National Hockey League: Toronto GM Brian Burke still at it
It came as no surprise to anyone that Brian Burke stepped up the Free Agent Hunt. It shouldn’t have, at least since he had already made his plans abundantly clear when he said that the 1st of July, the day free agency open, would be the Draft for the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Burke really didn’t have any choice. They didn’t have any good draft picks left as Burke had already made trades for the number 2 and 32 picks in this year’s draft. Burke was interested in Dan Hamhuis, Sergei Gonchar and Paul Martin. The Vancouver Canucks, Ottawa Senators and Pittsburgh Penguins respectively, deprived Burke of those options. The Maple Leafs still have a dire need for talent.
It’s not all bad news though, as with some of the big names off the market, it opens up the field for Burke to make a high value deal for Tomas Kaberle. Already, five offers have been made for Kaberle. “My guess would be, with the defensemen that moved, that Tomas’ value goes up,” Burke said. Burke wants to trade the defenseman for a top-six forward and said that he would continue listening. No trade would happen unless Burke is happy with it, even if that means Tomas stays with the Toronto Maple Leafs, an outcome Burke said he is not at all unhappy with.
As for forwards, where else to go if you are looking for talent other than the current Stanley Cup champions who desperately need room in their cap? Burke first made a trade for Chicago Blackhawks wingers Kris Versteeg and Bill Sweatt for wingers Viktor Stalberg and prospects Chris DiDomenico and Philippe Paradis. Burke said that Versteeg’s impressive back-to-back 20 goal season with the Chicago Blackhawks came when he played significantly fewer number of minutes than he would with Toronto Maple Leafs; hence Burke believed that he might still improve his 20 goal figure.
Then he got Colby Armstrong from the Atlanta Thrashers. Colby does not bring exceptional puck moving ability with 15 goals in 79 games to Toronto. However, the 6’ 2” winger does bring with him what the 5’ 10” Versteeg couldn’t, and that is size. Burke plans to have Colby on the third line, but said that Colby could be moved up in key situations. The fact that Colby was able to land a 9 million 3 year contract even after a down season just goes to show how scarce good talent was in this year’s free agency. Burke, however, wanted a tough guy and Colby certainly fits the bill and even with his style of play, Colby doesn’t spend as much time in the penalty box as one would think.
Burke, though, is still not satisfied. "Are we done? I would not say that," Burke said, adding that there are more options that he would be looking at until the season begins. However, he is not dissatisfied either. He was clearly very happy with what the Maple Leafs were shaping up to become. “We had the youngest team in the league for much of last year. I wish the season was starting tomorrow,” Burke said.
The possibilities now for Burke might include Raffi Torres. Torres had a comeback season this year after injuries hampered the left wing forward from leaving a mark on the game. He played 51 games for the Columbus Blue Jackets and scored 19 goals. Burke is looking for a top-six forward and Torres is looking to play. Match made in heaven? We’ll soon find out.
The Leafs still have around 7 million dollars left in their cap after the signing of Armstrong and the possible trade for Kaberle combined. There is room for Burke to make significant improvement, but things like these never turn out as planned. It’s really up to Burke now and how he plays his cards.
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