Okay hindsight is 20/20. But if people are going to rake Burke over the coals for his deals or lack of deals to fill holes on the roster... let's ponder what would happen if:
- J.F.J. takes Claude Giroux instead of Tlusty.
- J.F.J. doesn't deal picks for Toskala and Mark Bell.
Does Burke make the Kessel trade with Giroux on the roster?
If the Sharks could deal those picks the Leafs gave up for
Logan Couture, what's saying Brian Burke couldn't as well??
Okay, who knows what would of happened. But perhaps Burke
doesn't trade for Kessel, doesn't sign Bozak and Connolly.
There's nothing to say the Leafs top two lines couldn't be very
similiar to:
Joffrey Lupul / Tyler Seguin / Claude Giroux
Logan Couture / Grabovski / Nikolai Kulemin
(Plus having Dougie Hamilton and Jared Knight)
Whatever the outcome, I think JFJ's poor performance not only destroyed
the Leafs not only on his tenure, but left it in shambles for Burke as well.
This isn't even factoring (re)signing guys like: Domi, Belfour, Allison, O'Neil,
Lindros, Tucker (still on buy-out), Blake, McCabe... or trading away Rask.
People are disappointed the Leafs didn't make the playoffs? Burke went
right into hockey hades and saved the soul of this club. Not sure anyone
else could of done it. How many would of bent to the pressure? Signed
some stupid contract and left this club for dead just like Burke's predecessor did.