Arshad Desai, staff writer, says NO, the Leafs need Burke
On January 9, the decision to remove Brian Burke as general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs shocked everyone, including Burke, who was on his way to New York City to discuss the end of the NHL lockout.
The reason behind his dismissal isn’t clear, but many assume it was his inability to lead the Leafs to the playoffs during his reign.
But if the Leafs are playoff-bound by April, it will be thanks to a number of brilliant decisions made by him during his time with the Leafs.
Upon accepting the position as GM of the Leafs, Burke was handed a team worth no more than a bag of pucks. During his tenure, he acquired Captain Dion Phaneuf, Joffrey Lupul, and a pure sniper in Phil Kessel.
Burke’s decision to rebuild the team with draft picks and younger players is what will take the Leafs to the playoffs this season because now the youth are ready to step into the NHL and take the Buds to post-season.
Investing in players like Matt Frattin, smooth skating defenseman Jake Gardiner, and Nazem Kadri, an offensively gifted first-round draft pick, were Burke’s moves. He should have been allowed to see that decision out.
Firing Burke before a shortened season was not in good taste. Now, when the Leafs make the playoffs, the credit will go to his successor Dave Nonis.
Keeping Burke on as GM would have ensured the Leafs make the playoffs for a few reasons. He knew this season would be make or break for his tenure in Toronto, and he would have done whatever it took to make sure his team made the playoffs.
He has a history of making great trades, and I can’t help but feel that the current Leafs roster is just one big trade away from being a solid Stanley Cup contender.
Not having Burke as part of the Leafs brass is only going to hinder that opportunity.
His tough, no-nonsense attitude with the media would have protected his young team from the pressure that comes with playing in Hockey’s Mecca.
But the most important reason Burke shouldn’t have been fired is because you reap what you sow. He created this team, a strong contender for the Stanley Cup, and should have been allowed to partake in its post-season.
As a die-hard Leafs fan, I hope to see them heading to the playoffs, but in no way does the firing of an excellent GM help them.
Samuel Friedman, staff writer, says: NO, Nonis isn’t promising
Firing Brian Burke was not a real shocker to me. He had very little success in Toronto, missing the playoffs for four straight seasons.
But the timing of this decision shocked everyone. Letting go of Burke leads to fans asking many questions, the most important being: do the Maple Leafs stand a better chance this season without Burke at the helm?
The answer is obviously no.
Although Burke hasn’t had much success as GM of the Leafs, his past successes as the leader of Vancouver and Anaheim speak for themselves. Burke won a Stanley Cup in Anaheim, and made both the Ducks and Canucks competitive franchises for years after his departure. The Leafs seemed to be patient with Burke until the ownership change to Rogers and Bell became official in August.
Many thought this 48-game shortened season would be the final chance for Burke, but clearly the new owners felt otherwise, and relieved him of his duties as GM before the season even began. His replacement, who also happened to be his understudy, Dave Nonis, has been in this position before.
In 2004, Nonis replaced Burke as general manager of the Canucks and missed the playoffs two out of three seasons before being let go. A few months after being let go by the Canucks, Nonis rejoined Burke in Anaheim and eventually followed Burke again to Toronto.
Problems with Nonis are obvious, as he has not had any real success following up Burke in the past, and his development philosophy is similar to Burke’s, as they have been working together for years.
Nonis has decided to retain most of the same staff as Burke and the exact same coaching staff who were previously unsuccessful. He also takes a more relaxed approach to rebuilding a franchise, and it remains to be seen whether or not this approach will work.
I doubt it.
Nonis will have his hands full, trying to fill a roster lacking a true starting goalie and a competitive first-line centre for a shortened NHL season. The Leafs should have given Burke this 48-game season to prove himself because now, the entire year will be wasted scrambling to reformat the franchise in Nonis’ image and not Burke’s.
Go Leafs Go?
