Brain Burke

Back in the summer of 2007, the Ducks had just won the franchise’s first Stanley Cup, and forward Dustin Penner was a big part of that, recording 29 goals in the regular season.  That seemed to impress Edmonton Oilers General Manager Kevin Lowe, who signed the restricted free-agent to a five-year, $21.25 million offer sheet.  With the Ducks unable to match the offer due to salary cap issues, the Oilers came away with Penner, but not without having to endure a barrage of criticism.

Most of that criticism came from Burke, who accused Lowe and the Oilers of grossly overpaying for Penner’s services and inflating the market.  Tension between the two GM’s became so high at one point, that they nearly engaged in a barnyard brawl, literally!

Burke described the incident during a recent interview with The Score’s Sophia Jurksztowicz:

My wife overheard me talking to Glen Sather.  It got to a point where Kevin challenged me to a fight on a radio interview.  So I’m like, “well that’s not really how you challenge a guy to a fight.  If you want to challenge a guy to a fight, you pick a place and a time and you show up.”

So I called Glen Sather and I said, “Look, this guy went on the radio and challenged me to a fight.”  I said, “I’m going to be at Lake Placid at the US Junior camp.”  I gave him three dates.  I told him I’d rent a barn and I’d pick the address and time and I’d fight Kevin Lowe…

It got to the point where (NHL Commissioner) Gary Bettman called me and said, “I heard you guys are thinking about having a fight, and if you do I am going to suspend you both indefinitely.”  That’s how crazy it got.

As you probably guessed, the fight never took place.

Burke has since mended his relationship with Lowe.  He largely attributes that to his son, Brendan, who he says has influenced him to take some of his edge off.  Brendan died in a car accident in February 2010 at the age of 21.

Here is Burke discussing his unusual feud with Kevin Lowe.

Hat Tip – [The Score]

This weeks honorable mention goes to Mike Knuble of the Washington Capitals. Last week Knuble had 3 goals and added 3 assists for 6 points with two of those points coming on the power play. He also had 19 penalty minutes, a plus/minus rating of plus-7 and one game winning goal. Mike was one of my favourite sleepers heading into the season as he was slated to play with Ovechkin on the right side and so far he’s making me look like a genius. As of Tuesday, Feb.9 Knuble has 39 points (21 goals & 18 assists) in just 47 games. Injuries are the only real concern for Mike but considering the points he’s already put up, plus the decent amount of PIMs, I’d say he’s worth the risk.

Lets take a look at the NHL Fantasy 3 Stars for Week 18.

3rd Star – Alexander Ovechkin (LW), Washington Capitals

Yours truly wasn’t a big fan of Alexander Ovechkin being named captain last month, but I guess you can’t argue with the results so far. Last week Ovie scored 7 goals and had 3 assists for 10 points with 3 of those points coming while on the power play. Alex also had 4 penalty minutes, a plus/minus rating of plus-6 and 18 shots on goal. Ovechkin is pumped up for the Olympics and I think is one of the few players that wont digress when he comes back from Vancouver.

2nd Star – Nicklas Backstrom (C), Washington Capitals

First it was Miikka Kiprusoff, now it’s Nicklas Backstrom who’s making a habit of appearing on the NHL Fantasy 3 Stars each week. Last week Mr.Backstrom had two goals and tallied 8 assists for 10 points with 4 of those points coming while on the power play. He also had 14 penalty minutes, I repeat 14 penalty minutes, a plus/minus rating of plus-6, had one game winning goal and won 34 faceoffs. Unlike Ovechkin, I think Backstrom will be due for a bit of a drop off after the Olympics if Sweden makes it far.

1st Star – Jean-Sebastien Giguere (G), Toronto Maple Leafs

Brian Burke was hoping that Jean-Sebastien Giguere would be able to restart his career in Toronto after trading for him last Sunday. So far so good. Last week Jiggy collected two wins while posting a 0.00 GAA, 1.000 SAV%, made 60 saves and had two shutouts. Giguere has the pedigree of winning the Stanley Cup & Conn Smythe trophy and at the age of 32 has potential to turn his career around and become one of the top goaltenders in the league again. Hopefully you were lucky enough to pick him up off waivers or trade for him. If not, I’d suggest you do so if he’s still available.

Remember to check back in next week to see who the NHL Fantasy 3 Stars will be for Week 19.

Mike Cammalleri

Currently playing for the Calgary Flames after an off-season trade from Los Angeles, Cammalleri is enjoying a great season out in Cattle country. Averaging over a point a game this season,  it seems at the age of 26 Cammalleri is showing he can be a top player in the NHL.

He would be the first or second line center on the leafs and immediately would improve the team offensively. There are many reasons why this would work and it makes me believe if there is any free agent out there who is coming to the leafs it’s Cammalleri. Firstly, the Calgary Flames will be unable to sign him after this year after acquiring Olli Jokinen. Jokinen’s contract is for over 5 million next year, and if you include the contracts of Iginla, Pheneuf and Kipprusoff there is no way he is staying there. He is also from the Toronto area and most players from the area love coming back home to play (Lindros, Roberts, Nieuwendyk and Cujo to name a few) The difference difference is that he would be coming in his prime when the Leafs are looking for a local guy to lead this team, an opportunity I think he would relish. On top of that he played many years for the Los Angeles Kings so Brian Burke, from his days in Anahiem, knows him well.

The only way I don’t see this happening is if a Southern United States team overpays for him to appease fans such as teams last year did for players such as Ron Hainsey in Atlanta and Mike Commodore in Columbus. With the sagging economy and the persistent rumors that teams in the United States are struggling to stay afloat further declines the changes of this happening. Look to see Cammalleri in Toronto next year.

Francois Beauchemin

Currently a defensemen for the Ducks, one of Brian Burke’s first moves as General Manager of Anahiem was acquiring Beauchemin. He’s a tough defensemen who clears the front of the net and isn’t scared to take the body, he’s a player the Leafs would love to have. Although Defence is Toronto’s strong point, Adding Beauchemin would allow the Leafs the oppertunity to trade one of their more valuable defensemen in Tomas Kaberle, Pavel Kubina or even Ian White. Ideally the guy to move would be Kubina, but his contract will be very difficult to move to another team. White might be the guy to go as he is valuable right now. I do not want to see him leave but a top 6 defence pairing of this.

• Kaberle/Schenn

• Kubina/White or Van Ryn

• Finger/Beauchemin

These defensive pairings for me, would mark one of the strongest 1 through 6 in the NHL. Adding Frogren and Stralman as the 7th and 8th guys, would make this fairly injury proof. I’d much rather see Kubina or Van Ryn gone instead of White, but with White we can get value in return, such as a solid forward. Adding Beauchemin in my opinion is worth it, and I expect Burke to definitely have interest.

Samuel Pahlsson

Another favourite of Brian Burke, he is also a free agent this summer. Palhsson brings grit, defensive intensity and a solid locker room presence to the table. Although the Leafs pretty much have 3 full lines of 3rd and 4th liners at the moment, Burke wants to make this his team, and he will get who he wants in those positions and trade who he doesn’t want.  Palhsson could help bring what Kirk Maltby and Kris Draper have brought to the Red Wings. A shut down pairing who works well on the Penalty Kill. As we know, the Red Wings aren’t a bad team to emulate.

Johan Franzen

Not sure on this one, but he seems to be the type of guy Burke likes, not afraid of the corners, goes to the net and drives goalies mad, and great for the power-play. I highly doubt Franzen leaves, even with the cap problems Detroit has, but if he becomes available, look for the Leafs to be interested.

Travis Moen

Another Burke favourite from their days in California, I very much believe Burke will go and get either Pahlsson or Moen, perhaps both.

Brian Gionta

After a 48 goal campaign in 2005-2006 Gionta has regressed badly. He’s almost become a reclamation project but the Leafs would be wise to at least take a look. Putting him on a line with Cammalleri would form a very fast 1-2 punch and could reignite his scoring prowess. With the market down and his numbers getting lower, he will not be able to command the salary he desires. What the leafs need in the first two lines is skill, Gionta has it, you don’t score 48 goals in a season and not have skill, especially when your playing in New Jersey.  He’s still young having just turned 30 and could be a nice pick up.

Daniel and Henrik Sedin

I highly doubt this as I feel they will both resign in Vancouver. I also think they are grossly overrated, but you cannot deny that back when they were drafted, then GM of the Vancouver Canucks Brian Burke did everything he could to get them both in Vancouver. Well they will both be free agents this summer, and Burke has the money to get them both. Time will tell if he goes after them.

As well as discussing potential Maple Leafs who could be coming this way, lets quickly discuss who I think will be gone from this year’s team.

Jamal Mayers

Cliff Fletcher did some good things while General Manager of the Leafs, this wasn’t one of them. Mayers won’t be back

Alexei Ponikarovsky

Spelled his name right on the first try, pretty happy with myself. He’s been way to inconsistent during his career in Toronto

Matt Stajan

This one I could see him staying, but I feel like he’s the classic case of getting points on a bad team, along the lines of Dominic Moore. I would be very happy seeing him go, He’s a third line player and with his good season this year, will command more than a 3rd line salary.

Lee Stempniak

In 52 games with the Leafs he has 26 points which Simply isn’t good enough. He still has a year on his contract so he could be stuck here, but I see Burke finding a home for him somehow.

Curtis Joseph

Thanks for the memories Cujo and the late season decent play. He is now talking about coming back next year, but hopefully he chooses retirement.

Pavel Kubina

I sincerely believe Burke will be able to find him a home this summer. Although he still has two years left on his contract at 5 million a season, he’s a very productive defensemen who contributes at both ends of the ice. The Leafs need to pounce on teams that are in the running for Jay Bowmeester but don’t sign him, Kubina could be the quick fix teams covet. Most likely we will have to take back salary, as we did in the McCabe trade, it may still be worth it. San Jose was interested last trade deadline, and could be again this year. They are one team who is still doing well in this economic time period, and a long playoff run will ensure they have the means to take on his contract.

These are just a few things I think the Leafs and GM Brian Burke have planned for the off-season.

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Tonight former Maple Leafs Mats Sundin and the Vancouver Canucks were in town.  We couldn’t wait to check Brian Burke’s Twitter page for updates.  Trust me he is as brutally honest on Twitter as he is in interviews.  This is some of the things he had to say today,

Feb 20, 11:38 am, Can’t believe how Vancouver fans have embraced Mats Sundin. As if Toronto fans would ever welcome some ex-Canuck reject as their saviour.

Feb 20, 4:11 pm, @BryanMurray: Next time you want to trade a first round pick for a bag of crap, give me a call. I have several bags available.

Feb 20, 7:00 pm, Just saw Sundin at the Toronto airport, waiting in line for the shuttle bus. Guess he doesn’t believe in rentals.

Feb 21, 2:00 pm, Just ran into Kyle Wellwood arriving at the ACC. He seemed kind of depressed. Told him to keep his chins up.

Feb 21, 8:00pm They’re not booing. They’re saying “October through Juuuuuuuuuunnne”.

The best Twitter came on February 1st,

After the game, the Pens called and offered Crosby and Malkin for Schenn. Told them to call back when they were willing to offer fair value.

It seems a little weird that Brian Burke would publish some of these thoughts open for the world to see, but then again you are talking about Brian Burke so anything is expected.

Wilson said Pogge will be part of a rotation that will see him go back and forth between the Leafs and the Marlies. Pogge made his NHL debut Dec. 22 in Atlanta, giving up just two goals in a 6-2 Toronto win. However, he was immediately returned to the Marlies. Pogge was the Leafs’ third-round pick, 90th overall, in the 2004 Entry Draft. He has been with the Marlies since 2006 and in 32 games this season is 15-13-4 with a 2.58 goals-against average and a .901 save percentage. Reports Sportsnet.ca

Some fans believe that this may be the first move to begin the process of leading Curtis Josephinto retirement and seeing Pogge become a full-time NHL back-up for the remainder of the NHL season, again this is only speculation. While others have mentioned that bringing Pogge up into the Leafs’ mess and keeping him for an extended amount of time may be a mistake. Some examples of goalies who have been thrown to the wolves in Leafs land include the likes of Ken Wregget andAllan Bester. Though Wregget survived and managed to play a few more seasons, Bester was never the same again.

So while some are eager to get Pogge into the cage, it may be wise to groom this goalie in the minors for a few more months. Seeing as Pogge has had issues with confidence it may be wise to see if he can handle losing at the NHL level, because losing comes with the territory. At some point you have to forget about his confidence and put him in there or else… They can only protect him for so long. We know that his numbers went through the roof last time they called him up and then sent him down again. Maybe the management’s theory is that a nibble at the carrot every once in a while can keep him motivated.

Ron Wilson and Brian Burkeseem to be stern on their reasoning with Pogge, their attitude seems to be that if he deserves another start he will get one and that NHL starts shouldn’t fall right into his lap. The best bet would be for Pogge to take it day by day and if he doesn’t perform then he gets sent back down. It may be hard to determine what he can do in such a short amount of time, but there is no point in ruining his confidence. Also, with the Marlies standing currently in 5th spot, in the hunt for holding onto a playoff spot, it makes sense to keep Pogge involved seeing as it may be possible for them to make a serious run for the Calder Cup. While people play the blame game and place it on Vesa Toskala, others claim that the problem is not Toskala and that the teams defensive breakdowns which materialize due to a lack of a better system, are what is causing the numbers to pile up in the goals against column.

Some people say that the Leafs’ owe Toskala big time. Fact is, no one should be running this guy out of town when the entire team is not doing the job. However, the problem may lay deeper then just the Leafs’ dressing room. This team has been built to lose, it has come to a time where Pogge needs this exposure to wet his appetite for the NHL. This competition between Toskala and the rookie goaltender pushing him in order for him to start his game is exactly what the doctor ordered.

The only possible way Toskala can get started (even though some say it’s too late) is if he has another goaltender that is right up there taking his job away. For example last year, when Paul Maurice was flip flopping on who the started was going to be, Raycroft and Toskala were neck and neck, Toskala was stealing games and playing like a starting goaltender. However if Pogge is going to use this opportunity to play and pass Toskala as the starting goalie. Pogge will needs chemistry and experience in the NHL, not just one game.

It seems like Wilson’s plan is to do exactly that, attempt to give Pogge some exposure to the NHL and allow him to gain some chemistry.

Head Coach Ron Wilson said that Pogge will be called up from the minors every now and then until the end of the season. Pogge should play enough to gauge “whether he’s an NHL goaltender or not,” Wilson said. While I like the idea of getting him into NHL games every now and then, I don’t like the idea of making the decision to send him back to the minors beforehand. What happens if he gets lit up in tonight’s game versus the Wild? He’ll get sent down and probably recalled for another game later this month. Then, what if that game doesn’t go well either? His confidence will be shot and he won’t believe that he belongs in the NHL.

It may be hard to grasp where Ron Wilson is going, the fact is that Pogge may get lit up, but then again he might not. The fact again is that if he lets in 5 goals, it doesn’t matter. How he performs overall throughout the game is what will be remembered. With the Leaf defence not being the greatest all the blame could be place on Pogge if he is lit up. Though it is easy to forget that Pogge’s Leafs’ debut was a 6-2 win over Atlanta. So maybe the pressure is good ? Carey Price and Jaroslav Halak were put under tremendous pressure, playing for Montreal, and look how well they perform. The reality may be that giving him spot starts may actually be taking pressure off of him. If they say “you win, you stay” he has a ton of pressure heaped on him to make it with the big club, however if he already knows his fate, he can go out there and just play. There is no pressure on him to succeed. Just look at Fluery in Pittsburgh. He came in took his lumps and is now a true #1.