like to be a tough guy. The toughest guy in his family is Brendan Morrow, his son-in-law, who’s an unbelievable player and very tough. Guy Carbonneau [used to be] incredibly tough blocking shots in the NHL, but never in a fighting role. He knows nothing about it. There’s respect to be shown in a situation like that, but he wanted to set the tone and I was happy to be a part of it.”

That is the type of work we used to get from Berger. It would be nice to see more of it. Good stuff Howie.

Pierre McGuire was on the Fan this am, the fan doesn’t post too many of their insiders clips on the net so it’s hard to get clips for you. However, I got a good chunk of it. McGuire was saying how far back the Muskoka Five set the Leafs franchise. “If they hadn’t refused to waive there no movement/no trade clauses the team wouldn’t be in this 3-5 year rebuilding program., I guarantee it.”

Well, a couple of things come to mind…

1. If the queen had balls, she would be king
2. the following scene from an absolute classic:
“Tommy: Let’s think about this for a sec, Ted, why do they put a guarantee on a box? Hmm, very interesting.
Ted: I’m listening.
Tommy: Here’s how I see it. A guy puts a guarantee on the box ’cause he wants you to fell all warm and toasty inside.
Ted: Yeah, makes a man feel good.
Tommy: ‘Course it does. Ya think if you leave that box under your pillow at night, the Guarantee Fairy might come by and leave a quarter.
Ted: What’s your point?
Tommy: The point is, how do you know the Guarantee Fairy isn’t a crazy glue sniffer? “Building model airplanes” says the little fairy, but we’re not buying it. Next thing you know, there’s money missing off the dresser and your daughter’s knocked up, I seen it a hundred times.
Ted: But why do they put a guarantee on the box then?
Tommy: Because they know all they solda ya was a guaranteed piece of shit. That’s all it is. Hey, if you want me to take a dump in a box and mark it guaranteed, I will. I got spare time. But for right now, for your sake, for your daughter’s sake, ya might wanna think about buying a quality item from me.
Ted: Hmm. Okay, I’ll buy from you.
Tommy: Well I… What?

So, the guarantee isn’t that important. We all know the truth. The question is what put us in the mess? If you listen to Wilbur, the pressure to succeed was so great on JFJ he couldn’t do the things he wanted to do. I scream bullshit. Look where failure got him. FIRED. I also don’t buy that he acted differently because he didn’t have job security. There are lots of GM’s out there on 1 year deals who don’t mortgage everything on nothing. This guy was a complete baphoon. He will never be a GM again in the NHL. As one exec told me, he will be a GM again, but only of a Walmart! These deals that he made were so brutal. Every single one of them. I don’t blame any of the players for not waiving their clauses. The jerk on the other side was willing to give it and hey they each earned it. Who was JFJ bidding against when he signed any of the guys he gave the NTC’s too? NO ONE. Did he have to up the anti on Tucker because someone else was going to go higher? NO. Did someone threaten to overpay McCabe? Nope…He was bidding against himself in almost every case. Oh no, he wouldn’t have gotten Kubina…alone, and no offense to Kubina, but what the hell was this one guy going to add to this franchise???

I just love the argument that ownership screwed this up. I don’t buy 1 cent of it. You don’t get to the GM level by being a yes man. All of the sudden you are an order taker? Give me a break. If that is true, then JFJ is more spineless then I originally thought. The guy was making big bucks. He knows only hockey. He had to know that his reputation was on the line with every move he made. The question is was he just to stubborn to listen to those around him? Did he really act totally alone on these moves? Forget the board. The board wasn’t telling him to go sign Pavel Kubina. Was the board out there trying to replace him? Sure, that may be the case. Was the board in disagreement over his status. Sure. Did that undermine him? Absolutely. Did that force him to make stupid moves? Hell no. I don’t buy it for one second. He was apparently turned down one time by the board, and that was to blow things up entirely. I know that may sound hypocritical. Wait though, before you pounce. Ask yourself this? Do you want that tool doing the rebuilding. We got nothing for Sundin. We got Van Ryn for McCabe. The damage Cliff did in blowing up was pretty minimal. The guys he got back have been OK. Not great. OK. They haven’t been complete disasters (save for the village idiot who for some reason Wilson seems to like). I didn’t want it then and I re-enforce it today, JFJ was not the man ever to do the re-tooling.

We see it in every day life all the time. People who excel in one area aspire to do something else. Not everyone is a good manager. That doesn’t mean they aren’t good at something. I have run into this countless times. Leading sales people aspire to be sales managers. When they become sales managers they hate it, they are miserable. Why? Simple, they aren’t selling anymore, they are bogged down in red tape and process. So they have the title and yet they are miserable. JFJ sounded like he was good at contracts (stop laughing). Maybe he was good at negotiating them when he was provided with limitations. I would like to say he was a good talent evaluator but we all know that just can’t be true. Who knows, I am sure he has a home in hockey. Right now he is a scout (stop laughing). I don’t think he has the makeup to be a GM in this league. It’s really quite simple. I get asked a lot, whether I think Burke was the right guy for the leafs. The answer is absolutely. Why, because he is the one guy who can handle the board and the media. As much as I love Doug Wilson and think he would have been a better GM choice, he would have gotten killed here. He is too quite, too thoughtful. If Richard Peddie walks in to Burke’s office and says ya know, this guy on Columbus looks pretty good, we all know where Burke is going to put Peddie. There will be no discussion, no second thought. If McCown wants to rip Burke on the air, Burke isn’t going to run from the Bobcat. That is the type of person the Buds need at this point.

So I agree with you Pierre. We may not agree on the why or the who is to blame but the Muskoka 5 really hurt this team. It says here the blame falls squarely on JFJ. He may not have started the country club atmosphere, he allowed it to remain, he installed the coach who did nothing about it. He signed the players, it all falls on him. When history looks back no one will say, oh yeah that guy from the Ontatio Teachers Pension fund really screwed the leafs up, they will say JFJ did.

Canada won gold at the WJC…yadda yadda yadda. Congrats to all the kids and to good guy Pat Quinn. I really hope this lands you back in the NHL to a team of your choosing. Personally, I would love to see you in Pittsburgh Pat, a box of Cohibas if you go there and not Ottawa (but that is illegal jerry!)

Our old friend Bryan McCabe returns to the scene of the crime tomorrow night. Amazing how quickly the guy turned south. Acquired for Alexander Karpotsev and a 4th rounder, McCabe quickly became a fan favorite. Then 3 things happened. One the league rules changed, one change banned his favorite move, the can opener and two the guy got a BIG contract. The rest as they say is history. Someone out there will remind me of another player who fell from grace so quickly, but I can’t name one. To me, McCabe lost my respect when during the lockout he stated that he would rather retire then accept a salary cap, and that the PA would never, ever accept one (that is not a direct quote by the way). Of course, Caber didn’t have to waive his no trade clause that JFJ gave him but his unwillingness to do ensured his place in TML fans hearts forever.

It’s nice to see that Mccabe still has the brains “”The only thing that kind of stinks [in South Florida] is there aren’t too many people in the building,” said McCabe, who mostly has been paired with the shot-blocking Skrastins. “You miss the buzz, the sold-out, loud building for every game. But I don’t miss 30 people in the media scrum every day.” I am sure the 2 people who read Florida papers are gonna love that (even though it is true). No offense to Panthers Fan, but, ummm, when $17 buys you a ticket, parking, food and a gas card and you can’t fill a building the writing is clearly on the wall. At 80.6% of capacity on average, the Panthers are above only the Trashers and Bluejackets as the worst drawing teams (based on % of capacity).

So, there I was watching the NBC pregame for the big NFL tilt over the weekend and whom do I see in the studio??? Matt 0-16 Millen. Come on folks. This has to be a joke. Did he offer to do the gig for free??? How does a guy who’s record as GM was 31-97, the worst 8 year tally since World War II, get a gig on national TV. This isn’t the WFL, or the Arena league, this is the NFL. How does he have any credibility? Shame on NBC for putting him in the box and my sincere apologies to those who had to work with him. That crew’s credibility just nosedived.

Then on my drive home from cottage country I got to listen to one Jonas Siegel in studio hosting a show. The guy certainly is trying hard, I will give him that. Man is he green. He needs to be a little bit more confident and start to use his own shtick. His referring to Ottawa in the same tone as Wilbur is beyond lame. He does this all the time and it really needs to stop. Be original, come up with a catch phrase, a name or two of your own… Here is the reality, he has a job that many of us would kill to have. He follows the buds on a daily basis. His competition is Howie. He travels with the team. No one cares that he was a closet JFJ lover. Either spend a lot more time in front of the mirror or ask some of the folks at your station for some lessons. I can’t imagine that the flagship station of the Leafs is going to be much more patient with the guy. Having said that, based on his A&F wardrobe maybe he is an intern!

640 Toronto's Jonas Siegel

Speaking of creating names for folks, we have a new co-host with Jack Armstrong on the after lunch show on the Fan. The show is now hosted by Jack Armstrong and Richie Rich. Seriously, this show would be FANTASTIC, as in really, really good if Richie could, for one segment STOP talking about all the money he has. Has anyone else noticed that besides the phrase “back when I was a GM” his references to his money is his favorite moniker??? Instead of Hey Now Hank, it’s I’m loaded Doug “Richie Rich” MacLean.

Anyways, I can’t wait to hear what Archie Bunker has to say tomorrow night on 640!

Bill Watters

He may be at the leafs/sharks game tonight, but a TSM spy (or as Hanky calls them “source”) has just sent me this most recent scouting report from JFJ. If you look close enough you will see him in the stands taking notes.. His recommendation is to trade this year’s number one and a top prospect for the goalie!