The Vancouver Model

Months of uncertainty and speculation are likely to come to an end in the next week when Brian Burke and his associates meet with Richard Peddie and the MLSE. The groups have already spoken albeit lawyer to lawyer last weekend to confirm the Anaheim Ducks had signed papers allowing their former GM to talk with other teams and if reports are to be believed, groundwork was laid on the forthcoming negotiations.

With conjecture and rumor placing Burke in a potential cavalcade of locales in the week after his resignation, the reality is that, foregoing disastrous contractual talks, the Toronto Maple Leafs will name Brian Burke the organizations 13th general manager in its storied history with few other suitors looking to materialize at the eleventh hour. The move will be seen as a particular success for Peddie and sports lawyer Gord Kirke who have courted Burke from the moment they drew up a bullet point list of candidates and criteria early this year.

For Burke it will offer a chance to return to a hockey hotbed after three years in the sunbelt and an opportunity to combine his differing experiences in Vancouver and Anaheim with a side perennially teetering between media expectation and failure. Whilst Cliff Fletcher has done the best he could under the moniker of interim GM, development has been stunted and the popular veteran knew that he was merely laying a Schenn shaped biscuit base unto which the blue and white cheesecake would be built.

Burke will herald a much needed change of pace and common logic dictates that the incoming GM will be looking to put an early and indelible stamp on the Leafs be it waiving a high salary star such as the recently scratched Jason Blake, or trading big to secure a high level draft pick as he did in Hartford for Pronger. Whatever it may be, Burke could be seen as an accelerant to the rebuilding process the Leafs are undeniably facing after the era of stagnation seen under John Ferguson and with a modus operandi for rapid transition Burke is unlikely to wait it out in the Air Canada executive boxes.

 

With Burke’s arrival seen as an inevitability; many have decided to take the pre-incumbents period of grace as a chance to autopsy his past accomplishments to see what acumen the executive will bring to Toronto. Unavoidably most have chosen to draw comparisons between his most recent position in California and the dynamics of the Leafs organization he is about to inherit. Taking over the reigns of a Bryan Murray team steered for one season by Al Coates, Burke acquired control of Anaheim in 2005 fresh from the board room fallout in Vancouver. Securing a Stanley cup in just two seasons, Burke adopted a side that had drafted well under Murray and had built under its previous executives. Burke merely anchored the potential with Chris Pronger and Scott Niedermayer making minimal changes to an already winning formula.

 

Obviously the 2008 Maple Leafs are a different proposition to the 2005 Ducks. Half gutted in a stage of pre-rebuild and a roster so thin it would snap in the breeze, the Leafs don’t share the kind of prospects ladder Anaheim took into the lockout and don’t possess the brother of a blue chip defensemen, unless you consider Frantisek Kaberle a franchise blueliner.

With many subsequently looking to the successes and failures of the Anaheim franchise he left behind as a barometer for his suitability, it seems more likely that Burke will draw upon his four years in Vancouver as a starting point with the Maple Leafs physically small, short in depth and overtly European roster. Obtaining a Canucks side that had peaked and troughed under a decade of Pat Quinn, Brian Burke took charge of a Vancouver side that had finished dead last in the Pacific Division in '97-'98. With top scorer Pavel Bure refusing to play in Vancouver, Burke shipped the Russian megastar to Florida for franchise D-man Ed Jovanovski. With next to no offense Vancouver finished with the second worse record in the league but also the second overall draft pick. With twins Henrik and Daniel Sedin expected to be split for the first time in their careers on draft day, Burke rolled the dice to secure the third overall selection and both twins with a trade that saw Bryan McCabe and Vancouver's 2000 first round draft pick go to Chicago. With the Sedin's still gaining experience in the Swedish senior leagues in '99-'00 Vancouver punched above low expectations to just miss out on a playoff berth. Regardless with Burke getting the puzzle pieces in place early, the next three seasons saw Vancouver up their points tally from 83-90-94-104 before slipping to a still princely 101 points in Burke’s final year in charge.

 

Relying on unfashionable players to put up career points year in year out, Burke built on an early draft move to push the Canucks from bottom feeders to an elite unit that just lacked the quality required come the post season. Where he was shackled by the off ice salesmanship required to fill the General Motors Place, the guaranteed Air Canada sellouts will grant Burke the opportunity to tune the hockey formula that served so well in Vancouver. Furthermore with a fondness for physically strong and aggressive forwards Burke will find common ground in the west coast playing system currently favored by head coach Ron Wilson geared into a squad that currently lacks the prototypical Burke style players that could take the Leafs run and gun methodology to another level.

 

Subsequently when you take the Vancouver model into the context of the contemporary Leafs, the recruitment of Burke makes a lot of sense albeit with the idiosyncrasies common only to Toronto. Currently wavering in and about the fringes of a playoff place, Burke will be aware that finishing ninth in the Eastern Conference will only harm Toronto’s future on draft day. Expect Burke to fire sell players who do not fit into his long term plans early, fundamentally weakening the team for 2008-’09 with the goal of attaining a top two pick in the Tavares-Hedman draft. Don’t be surprised if Burke attempts to ship a big name for a first round draft pick, even if the trade bait is somewhat more scant in the 2008 Leafs than it was in the 1999 Canucks. Finally expect Burke to trade for west coast board runners and grinders and a full time enforcer in the George Parros mould, Mayers and Hollweg will not suffice on a Burke team that with little trade leverage are going to have to build from youth and development.

 

Burke’s era is upon us and, despite the naysayers, is a man with experience in rapid and successful rebuilds, you just have to look past Anaheim to see that he has succeeded before. Many may argue that the clash of personalities and the obstructive hand of Peddie could be a powder-keg in the years to come; but here and now Burke is the best man for the job.               

The Ron Wilson Way

An arrogant, egotistical taskmaster touching down in the Toronto fishbowl, Ron Wilson’s appointment may not have been an obvious choice with so many candidates in the close season merry-go-round, yet with Wilson’s strategy of lowering expectations helping stick the mantra of underdog on a franchise so long riddled with media expectation, the Maple Leafs have proven many commentators early season surprise package.

Perhaps one of Ron Wilson’s most notable early achievements in Toronto has been to convince the media frenzy that a 5-4-4 record is a success. Of course he has been helped by history, after years of abject, lethargic and heartless hockey permeating from a touted country club atmosphere bereft of any kind of ambition, Ron Wilson’s panache for publicly breathing accountability throughout the roster has turned the club around in the space of just two months into a run and gun, never say die team that skate hard and transcend many of the shortcomings witnessed under Paul Maurice. Toronto is once more a team opponents fear to face with their positive attitude making waves throughout the league.

 

For Leafs Nation, Toronto are no longer the team that roll over and die with mindless turnover D equaled ineptly with easily closed down dump and chase play. Fans now have a team that show spirit and desire with aplomb, even in defeat the Leafs have often looked good and that is something that has been sorely absent since the lockout. With the post season seeing much of the driftwood and disruptive influences shipped to pastures new, Wilson has been able to mould the club around his San Jose model. Subsequently the Air Canada Center has become privy to some new school west coast hockey epitomized by hard pressing and hard back checking offence and transitional defense with an onus on good puck possession.   With a turnover of talent creating whispers of a protracted rebuilding era pre-season, much of the early surprise has emanated from the speed unto which the team have gelled and taken on board the teachings of a coach schooled in rapid turnarounds.

 

Of course one of the major exits has been the ubiquitous Mats Sundin, however after years of solid offensive service his embodiment of all that was the Maple Leafs came in a sunset era of mediocrity that seemed to question as much the ambition of the team as its talismanic veteran captain. Whilst the MLSE cooked their goose on the Sundin train when they tried shipping him at the trade deadline for a blockbuster deal that would never materialize, his leaving has provided a catalyst to the renewed focus seen throughout the Maple Leafs offensive game. With players no longer trying to pick out number thirteen in a high speed crowd Toronto’s attack has become a team venture with players tacking equal responsibility for Sundin’s lost numbers. 

 

Subsequently the vacuum many feared would appear in Sundin’s absence has been averted despite many a column inch posturing his successor. Prime candidates such as Antropov, Hagman and Ponikorovsky are all unlikely point-a-game players but where the deficit has been cushioned most has been the depth lines where increased production has been met with game changing plays. Toronto has become a more rounded unit as opposed to the limelight weighted scales of the past. Furthermore with the detrimental cult of personality that once surrounded Mats Sundin now a distant memory, the Leafs have become a fundamentally more likeable team off the ice with lesser players experiencing unprecedented levels of upbeat exposure that, far from being distracting, has actually witnessed a positive effect on team morale owing to Ron Wilson’s ability to absorb media criticism.

 

Nonetheless few expect Toronto to inhabit a playoff berth for the rest of the season. Whilst their good start has seen them maintain eight in the Eastern Conference in early November there are inevitable potholes in the road, not only for the remainder of this season but the years that lay ahead. Whilst few seem to acknowledge it, Toronto has become one of those rarest of things, an original six team undergoing the potentially lengthy rigors of a complete rebuild. Owing to years of over zealous and impatient mismanagement, the Leafs slipped quietly into mediocrity due to their tacit inability to react to NHL trends, particularly the post lockout onus placed on scouting, drafting and development in an increasingly youthful league. Whilst the fantastically solid time eating defense of first year draftee Luke Schenn is a step in the right direction, the Leafs are a team with a dreadful record for converting draft day promise to NHL ice and the infrastructure and mechanisms that make up the chain of command, be it the uncertainty of interim GM Cliff Fletcher and the MLSE above, remain the same.

 

With the terminology of interim hanging around Cliff Fletchers neck like a millstone, many wonder how restricted his capacity to oversee a franchise renovation is, especially with talk of Brian Burke hanging around the press boxes of the Air Canada. Its clear Fletcher has been made aware of his place in the grand scheme cooked up by Richard Preddie and as a Maple Leaf through and through is undergoing his duties like a consummate pro. Regardless, Fletcher is a man once bitten after a series of disastrous and inept trades saw the Leafs derail after four straight playoff years resulting in his first exit from the hot seat in 1997. Whilst he showed he can still cut a trade on draft day, Fletchers capacity as GM will gradually become more ceremonial as the season wares on unless the MLSE rectify the situation ahead of schedule. How toothless this will leave a Leafs team still burdened with excessive cap hits come the trade deadline remains to be seen, but the traditional fire sales associated with a rebuild have yet to be truly realized whilst many feel the Marlies are being increasingly populated by the driftwood Toronto failed to shift in waivers.

 

Whilst the Burke rumors seemed to have quieted for now, despite his history with Ron Wilson, the backroom still seems to be missing the leadership so vital to a franchise moving forward whilst Wilson’s personality has all the elements of potential self combustion within the timeframe of his four year contract if he fails to be reigned in. It could be said that the Leafs are undergoing Ron Wilson’s honeymoon period. Whilst it may have lasted longer than most expected the stark reality of what lies ahead remain the same and with an inevitable need for gutting within the next couple of years and a knack for paying over the odds for contracts such as Jeff Finger, its clear tricks still have to be learned before Toronto can dream of following the post lockout Pittsburgh model they aspire too.

 

Nonetheless that doesn’t stop us from enjoying these opening sentences in the newest chapter in Leafs history, one which looks to be being addressed with a vigor not seen in Leafs nation for some time. 

Ducks-Leafs tonight

Leafs TV interactive is streaming the game tonight, puck drops at 7 ET.

In With The New?

In light of Poni's recent demotion and decent into Wilson's dog house, I thought i would compare him to the man he was replace with on the top line on Saturday night, youngster John Mitchell...

The Box Above The Ice

Tomorrow the Buds take on the Anaheim Ducks at 7 ET.

Both teams have struggled to start the season, one was expected to, the other....not so much.

The ducks are a strong team beaming with young stars Getzlaf and Perry, both future superstars. And of course they boast probably the best d-core in the league,with the best pairing I've ever seen.

On the other side, the Leafs are the polar opposite.

One of the weakest teams in the league, the Leafs have played the way everyone expected, except that one guy who said they'd make the playoffs.

That aside, there have been a few bright spots so far.

The trio of Hagman-GrabO-Tlusty/Kuulie has been the best line on the leafs. They have one point between the three but they creat somthing every time they're on the ice. Also, the Buds have 4 more games until they must make a decision about Schenn and each and every game he convinces me more and more that he belongs on the team. Him and Frogren have become the shutdown duo and have been the best on the blueline.

With all that said, the big story of the game will be the resurrection of the Burke-to-Toronto rumours.

The current GM of the Ducks has turned down a contract extension to stay in Anaheim and many say he is going to take over Clif's post at the end of the season or perhaps before that. If the (don't call me mighty) Ducks keep under-performing like this maby we could see Burkie up in the box at the ACC more often.

The Leafs official website is streaming the game free, ill post the link tomorrow.

Side Note: The new season of Kenny Vs. Spenny started tonight, anyone get to catch it?

Thats More Like It??

Threw two games the leafs are 1-1-0 and a big enigma. Last nights game against Montreal we saw a polar opposite team compared to the one who beat the Wings just a few nights earlier. They were sloppy in they're own end, even Schenn, they had no pressure on the Habs D and took to many penalty's.

Montreal was the better team, they were faster, smarter, but most of all they got some early goals put the Leafs away in the 1st.

" I think I've seen enough of our team now to know it's important for us to feel good about ourselves in the first half of a game..." said Wilson.

Also, the buds had 23 minutes in penalty's, against a team who was one of the league leaders on the powerplay last year and operating at a 25% clip this year.

One reporter questioned Coach Wilson after the game "where does this fall in between learning curve and embarrassment?".

I think this question about sums up the night for Toronto, not Wilson's half-hearted answer.

We, as Leaf faithful have to take these losses with a grain of salt, they're will be nights when we blind with our speed but then there will be nights when nobody seems to know what they're doing.

Side note: I've discovered a successful way to watch the Leafs without going grey, when the Leafs lose your just waiting for the 2009 draft and when they win, there is no re-build and your hoping for the playoffs.

SchennWatch: Luke had probably his worst game as a Leaf, with a few mis-handles of the puck and a rookie delay of game penalty but, he was hardly the worst Leaf d-man last night. Also, when Matt Stajan got hit from behind Schenn was right there to tell one of the Kostitsyn sisters whats what.

It's All about the Wheels

The new-look Leafs, fresh from a shocking victory in Motown on Thursday, are set to face off against the Montreal Canadiens tonight for their home opener. The Leafs pummeled the Wings with two and a half periods of relentless forechecking, tight defensive zone play and solid goaltending.

While on the other hand the Habs fell in a heart breaker when Ales Kotalik put one top cheese last night in the shootout in Buffalo. Montreal, the perennial favourite in the East,did not finish their game strong and had many opportunities to make the game 2-1. In particular Alexei Kovalev who had a couple chances late in the game but couldn't deliver.

The bud's used they're superior speed to jump on the Red Wing defensemen and makeup for mistakes but, against the Habs Toronto does not have the fleet of foot. The Canadiens have a young, fast line-up and it will be interesting to see what Ron Wilsons game plan will be. It will also be interesting to see how first year Leafs handle they're first home game,against they're most hated rivals no-less.

In their centennial season the Habs are somewhat of a juggernaut in the East and are in a solid position to claim the ultimate prize this year. The Habs have no stand-out weaknesses, but if you have to point one out it would be between the pipes with Carey Price.

With that said you can't help but notice that Montreal is in the complete opposite position than the Leafs. In a complete re-tool, the Blue&White will more than likely be in the basement come April, looking forward to the 2009 draft. While the Habs are the toast of the town.

Side note: Matt Stajan played 10 minutes on the forth line in the season opener and Coach Wilson said there will be no lineup changes tonight, so does this mean Stajan's time in T.O is drawing near an end?...and Stralman will most likely be a healthy scratch again, where does that leave him?

UPDATE: 6-1 Habs, mid-way threw 3rd: Carlo Colaiacovo tripped over Sergei Kostitsyn and fell on both knees, went to the bench under his own power but it doesn't look good.

Update: Carlo did return, lets hope hes alright.

Guess Who!?!?

No other than Paul Maurice was on Leafs Lunch yesterday. He evaluated his time with the Leafs and what Cliff has done.

I know a lot of people give him a lot flack for his time here in T.O but I always felt the blame should have fell on the suits in the boardroom.

LISTEN HERE.

The Leafs take on the Habs tomorrow night at home, I think CBC is streaming it live but am not sure. I'll post a pre-game blog tomorrow.

SchennWatch: with 8 games remaining until decision '08 Luke just keeps getting better and impressing....people are calling him and 18 year old d-man but in fact this is his 19th year as he has a late birthday.

There are some cool clips of him doing drills on Friday on the Leafs homepage.