October 21, 2008 Burke isn't the answer Dan Kingerski explains why the Brian Burke
isn't the savior the Toronto Maple Leafs are looking for.
[Pittsburgh,
PA] -- There sits an unsigned offer sheet on Brian Burke's desk to
remain the General Manager of the Anaheim Ducks. It will remain
unsigned.
It is very early in the season, but if Chicago can make a coaching
move, Anaheim can and should make the necessary change to entrust its
future to someone who will be around to see it through.
Sometime before next season, Brian Burke will become the next GM of
the Toronto Maple Leafs. Like most major moves in Toronto, it will be
heralded. Like most major moves in Toronto, it may not produce the
expected results.
Burke will bring a Stanley Cup ring and credibility, but a reputation
which exceeds the job he has performed just outside La-La land. Maple
Leaf faithful will cheer the arrival of an architect to bring back
respectability. While Burke has proved capable of building mid-pack
teams, his ability to build a contender remains, at best, unseen.
In 2006, Burke was in his second year as GM when he was able to pry
Chris Pronger and family out of Edmonton for Joffrey Lupul, Ladislav
Smid and a first round pick, en route to the Stanley Cup. However, the
Anaheim puzzle was largely in place. Players like J.S. Giguere, Corey
Perry, Ryan Getzlaf, Dustin Penner and Andy McDonald were already in
place. In fact, Burke's predecessor, Bryan Murray, drafted the young
core that lifted Anaheim's offense.
To Burke's credit, he acquired Pronger. In 2005, coming out of the
lockout, he won the bidding war for Scott Neidermeyer and took a
chance on a declining Teemu Selanne. Those were the high points.
It is Burke's performance since the weeks following the NHL lockout,
which has doomed the Ducks to a path of declination. Burke tried so
hard to keep his aging defensive pillars, that he sacrificed Penner,
McDonald, who was traded for Doug Weight in a salary dump, and Shane
O'Brien, traded to replace the first round pick given up for Pronger.
Burke then attempted to spin that first rounder for a rental player.
(In case you've forgotten some of the moves, you can read Burke's 2007
deadline diary here.)
Burke placed 2008 over the long term future of the franchise. Imagine
if Neidermeyer had been left in retirement, or traded, and Burke had
kept Penner, McDonald and O'Brien. The Ducks would still have a very
solid blue-line, backed by Giguere, and true offensive depth. They
would be better off today, still one of the best of the West, but also
positioned as one of the good young teams with potential greatness.
Instead, the Ducks are thin upfront, and pressed against the salary
cap. The future of the Ducks should be much different, especially when
you consider the 2005 draft.
Nine of the first 12 picks of the 2005 NHL draft have made it to the
NHL. Six of those 12 have made a significant impact. With the 2nd
pick, Burke selected Bobby Ryan, who has yet to contribute at the NHL
level. The first pick, Sidney Crosby, scored his 100th goal last
weekend. And just to add a little more salt to the wound, Carolina
selected Jack Johnson with the 3rd pick. Luc Bourdon went 10th to
Vancouver. LA snagged Anze Kopitar at no. 11. The list goes on...
Burke's work in Vancouver was a similarly mixed bag. Beginning in
1998, he improved the franchise, but led by Todd Bertuzzi and Markus
Naslund, Burke failed to acquire a true first line center, or
legitimate goaltender. They won just one playoff series in five years.
On the plus side, he did sign the Sedin twins.
In 1992, he lasted only one year as GM of the Hartford Whalers. Cue
the fight song!
There is no question Burke is a GM not afraid to make a bold move.
That is to be admired and praised. Too many GM's play it safe when
action is needed. Right now, Burke is faced with a unique decision; to
preside over the fall of the Ducks, trying to patch cracks as they
continue, or jump to the hapless Leafs, with nowhere to go but up. For
the unwashed, jumping to the Leafs will seem bold. The Leafs have
already saddled a white horse for his arrival.
Anaheim needs a bold move, as well. Perhaps they too will find a
jockey for the white horse they will soon need.
Daniel Kingerski is the host of The Fourth Period Radio Show and the Pittsburgh Correspondent for The Fourth Period Magazine and a Columnist for TheFourthPeriod.com.
Burke will bring a Stanley Cup ring and credibility, but a reputation
which exceeds the job he has performed just outside La-La land. Maple
Leaf faithful will cheer the arrival of an architect to bring back
respectability. While Burke has proved capable of building mid-pack
teams, his ability to build a contender remains, at best, unseen. 