1-on-1 With Kevin McGran of the Toronto Star

For today’s edition of “I Hate Monday’s,” I interview Toronto Star journalist Kevin McGran. Kevin started his journalism career as a writer for the Canadian Press back in 1988 and recently joined Star Sports as a full time journalist covering the Toronto Maple Leafs. He is known as one of the nicer journalists and was nice enough to take part in a brief interview through Twitter to get his thoughts on the Leafs. Enjoy:

1. Which player has impressed you the most and which player has been the biggest disappointment this season?

Answer: Most impressed with: Luke Schenn, their best defenseman, a shut-down player. Considering where he was last year, big surprise.

Most disappointed with: Tyler Bozak, he is underachieving. Could be the sophomore jinx. Stay patient, like they did with Schenn and it could pay off.

My Thoughts: Luke Schenn has really stepped up his game, no doubt he is the best defenseman right now for the Maple Leafs. As for Bozak, he is buckling under the “Toronto pressure.” It will be interesting to see what type of contract Brian Burke offers to Bozak at season’s end, or will he be traded?

1. Do you think Tomas Kaberle will re-sign with the Maple Leafs?

Answer: Will he sign? Don’t know. I think he would like to. But I don’t know if he will.

My Thoughts: Kaberle continues to portray the fact that he wants to remain in Toronto. Having said that, I don’t see a re-sign with the Leafs in the future.

1. Should Keith Aulie and Nazem Kadri remain with the big club for the remainder of the season?

Answer: Keith Aulie needs more time in the minors. Couldn’t hurt Kadri either. Minors – very good for confidence and building endurance.

My Thoughts: Keith Aulie will probably find himself in the minors sooner rather than later. But I don’t think the Leafs will send him down until he starts struggling. Same goes for Nazem Kadri.

1. Is Jonas Gustavsson ready to take on the tole of a number one goalie in the NHL for the Maple Leafs?

Answer: I don’t think so, at least not yet. 50-50, and building toward more. He will be a number one next year.

My Thoughts: Kevin really nails the button here. For the most part, Gustavsson has played like a number one goalie but its a work in progress. Next year he will be number one if everything goes well.

1. Do the Leafs have enough pieces to build a team around? Or do they need another major piece(s)?

Answer: They need a big number one centre who can be a calming presence and a puck moving defenseman to take the mantle from Tomas Kaberle. They also need a power forward, someone like a Johan Franzen or a Tomas Holmstrom.

My Thoughts: On top of what Kevin says, the Leafs need one of those acquisitions to be a “franchise player.” Dion Phaneuf, Phil Kessel, Jonas Gustavsson, none of these guys are franchise players. It is almost impossible to acquire a franchise player via trade or free agency these days. Most of the franchise players out there remain with the teams that drafted them.

1. Rate the work of Brian Burke in his time with the Leafs as the general manager. 1 being horrible and 10 being excellent.

Answer: Rating for Brian Burke: 7.5 — Bad Kessel deal. He didn’t need to rush to get a sniper and didn’t protect draft picks (as John Ferguson Jr. had done) but he Burke did pull off a great deal for Dion Phaneuf. Ask yourself if you’d trade Keith Aulie for Ian White? Keith Aulie for Matt Stajan? Keith Aulie for Niklas Hagman? And you have your answer.

Burke has done a good job handling contracts as well. Jussi Rynnas, Clarke MacArthur, are players that will pay off in the long run.

My Thoughts: The Dion Phaneuf trade was hands down one of the best trades by Brian Burke. The Phil Kessel trade was hands down one the worst trades by Brian Burke. That pretty much sums it up, otherwise, I believe Burke has done a solid job rebuilding this team. However, he has some big holes to fill.

1. Rate the Leafs prospect crop. 1 being horrible and 10 being excellent.

Answer: I won’t rate the prospects right now. However, what I will say is to watch for F Jerry D’amigo, D Juraj Mikus, G Jussi Rynnas, and G Ben Scrivens to be big-time NHLers.

My Thoughts: Its interesting that Kevin puts Ben Scrivens amongst the group to become “big-time NHLers.” Brian Burke has solidified his goaltending and his defense both on the ice and for the future. The forwards remain to be fine tuned.

Brian Burke definitely has his work cut out for him. The forwards need fine tuning and same goes for the prospects. I wonder if a coaching change is also part of Brian Burke’s plan?

I am thankful for getting the opportunity to interview such an experienced writer! I thank Kevin McGran for taking the time to answer these questions and I wish him a Happy Holidays! Follow Kevin on Twitter > @Kevin_McGran. Follow me on Twitter > @SH_Leafs

Until next time….