Well,Well,Well it seems that i have struck a nerve with some people who don't like the leafs . First thing, everyone has a opinion about the leafs like them or hate them that's fine, HOWEVER, it's the people that show arrogance , make it personal in there dislike for people that love the leafs to the bitter end. Now, I'm not speaking for every leaf fan, I'm speaking for myself, yes there are some really stupid trades leafs have made in the past i.e Courtnall for Kordic .....Tuukka Rask for Raycroft those are a few that come to mind. That being said, Burke has done some great things for the leafs....but that doesn't matter because if you hate a team your going to find SOMETHING wrong with everything the team trays to do to get better. Burke landed some big names in his first year as GM. It practically made us forget that he was inheriting arguably the worst NHL team in the league. Burke’s imprint on this Leafs team goes beyond toughness. The players he believed in and went after throughout his tenure as GM now not only lead the team in scoring, but are among the league leaders in points this year. Burke’s trades for forwards Phil Kessel, Joffrey Lupul, and James van Riemsdyk have absolutely panned out. Though Lupul missed the majority of the season because of an injury, all three of these Burke acquisitions are making huge impacts on the scoreboard. In fact, Kessel is currently one of the top ten point producers in the league. The Leafs are even getting it done from the point. Cody Franson (acquired by Burke from Nashville in 2011) and Dion Phaneuf (from Calgary in 2010) are tied for fifth in the league for points by a defenceman, with 27 each. And there’s no way we can leave Nazem Kadri out of this discussion. Burke selected Kadri 7th overall in the 2009 entry draft. Kadri was nowhere near ready for NHL action in his first few rookie years. Now, with nearly a point per game to his credit and one of the best plus-minus ratings on the team, there should be no doubt in anyone’s mind that he’s ready for prime time. As a quick aside, only because people keep comparing Kessel and Tyler Seguin (who the Leafs could have had if Burke hadn’t traded first-round draft picks for Kessel in 2009): Four of Burke’s additions to the Leafs—Kessel, Kadri, van Riemsdyk, and Lupul—are putting up more points per game than Seguin this season. Remember when every Toronto media outlet was talking about how the Leafs desperately needed an elite goaltender and should go after Roberto Luongo? Thank god that didn’t happen, right? James Reimer and Ben Scrivens, both Burke-era additions, has resulted in some
solid goaltending numbers (Scrivens for the Oilers).
So I think it's about time that some credit be given to Burke for giving us what we have now....a chance for some great hockey now and in the future.
I'm just saying.