So out here in LA all my hockey news has to come from my laptop. Despite having a great hockey writer the LA times doesn’t really do that much. Anyways, if you take Brian Burke out of the equation you can see perhaps why the Leaf print media has been exceptionally bad this year. Without Grabovsky, there really is no story. So no matter what Damien has to say, Cliff and Ron by preparing the world with the doom and gloom predictions during training camp. Quite frankly, the nay sayers can’t say nay. The team isn’t doing much, and guess what, it wasn’t supposed to. Is there a story there??? Nope. There are no players appearing naked on the internet, there are no embarrassing blowouts at home, no dumb predictions that aren’t being followed. It’s pretty quiet. With the exception of Hanky, there aren’t any, count em 0 trade rumors about the Leafs.
The papers today, are brutal. Every article in sun that mentions the Leafs mentions Burke. Same with the Star. Only Tim Wharnsy article in the Globe didn’t! It’s a joke. The Sun spent a ton of dough on a new site, and to be honest it sucks (with all respect to Judge Smails). Is Damien going to write anything other then Burke? Hey I mean the Will Burke Replace the Training Staff story is an angle I haven’t read anywhere else yet. Over on the fan, Happy Howie is doing his best to keep the story alive too.
Is this what happens when we have too much coverage??? Personally I think it’s brutal. There has to be something in between what I see here in LA versus what we get there in Toronto.
Stay Tuned TSM fans, TSM is about to announce it’s newest blogger. I can tell you he has experience as an NHL player, coach and GM. He has also been a scout, director of player personnel too. He is currently with an NHL team and will be writing about hockey in general and his role.
When I think of Burke,I picture Pat Quinn on steroids.The Toronto sports media should pitch in for some of his salary,he’ll be keeping them in business.
It is amazing to watch who is writing what in anticipation of where they will stand with him…
If he can get good value for Kubina,Kaberle,Toskela,and Steen,and someone to take Blake,I’ll be happy for the first year,but the team needs to tank.
Blake???? No one will touch him or that contract… That is setting up the expectation bar too high
Moving Blake would of course be harder than the Rose deal,but as I remember it was considered a a very savy move.The Leafs need a GM capable of pulling off those types of deals.
“Stay Tuned TSM fans, TSM is about to announce it’s newest blogger. I can tell you he has experience as an NHL player, coach and GM.”
Ohhhh nice! Great job and getting some real hockey “insiders” here. So many blogs claim to have them but none really do.
Since you’re in LA, head over to Terroni on 3rd St. Its the same owers/joint as the ones in Toronto so when you get that Toronto feeling, head over there – its my little Toronto. 🙂
Jalen Rose was moved because his contract didn’t have three years to run after the trade.
Only the greatest GM in the history of the world trading with the dumbest GM in the history of the world would be able to make that move and sadly JFJ is not working anymore.
That actually sounds like a Damien Cox expectation.
Sure,ditching Blake won’t be easy,but who thought the Raptors would be able to move Jalen Rose,a good GM finds a way.
Moving Blake would of course be harder than the Rose deal,but as I remember it was considered a a very savy move.The Leafs need a GM capable of pulling off those types of deals.
It would be many many levels of difficulty harder than moving Rose. Saying that a good GM would be able to do it is not only naive but is just trying to set up a complaint for when the impossible is not done.
It would be impossible to move Blake straight up without paying most of his ticket.Creativity in a multi player deal is the only way to make it work.Some of his salary might need to be eaten,but the sum return on a possible trade could turn out well.
Well I admire your optimism, I just cant fathom a situation under which Blake gets moved any time soon. The performance isn’t great (see Eye- I didn’t say sucks!) and the money is large. They could waive him and perhaps someone takes him on re-entry.
The other immoveable player in recent Toronto sports history was a relief pitcher for the Blue Jays, Randy Myers I believe, he was put on waivers and someone claimed his as a block or something like that, a huge coup at the time…
Thanks Puckbuddy, I am trying to make this a site for real fans….
It would be impossible to move Blake straight up without paying most of his ticket.Creativity in a multi player deal is the only way to make it work.Some of his salary might need to be eaten,but the sum return on a possible trade could turn out well.
Only $500K in salary can be eaten and that might just be in one season. Basically the only way Blake gets moved is if the Leafs bring back an equally shitty deal and then the benefit is lost.