so is Burke finished..

[maplesyrup]

I'd be happy if he wasn't noticed at all... Which would also be a good thing.

I don't mind noticing him the way we did last night. He was clearing the net with authority and hitting pretty hard as well. I think he's going to be good for Gardiner also and he talks like he is taking the young kid under his wing, maybe a bit. Gardiner could certainly learn a few things from Komi, maybe about the defensive side of things and positioning ect...

Agreed... Also worth noting is that in addition to giving Reimer some nice reads, he blocked a handful of shots.

 

[Peter D.]

Komisarek will never (ever) be worth his contract but whatever value he's able to bring, I'll obviously take.

I want to see Komisarek go back to the basics which made him an effective player in Montreal.  Be a hard-nosed SOB who punishes the opposition and makes the front of the net a hard place to be.  He'll never live up to his salary as you suggest, but if he becomes a pillar on D again and the team sees a noticeable improvement because of it, we'll take it.

 

[BlueWhiteBlood]

He must have felt good about himself last night, he almost played 18 minutes and as Floyd says, he blocked 6 shots last night, more than anybody else did.

 

[Optimus Reimer]

Komisarek will never (ever) be worth his contract but whatever value he's able to bring, I'll obviously take.

I want to see Komisarek go back to the basics which made him an effective player in Montreal.  Be a hard-nosed SOB who punishes the opposition and makes the front of the net a hard place to be.  He'll never live up to his salary as you suggest, but if he becomes a pillar on D again and the team sees a noticeable improvement because of it, we'll take it.

I believe he played with Markov in Montreal.  It was Markov that was able to hide or minimize the errors or weakness in Komi's game, but as Peter D. mentioned, if he sticks to the basics and keeps things simple, he can be a decent d-man for the Leafs.  Mind you, I think in the long run that Aulie has way more upside than Komi, and if Aulie can get his game going, I would not mind him being called up and Komi traded.

 

[oldrugbyguy]

With all the extra players think other GM will see BB coming and puts him in lower bargaining position

 

[BlueWhiteBlood]

With all the extra players think other GM will see BB coming and puts him in lower bargaining position

With the extra depth on D', I think rival GM's will be seeking out Burke in time, he won't have to go to them. Campoli just went down last night, it's bound to happen league wide I think. Burke is in a good position, I just hope he moves the right guy in the end.

 

[nutman]

With all the extra players think other GM will see BB coming and puts him in lower bargaining position

With the extra depth on D', I think rival GM's will be seeking out Burke in time, he won't have to go to them. Campoli just went down last night, it's bound to happen league wide I think. Burke is in a good position, I just hope he moves the right guy in the end.

Burke is in a good spot for making deals, but my guess is he will let it ride for a streach. say 20 games in and our d is still as solid as i think it will be, then yes they will come a knocking in droves to try and deal.

 

[nutman]

well i hope Burke is not finished, because wilson and his crap of a system is still here. we have fliped the whole team and we do have some very good talent, could it be that its coaching. hmmmm i'll bet it is. I hope Burkes shoping for a new one.

 

[jonlleafs]

well i hope Burke is not finished, because wilson and his crap of a system is still here. we have fliped the whole team and we do have some very good talent, could it be that its coaching. hmmmm i'll bet it is. I hope Burkes shoping for a new one.

I'm surprised this is coming from you, but you do know we are still 3rd in the Conference right?  7th overall in the whole league?

 

[Zee]

well i hope Burke is not finished, because wilson and his crap of a system is still here. we have fliped the whole team and we do have some very good talent, could it be that its coaching. hmmmm i'll bet it is. I hope Burkes shoping for a new one.

I'm surprised this is coming from you, but you do know we are still 3rd in the Conference right?  7th overall in the whole league?

You know that's a mirage right now right?  Of the top 8 teams in the conference, the Leafs are one of 2 teams with a negative Goals For/Goals Against differential (-7).  There's also another team coming on strong that has a +17 goal differential (Boston).

Of the top 17 teams in the league right now, the Leafs are the ONLY team that have given up more goals than they've scored.  The bubble is going to burst in a big way if that doesn't change.

 

[nutman]

these next three games are big. and i see buf has passed us.

 

[Bender]

these next three games are big. and i see buf has passed us.

Yeah, but only by 1pt.

 

[nutman]

these next three games are big. and i see buf has passed us.

Yeah, but only by 1pt.

Still they have passed us, so the leafs need to use it as a rallying point. the big question i have is can Wilson rally them enough to get the win. if not then then the topic of this posting comes up,and it willbe no he is not done, he needs a new coach.

 

[moon111]

The Leafs are starting to fall apart this season once again.  And I think Burke has done a very good job of it, but it just goes to show how competitive the league is.  Like Darcy Tucker's contract, we're still paying for JFJ's mistakes.  Burke has done an admirable job trying to set sail with a patchwork quilt of small injury-prone forwards, cement handed defensemen, and rookie goalies... but it's not going succeed.  But the only choice is to stay the course.  Develop big forwards like Colborne, defensemen like Gardiner, and goalies like Reimer.  But I don't see clear seas for the next two seasons.

 

[Boston Leaf]

I too like Burke.. But I am sick of th esmae old garbage. Strt good.. Fade badly in Nov/Dec.. Get out of th eplayoff picture. Make the late March run and dont make playoffs. THen next year Burke comes out with his "well we were 5th in the conference in points since the all star break" Who cares. A season is parts of 7 months. Not 2.. Enough of that crap

 

[Optimus Reimer]

The Leafs are starting to fall apart this season once again.  And I think Burke has done a very good job of it, but it just goes to show how competitive the league is.  Like Darcy Tucker's contract, we're still paying for JFJ's mistakes.  Burke has done an admirable job trying to set sail with a patchwork quilt of small injury-prone forwards, cement handed defensemen, and rookie goalies... but it's not going succeed.  But the only choice is to stay the course.  Develop big forwards like Colborne, defensemen like Gardiner, and goalies like Reimer.  But I don't see clear seas for the next two seasons.

This team should be able to make the playoffs when healthy.  Comparing this lineup to the teams 6th to 10th, this team should be better.  What I don't want to see is a 1st rounder traded away.  What the Leafs need right now is a Roberts type of player.  Someone with some energy and heart who will kick the other players in the backside to get them going.  They could also use a real goalie until Reimer returns. 

I am not sure if any those type of players are available, or what the price would be, but that is what the Leafs need.

 

[Peter D.]

Burke is falling on his own sword a bit.  I don't know if it's stubbornness, naivity, his ego, or a combination of all three.  But this is the second straight season he has misjudged the talent of this team heading into the season.

Last year, he deemed it not a priority to grab a #1 centre as we had Bozak.  Well, we all know how that turned out.  He still hasn't rectified that, even though Connolly can reasonably pass off as a placeholder for the time being (when he's healthy).

This year, he was adamant that he was comfortable going with Reimer and Gustavsson, despite many believing a veteran presence may prove beneficial.  No one expected Reimer to go as soon as he did nor for as long as he has and will be, but you always have to plan for the "what if".  Well, we see the results today and we don't have a stable backup (one good game followed by one bad game doesn't exude reliable confidence).  Another glaring misjudgment.

It's extremely possible it will cost his team another chance at the playoffs and I will admit, the way Burke talks during interviews about the state of the team, it's a little frustrating.

 

[leafsjunkie]

It's time to fire Wilson, get a defensive style coach (I don't care if it gets boring to watch, I'd rather the team win a 2-1 boring style game then keep losing these 4-1, 7-0, 5-1 'exciting' games) and grab Nabokov. My 2 pennies.

 

[maplesyrup]

It's time to fire Wilson, get a defensive style coach (I don't care if it gets boring to watch, I'd rather the team win a 2-1 boring style game then keep losing these 4-1, 7-0, 5-1 'exciting' games) and grab Nabokov. My 2 pennies.

FWIW, Nabokov got hurt last night.

 

[cw]

It's time to fire Wilson, get a defensive style coach (I don't care if it gets boring to watch, I'd rather the team win a 2-1 boring style game then keep losing these 4-1, 7-0, 5-1 'exciting' games) and grab Nabokov. My 2 pennies.

FWIW, Nabokov got hurt last night.

He'll fit right in then!