All Entries Tagged With: "Burke"
Leafs Not Meeting Expectations
The Toronto Maple Leafs and expectations go hand in hand. However the height of those expectations can vary from year to year. With Brian Burke entering his fourth year as the Leafs general manager, expectations have not been this high since Mats Sundin was the face of the franchise. The Leafs have no doubt gotten [...]
Leafs Prospects — Training Camp
The Toronto Maple Leafs concluded their annual rookie tournament Tuesday night. They finished with a record of 2-0-1, with their only loss coming in overtime, in a “Battle of Ontario” with the Ottawa Senators. The camp was a little taste of the future, for the Leafs. It was an early showing of top prospects [...]
One year after World Hockey Summit: NHL players and the Olympics
It was one year ago tonight that the Molson Canadian World Hockey Summit commenced in the historic Great Hall at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto. High-profile decision makers and players from Canada, the United States and Europe assembled for four days to discuss ways to improve and grow the game of hockey worldwide. The [...]
What To Expect: Tim Connolly
The acquisition of Tim Connolly to the Toronto Maple Leafs’ top-six unit will, on the surface, add depth to the team’s forward ranks. But the hopes of playoff hockey in Toronto could well rest on the shoulders of the injury-prone centerman next season. Not because Connolly is capable of vaulting the Leafs to new heights [...]
Leafs’ Third Line Key to Success
Whether the Toronto Maple Leafs’ depth chart remains unchanged until the opening day of the regular season shouldn’t deter from the fact that, on paper, its third-line may be the best it’s been in years. While the need for a number-one center ultimately remains the Leafs’ target to solidify a berth in the post-season, the [...]
Are the Leafs a Playoff Team?
The Toronto Maple Leafs will not be acquiring any more assets in the off-season… at least for now. In an interview with the National Post’s Michael Traikos, general manager Brian Burke said his team is going to sit back and let the players compete for spots at training camp. This is good news for the [...]
What’s Next For The Leafs?
With general manager Brian Burke acquiring John-Michael Liles, Tim Connolly, Matthew Lombardi and Cody Franson this off-season, there’s little doubt the Toronto Maple Leafs have improved heading into the 2011-12 season. But with a logjam on defense and cap space left to improve some of the Leafs’ needs, it’s unlikely Burke is content with the [...]
Puck-Moving Defenseman Off The Checklist
The Toronto Maple Leafs no longer require a puck-moving defenseman this off-season with the acquisition of John-Michael Liles for the second-round pick in 2012 the Leafs previously acquired from the Boston Bruins. The 30-year-old offensive defenseman has one year remaining on his contract with a cap-hit of $4.2-million. While he is a one-dimensional player, it’s worth [...]
Should the Leafs Target Stastny?
With the National Hockey League Entry Draft under 48 hours away, general manager Brian Burke’s cellphone bill will continue to feed small countries as he contemplates how to effectively use his first-round draft picks. Whether Burke decides to import two first-round prospects to the Toronto Maple Leafs or package them, along with other assets, for [...]
Limited Options For Burke
While the buzz in Leafs Nation is whether the Toronto Maple Leafs will acquire Brad Richards on July 1, general manager Brian Burke will still have options to improve his hockey team via free agency if he fails to acquire the coveted centerman. The problem, however, is that those options would not improve the Leafs up the middle, [...]
Leafs’ Top Priority: Offense
The turmoil that surrounds the opening day of free agency can often leave teams with immovable contracts for the forseeable future. The allure of acquiring impact players without relinquising assets can blur the line between a conservative and aggressive approach to remedy team needs. And, as often the case, it could make or break a [...]
The Summer of Burke
As the National Hockey League Entry Draft draws closer, many in Leafs Nation have begun to speculate if general manager Brian Burke will pursue an external asset in the form of a number-one center. The need for such an asset has been abundantly clear since Mats Sundin fled for a certain team that shall not be named. Many have auditioned [...]
Gustavsson: The Forgotten Man
With goaltender James Reimer signed on for another three years in Toronto, the fate of Jonas Gustavsson’s National Hockey League career hangs in the balance. As the opening day of free agency inches ever closer, general manager Brian Burke will soon have to decide whether to retain Gustavsson as the team’s back-up goaltender. If Burke opts [...]
DAILY RUMORS: Latest On The Bruins
The Boston Bruins addressed their need at center with their acquisition from Ottawa of Chris Kelly but they’re obviously not doen dealing as the February 28th deadline nears. General manager Peter Chiarelli hasthe depth in draft picks, prospects and players they could shop to make what one Boston pundit suggested could be an impact trade, [...]
The Media Strikes Again
In business we learn that capitalizing on trends means a future of healthy profits. In journalism we are taught the same thing, trends are what sell.
The Expendables
As I sit here enjoying a cool, crisp, glacier fresh beer after a 9-3 Maple Leafs victory, the February 28 Trade Deadline enters my mind as I ponder how Brian Burke will fast-track Toronto to the playoffs. He has once again cemented his stance to acquire players that will help the team immediately, rather than [...]
A TALE OF TWO TEAMS: Building Through Draft vs The Other Guy
Interesting article on the Maple Leafs over on InsideHockey.com. In it, the author puts forth the notion that Brian Burke should have taken the mystery door than the safe pick of Phil Kessel. If you look at the standings and struggles since, one has to agree. What he describes is the vast difference of building [...]
DAILY RUMORS: Why A Rumored Leafs-Devils Deal Didn’t Go Down
We at HockeyIndependent.com want to be your resource and filter for what is going on in the NHL. We try to disseminate the noise in the blogosphere. We don’t look to to attack those sources, but to question the veracity of the rumor with cold logic, hockey smarts and knowledge. To do that… we have [...]
Good For Q. and Watch Crawford and Stalberg
Giving Joel Quenneville a contract extension was a no-brainer for Blackhawk brass. Signing Q. to a three year extension, which means he is under contract for another four seasons was a well deserved reward. Stan Bowman did the right thing by not letting Quenneville dangle and be open to any speculation concerning his Chicago coaching [...]
DAILY RUMORS: Shooting Down Leafs Speculations About Chasing RFAs
We at HockeyIndependent.com want to be your resource and filter for what is going on in the NHL. We try to disseminate the noise in the blogosphere. We don’t look to to attack those sources, but to question the veracity of the rumor with cold logic, hockey smarts and knowledge. To do that… we have [...]