Nonis using depth to go shopping....

[Zee]

That very well may be the case. The biggest splash Burke could possibly make might be at the draft table. Perhaps he makes a trade with EDM for the 1st overall pick, or deals players or picks for Luongo. I just have this feeling that a few bold moves are in store for us this off season.

Burke is feeling the heat now more than ever, and nothing will calm the waters or boost his ego more than a few big name acquisitions or bold moves at the draft to bolster the roster for next season. Burke's ego (and perhaps his job) can't suffer another dramatic season-ending slide out of a playoff spot. Not in his 5th year as GM. Not when he's missed the dance every single year he's been with the Leafs. We'll see something big happen this summer. I'm betting on it.

He's been very quiet so far this off season, for Burke. I think part of that is he has backed off his media face time after the very aggressive heckling he took, but also probably decided it would be best just to STFU and not talk out loud about anything in or not in the plans. 

But I think the quiet means some bigger stuff is going on.  This should be the summer to get aggressive, but he has to be careful not to overdo it and end up selling 3/4 of the young depth he has pulled together.

That's the thing with Burke, when he was in other cities I don't recall him alluding to his plans in the press (like that year he kept insisting the Leafs could move up in the Tavares draft), instead he'd be quiet and then come out of left field with huge trades.  So why is it in Toronto he's constantly yapping about what he could do or might have done?  Just keep quiet and do it.

 

[Corn Flake]

That's the thing with Burke, when he was in other cities I don't recall him alluding to his plans in the press (like that year he kept insisting the Leafs could move up in the Tavares draft), instead he'd be quiet and then come out of left field with huge trades.  So why is it in Toronto he's constantly yapping about what he could do or might have done?  Just keep quiet and do it.

In fairness, Anaheim and Hartford would have had a fraction of the media attention and daily questions. In Vancouver I think it was actually similar... but he got pissed off at the highly critical media after a while and clammed up there too.

Example:

"On Pavel Bure in Vancouver:
"We're not going to kiss anyone's butt to play here. We have a beautiful arena, our own plane, and, again a great hockey market and one of the best cities in the world, so I'm not kissing anyone's behind to play here, that's just not going to happen. He wants out, I'm going to move him.""

There are more than a couple of quotes on Bure.

""There is no way Alex Auld was going to be on this team this year, unless he flew to France during the summer and bathed in the holy waters at Lourdes."

"If Trent can get 3 years at over a million dollars then God bless him I will drive him to the airport."

etc.

But I agree he should stop being accommodating to the media and just go do work.

 

[Madferret]

Burke must be thankful is last name isn't Schenn

 

[#1PilarFan]

That sounds about right. It could be one of the busiest summers ever for the Leafs. Hopefully we haven't built up our expectations too much as to what Burke can pull off. But I'm pretty pumped nonetheless.

I don't think the Leafs will be as busy as some people want/expect them to be. My guess is a couple depth signings and maybe one major trade (likely for a goalie) and that'll be about it. Prices for UFAs and in trades are likely to be weird this summer with the uncertainty around the new CBA. Every June we hear about there being a lot of trade talk and how it's going to be the most exciting trade season ever and so on, and pretty much every year, there are a couple notable deals (mostly within a week of the draft) and everything else is business as usual.

I don't know how busy they will be, but I do know that Burke must be feeling the pressure to upgrade his current roster. He can't keep his job with the kinds of results he's had so far and Leafs nation is nothing if not impatient. I think Burke will be hard-pressed to sell his usual "I'm happy with this team/I believe in these guys/etc" this year.

 

[kelticdog]

The Leafs have had nothing but good luck with Russians though. I don't recall a significant issue involving one here. - I might be forgetting someone.

Dmitry Vorobiev?

 

[maplesyrup]

Is that it?

 

[CarltonTheBear]

The Leafs have had nothing but good luck with Russians though. I don't recall a significant issue involving one here. - I might be forgetting someone.

Dmitry Vorobiev?

Man I wish he came over. Anyway, the Leafs have very rarely drafted Russians. Kulemin is the first Russian we've had success with since Berezin.

 

[bustaheims]

Man I wish he came over. Anyway, the Leafs have very rarely drafted Russians. Kulemin is the first Russian we've had success with since Berezin.

Pretty much. First Russian the Leafs have drafted since 1995 to play a full season. One of only 3 former Soviets in that span as well (Ponikarovsky and Antropov being the others). Even if you go back further, the only Russians to really have real long-term impact in the NHL are Danny Markov, Dmitri Mironov and Berezin.

 

[brothert]

Alex Godynyuk got us a good player in a trade.  So I think he brought good nhl value to the leafs.

 

[maplesyrup]

Man I wish he came over. Anyway, the Leafs have very rarely drafted Russians. Kulemin is the first Russian we've had success with since Berezin.

Pretty much. First Russian the Leafs have drafted since 1995 to play a full season. One of only 3 former Soviets in that span as well (Ponikarovsky and Antropov being the others). Even if you go back further, the only Russians to really have real long-term impact in the NHL are Danny Markov, Dmitri Mironov and Berezin.

It's a short list of Russians but we've had success with them.

 

[Kin]

The Leafs have had nothing but good luck with Russians though. I don't recall a significant issue involving one here.

He played relatively well but, and I'll be trying to duck the mods' lightning bolts here, I'd struggle to call the Danny Markov thing a positive experience.

 

[CarltonTheBear]

Man I wish he came over. Anyway, the Leafs have very rarely drafted Russians. Kulemin is the first Russian we've had success with since Berezin.

Pretty much. First Russian the Leafs have drafted since 1995 to play a full season. One of only 3 former Soviets in that span as well (Ponikarovsky and Antropov being the others). Even if you go back further, the only Russians to really have real long-term impact in the NHL are Danny Markov, Dmitri Mironov and Berezin.

It's a short list of Russians but we've had success with them.

I'm not sure how you can say one developed Russian in 16 years can be considered a success. There were a few misses in there too, it's not like we were completely avoiding them.

 

[rdowdall]

Man I wish he came over. Anyway, the Leafs have very rarely drafted Russians. Kulemin is the first Russian we've had success with since Berezin.

Pretty much. First Russian the Leafs have drafted since 1995 to play a full season. One of only 3 former Soviets in that span as well (Ponikarovsky and Antropov being the others). Even if you go back further, the only Russians to really have real long-term impact in the NHL are Danny Markov, Dmitri Mironov and Berezin.

It's a short list of Russians but we've had success with them.

I'm not sure how you can say one developed Russian in 16 years can be considered a success. There were a few misses in there too, it's not like we were completely avoiding them.

I wonder if Toronto has some success with Russians because of the city itself and the worldwide popularity of the team.  It would be interesting if time could be changed and we could see what the careers of players like Zherdev or Filatov had they played for the Leafs.

 

[maplesyrup]

Man I wish he came over. Anyway, the Leafs have very rarely drafted Russians. Kulemin is the first Russian we've had success with since Berezin.

Pretty much. First Russian the Leafs have drafted since 1995 to play a full season. One of only 3 former Soviets in that span as well (Ponikarovsky and Antropov being the others). Even if you go back further, the only Russians to really have real long-term impact in the NHL are Danny Markov, Dmitri Mironov and Berezin.

It's a short list of Russians but we've had success with them.

I'm not sure how you can say one developed Russian in 16 years can be considered a success. There were a few misses in there too, it's not like we were completely avoiding them.

When I say "success with", it's not in a talent sense. I'm speaking merely on their willingness to play in this city. I mean, apart from that one, I don't recall any other Russian giving us the "Heisman." Do you?

 

[Kin]

I wonder if Toronto has some success with Russians because of the city itself and the worldwide popularity of the team.  It would be interesting if time could be changed and we could see what the careers of players like Zherdev or Filatov had they played for the Leafs.

Considering that every team in the league(I'm assuming) has had "some" success with russian players I don't know it bears a ton of scrutiny.

 

[bustaheims]

When I say "success with", it's not in a talent sense. I'm speaking merely on their willingness to play in this city. I mean, apart from that one, I don't recall any other Russian giving us the "Heisman." Do you?

Well, there are a fair number of Russians draft by the Leafs who never came over to play in North America. Vorobiev is just the highest profile of the bunch.

 

[CarltonTheBear]

When I say "success with", it's not in a talent sense. I'm speaking merely on their willingness to play in this city. I mean, apart from that one, I don't recall any other Russian giving us the "Heisman." Do you?

Maybe not, but in the past 16 years we've really only drafted two who had real NHL potential, Kulemin and Vorobiev. I'm not sure a 50% success rate is anything to brag about. And it's certainly too small of a sample size to make any real generalizations.

 

[Madferret]

Man I wish he came over. Anyway, the Leafs have very rarely drafted Russians. Kulemin is the first Russian we've had success with since Berezin.

Pretty much. First Russian the Leafs have drafted since 1995 to play a full season. One of only 3 former Soviets in that span as well (Ponikarovsky and Antropov being the others). Even if you go back further, the only Russians to really have real long-term impact in the NHL are Danny Markov, Dmitri Mironov and Berezin.

It's a short list of Russians but we've had success with them.

I'm not sure how you can say one developed Russian in 16 years can be considered a success. There were a few misses in there too, it's not like we were completely avoiding them.

I wonder if Toronto has some success with Russians because of the city itself and the worldwide popularity of the team.  It would be interesting if time could be changed and we could see what the careers of players like Zherdev or Filatov had they played for the Leafs.

Right now Zherdev & Filatov would be a big pile of bones over by the Toronto media's litter box. Are you kidding?

 

[maplesyrup]

When I say "success with", it's not in a talent sense. I'm speaking merely on their willingness to play in this city. I mean, apart from that one, I don't recall any other Russian giving us the "Heisman." Do you?

Well, there are a fair number of Russians draft by the Leafs who never came over to play in North America. Vorobiev is just the highest profile of the bunch.

Imagine where we'd be with Vorobiev and all the other lesser talents! (haha) If he's the highest profile Russian we've ever drafted who's refused to come over here, that really doesn't strike me as much evidence Burke or Leaf fans for that matter should be all that concerned with drafting one if there's one we like. - Grigorenko included.   

 

[maplesyrup]

When I say "success with", it's not in a talent sense. I'm speaking merely on their willingness to play in this city. I mean, apart from that one, I don't recall any other Russian giving us the "Heisman." Do you?

Maybe not, but in the past 16 years we've really only drafted two who had real NHL potential, Kulemin and Vorobiev. I'm not sure a 50% success rate is anything to brag about. And it's certainly too small of a sample size to make any real generalizations.

It's only a very small sample size if you choose to just go back 16 years. Still, I'm aware that going back 30 years still only gives us a small sample too.