Brian Burke’s New Look – Rebuilt -Toronto Maple Leafs
Brian Burke and his news scrum
Written by: Larry “The Nucks IceMan” Johnson
Boy I never thought I would be given any kudos to General Manager Brian Burke, who just about single handily, emptied the prospect cupboard for the Vancouver Canucks.
But – when I look at the Toronto line-up as compared to what it was at the end of last season, I see a huge improvement.
The Leafs now have a line-up that can support the lonely Phil Kessel in scoring, with the additions of Colby Armstrong, Kris Versteeg, and just recently signed Clarke MacArthur.
MacArthur was a player that I wrote about previously, as someone that would help the Canucks third line but the ‘Nucks decided to add a little more toughness in Raffi Torres.
The former Atlanta Thrasher will help the Leafs on the third line as he has been consistent over the last two seasons posting up 17 and 16 goals respectfully, along with 14 and 19 assists.
Burke got MacArthur for a $1.1 million compared to the $2 million that he was asking for. Looks like the teams that have the cap space and patience can pick up some good bargain, with the number of UFA’s that are still floating around out there.
Armstrong was another player that I knew would help the Canucks and being a Prairie boy I really like what he brings to a team. Not only can this guy score as shown by his 22 and 15 goals over the last two seasons but he is a feisty player, which fits into a Burke type of forward.
Kris Versteeg was a player that the Chicago Blackhawks did not want to lose but got caught in the cap squeeze and couldn’t afford to keep him. Here’s another player that can give you 20 plus goals a year and has an edge to his play.
The signing of defenseman Brett Lebda, who was a former Detroit Red Wing for $1.5 million was an excellent one, as he adds some much needed depth to an already good looking back end.
The Leafs do have a couple of D-men that they over paid for in Francois Beauchemin ($3.8 million) and Jeff Finger ($3.5 million) but that’s the cost of doing business in today’s free agent market.
With Dion Phaneuf, Mike Komisarek, Thomas Kaberle and Luke Schenn, this has the makings of a solid top four and now the only question will be the goaltending.
Will J.S. Giguere play up to $6 million contract that the Leafs are stuck with this season or will he be the most expensive NHL back-up?
If Giguere can re-gain his Anaheim Ducks form from the days when his GAA was between 2.12 and 2.66 then the Leafs will be a play-off team once again. Otherwise they will be pinning their hopes to second year pro Jonas Gustavsson.
I believe with the defensive core in front of them and the addition of the new forwards, that will play defensively under Leafs Coach Ron Wilson, that both goaltenders will have better seasons.
With 23 players signed and $376,000 cap space I would think there will be one to two players cut loose or shipped to their farm team, the Toronto Marlies. Even Burke is intelligent enough to know that the team needs at least $1.5 to 2 million in cap space to get by a season.
Overall, I think Brian Burke has done a remarkable job in the short time has been with the Leafs especially when you think about the team that he inherited.
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