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Burke Gets Busy
by Paul on 07/02/09 at 08:50 AM ET
Comments (3)
from Damien Cox of the Toronto Star,
Well, let’s just say right now only the thick and misguided would have much doubt about what the plan is for the Leafs with Brian Burke at the controls.
Get tough. Get more North American. Then get tougher.
Last weekend, Burke drafted seven players, including among them one of the better fighters in the Ontario Hockey league and two big lads, one 6-foot-5 and the other 6-foot-6.
If they ever make it, it won’t be because they’re good stickhandlers.
Yesterday, after making a fruitless trip across the ocean to make a face-to-face pitch to Henrik and Daniel Sedin, only to find they’d signed back with Vancouver before anyone else could make them an offer, Burke didn’t whine or complain.
He got busy.
Filed in: NHL Teams, Toronto Maple Leafs | KK Hockey | Permalink
Comments
Not true. Moved out big dollars in Kubina and brought in 2 bodies, 1 D that can play and 1 young forward with speed. Saves some money, for…
...Good defensive signing of Komasarek. 4.5 is a little high, but he was going to get that somewhere else, may as well be TO. Will help out the team defensively as Kubina was bad is his own zone.
They haven’t had a fighter since Tie left (was sent home). Something Burke teams always had - and he’s decent defensively - for 5-6 mins a game really it doesn’t matter. 1 mil per good price for a good fighter. Brash got 1.4.
This is at least a 2 year process, getting the toughness was the easy part. Now over the next 2 seasons he has to bring in the talent - that will be interesting to watch.
You can’t look at these moves now and say they are stupid - have to let them play out and let the rest of the changes take place - then we can all judge 
Posted by WingMan from Qc on 07/02/09 at 10:16 AM ET
He might have moved “big dollars” by sending Kubina to ATL, but he clearly lost that trade by taking back a questionable defender with concussion history in Exelby. Also going to TO, Colin Stuart: Good on the PK (particularly scoring shorthanded) and has speed, but his potential is only as a third liner. I thought Toronto had enough third liners?
Komi is a pretty good signing, which was made possible by the seemingly obvious salary dump, but Toronto lost a solid two-way top-4 defender in Kubina. Folks who follow Toronto have every right to question exactly what Brian Burke is “getting busy” with.
Posted by Alan from Atlanta on 07/02/09 at 11:06 AM ET
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If that’s Burke getting busy, he made a horrible use of his time.
Posted by Primis on 07/02/09 at 09:08 AM ET