End Of The Burke Era

“Na Na Na Na, Na Na Na Na, Hey Hey Hey, goodbye.” This is the tune some Maple Leafs fans must be singing with the news of Brian Burke’s firing. Burke’s tenure with the Leafs has been rocky, to say the least. He took over in 2008, and was supposed to be the team’s night in shining armor. In reality he was more like a kamikaze pilot.

When Burke arrived he said he was brining with him truculence, and brining in Rosehill and during the next fee agent period Colton Orr. This showed he was committed to that.  He also shed off some older players from the roster one example being Alexi Ponikarovsky. Went on to sign a great college free agent in Tyler Bozak and it looked like there was plan to what he was doing. 

During Burkes first draft with the Leafs he drafted Nazem Kadri. A player that fits the Brian Burke build. Think Burke drafting Kessler when he was in Vancouver. Only problem here is when Burke drafted Kessler he had supporting stars for him. In Toronto that wasn’t the case.

Come July first Burke dropped loads of money on a broken Mike Komisarek. Komisarek was not the same player after getting exposed as a fake tough guy by Milan Lucic. The on ice presence that he had in Montreal disappeared in Toronto, add that to shoulder injuries, look for him to be first on the buyout list by new management.  

            That offseason Burke also signed Francois Beauchemin the defensemen who he should have kept over Komisarek. But when you look at the return he got it isn’t too heartbreaking. Jake Gardiner looks to be a future stud on the blue line and, Joffery Lupul has resurged himself in the blue and white.

But that Lupul move came after the disaster that was the Phil Kessel trade. When you’re a franchise that hasn’t made the postseason since the lockout, you hold onto your first round picks. Burke didn’t believe in that. He misread his roster and gave them up for Kessel. Kessel might have scored 82 points last season, but Seguin and Hamilton would have been cornerstone pieces for years to come.

Yes Burke did bring in Dion Phaneuf, and he did shed Tomas Kaberle and got an astonishing return. However, it doesn’t make up for the mistakes that he made. The team is without a goaltender, and hung on to a failing coach for too long. Burke failed to bring with him any level of success during his tenure.

It shouldn’t be shocking that he’s fired, and it shouldn’t be a bad thing. While the Leafs no longer need a full on rebuild. They need to find the right pieces to make this team whole. They have prospects, and players that can play. Now they need a goalie, and smarter GM that can bring it all together.