Brian Burke Archives

The Case For Team Mandated Visors

Tim Kolupanowich | December 10, 2011

Philadelphia Flyers captain Chris Pronger, who has been having a miserable season dealing with injuries already, is now out with concussion-like symptoms, likely stemming from being hit in the face…

Gaining some perspective on Grabovski and Kulemin’s next contracts

Alex Mamalis | December 5, 2011

Lost but not forgotten in the midst of the Leafs’ first quarter success is a couple of re-signings Brian Burke will have to tackle this off-season. Nikolai Kulemin is in…

Brian Burke Almost Fought Kevin Lowe

Lukas Hardonk | December 3, 2011

Remember that crazy general manager vs. general manager feud in the National Hockey League that began way back in 2007? Yeah, that one when Kevin Lowe, the general manager of the Edmonton Oilers at the time, signed Anaheim Ducks forward Dustin Penner, a restricted free agent, to a five-year, $21.25 million contract

Ron Wilson’s Critics Quieted For Now

Mark Ascione | November 4, 2011

Last season, as the Leafs sat well out of the playoff picture for much of the season, many were calling for the coach’s dismissal. It seems even the most vocal of Ron…

Be patient with Cody Franson

Alex Mamalis | October 31, 2011

It hasn’t been the picture-perfect start Cody Franson envisioned when he was acquired by Brian Burke over the summer. Being a good Canadian boy and Toronto Maple Leafs’ fan, he…

Re-analyzing Jonas Gustavsson

Alex Mamalis | October 29, 2011

Three years ago, when Brian Burke devoted every second of his time into getting Jonas Gustavsson’s signature on the dotted line, the ‘Monster’ was perceived as a skillful goaltender destined…

Analyzing the Phil Kessel trade two years later

Tom Yawney | October 20, 2011

The Toronto Maple Leafs trade to acquire Phil Kessel from the Boston Bruins in September of 2009 may be the most scrutinized trade of the past two years. Typically…

Crowded Maple Leafs Roster Calls for Tough Decisions

Mark Ascione | October 19, 2011

It’s 2 weeks into the NHL season and the Toronto Maple Leafs have carved out a 3-0-1 record. While the team wasn’t what one would call ‘dominant’ from puck drop…

Brian Burke Adds Depth, Is He Looking to Deal Again?

Mark Ascione | October 8, 2011

Since taking the reins of the Maple Leaf franchise in late 2008, Brian Burke has been anything but shy about making trades. He’s improved the Leafs’ depth, acquiring some very…

Cause for Concern in Maple Leafs’ Forward Group

Mark Ascione | October 2, 2011

To paraphrase Robert Burns, the best laid plans oft go awry. In the short term, that is true for the leafs and the group of forwards they’ve assembled. Things…

Maple Leafs Bottom 6-Pack: Revisited

Mark Ascione | September 17, 2011

As training camps opened yesterday, it’s time to measure the speculation of my article projecting the Maple Leaf ‘bottom-6’ against what Brian Burke has done over the summer. As last…

2011/2012 NHL Season Predictions: Eastern Conference

Brandon Schlager | September 10, 2011

Eastern Conference // Western Conference With most teams kicking off training camp this week, preseason hockey right around the corner and puck drop slightly less than a month away, you…