On his second anniversary at the helm of the Toronto Maple Leafs, GM Brian Burke acknowledged that they were not exactly where they wanted to be right now, but also stressed that he felt the team was making healthy progress.
"(On) a two-year anniversary evaluating what happened, you'd have to say that the program hasn't succeeded so far, I'd be the first to admit that," Burke told host Gino Reda on TSN's That's Hockey. "But I also think we've made very signifcant steps in the right direction."
It was November 29, 2008, when Burke was introduced as general manager of the fabled hockey club following a successful Stanley Cup-winning run with the Anaheim Ducks. The two years since have had their fair share of failure (an 0-7-1 start to last season) and success (a 4-0-0 start to this one), and even if there has been more of the former than the latter, Burke said he sees all of it as part of a larger process.
"From our perspective, we've plugged in significant parts of the puzzle as far as what we need to get better, but the results haven't been there yet," Burke said. "Do we need more talent? Do we need to execute better? Based on the last few games, you could argue it either way."
The Leafs are 8-11-3 and sit 13th in the Eastern Conference. They haven't reached the playoffs in the two seasons Burke has been at the helm and this year's post-season fate remains up in the air, with the team having gone a disappointing 3-6-1 in its last ten games.
Some blame has been placed by fans at the feet of the team's head coach, but Burke refused to take the bait in addressing calls for the removal of third-season bench boss Ron Wilson.
"I'm happy with the coaching staff," he said. "That's not an issue for us. It might be for some people, it's not for us."
Pressed for a reason as to why the Leafs have not been achieving as well as some had hoped this season, Burke didn't pin his explanation on just one cause.
"It depends on which night you ask. In my mind, I think the injuries have been critical. I think teams in the NHL in the cap system are, by and large, thin. I think you see when a team has an injury that it impacts them almost immediately," Burke told 'That's Hockey'. "That's a part of it, but a part of it has been we're not all pulling on the rope at the same time. We'll get a good performance out of two or three players one night and then not the next night, so (there are) lots of factors. I wish I had a better answer.
"This is a team that started off great, a team that has played well of late," Burke said. "We had a stretch in there that was terrible. We've got to get healthy and see where we are."
There have been some positives to this season.
"I think we have a great work ethic, a great group of guys," Burke said. "I love the character of the team and I love the work ethic. I'm really impressed with the group."
And it's a very different group than it was last November; there certainly has not been a shortage of moves since Burke arrived in town.
Burke has attempted to clear out what he called the culture of the 'blue and white disease' - unloading names like Nik Antropov, Alex Ponikarovsky, Matt Stajan, Ian White, Vesa Toskala, Pavel Kubina and Jason Blake.
He also acquired players such as Mike Komisarek, Dion Phaneuf, Kris Versteeg, Colby Armstrong, Tyler Bozak, Nazem Kadri, Colton Orr, Mikhail Grabovski and J.S. Giguere. And then of course there is Burke's most well-known move since taking over the reigns.
Last September, the Maple Leafs acquired Phil Kessel in a trade with the Boston Bruins and signed him to a multi-year contract. Burke sent Toronto's first-round pick and second-round pick in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft to Boston - as well as the team's first-round pick in 2011 - in exchange for Kessel.
The Wisconsin native has 10 goals and four assists in 22 games with the blue and white so far this season. The Bruins, meanwhile, used their selection (No. 2 overall) to select Tyler Seguin. The 18-year-old has four goals and four assists in 22 games thus far. The Bruins may also have a high pick in June if the Leafs continue at their underwhelming pace.
Kessel, who is still young at 23 with 195 career points, has faced a lot of pressure as a result of the trade. Some Leaf fans have been critical of Burke's decision to unload draft picks, making a move they saw as compromising of the team's rebuilding process. But Burke told TSN he was confident in this team's abilities in the short-term and was not looking that far down the road.
"I'm in a hurry. I believe this team can be successful," Burke explained. "I don't think you don't need to do a classic rebuild, I've said that since the day I got here."
Burke was also quick to dismiss any notion that the majority of fans in Leafs Nation are angry at the underachievement of the team.
"I don't sense that at all," he said. "The fans I talk to are season ticket holders, they see the progress, they understand it's a process and they see the progress that's been made, the updgrades in net, the updgrades on defence." I don't buy that for one second that I need to offer some type of statement to the angry fans. I think most of our fans get it and I think they understand what we're trying to do."
As always in hockey-mad Toronto, trade rumours have swirled all season long, but Burke was hesitant to get into specifics or even to confirm that any roster changes were being aggressively pursued.
"Not too many big names move in a salary cap system, so we're working the phones and seeing what's there," he said.
And it doesn't get any easier for the Leafs in their next tilt as they face red-hot Steven Stamkos and the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday night.
Entertainment Plaza - TV, Movies, Sports, Music
http://members.shaw.ca/almosthuman99
Babe Of The Month
http://members.shaw.ca/almosthuman99/babeofthemonth.html
Hunk Of The Month
http://members.shaw.ca/almosthuman99/babeofthemonthman.html
No comments:
Post a Comment