The Leaf Blog: What Might Burkie Be Up To Now?
All the head-scratching that Leaf fans have been doing as a result of the Anton Stralman deal might have reason to cease.
Brian Burke has made another move, and you get the feeling that this one will affect much more than the 2nd and 3rd round picks involved in the swap.
The deal sends Toronto’s 2nd round pick in 2011 (acquired from Calgary in the Stralman trade) and 3rd round pick in 2011 to Chicago. In return the Leafs get Chicago’s 2nd round pick in 2010. This pick originally belonged to the Maple Leafs.
The deal can be interpreted two ways:
1) Brian Burke is a man who wants results, and he values any 2nd round pick one year sooner, to the extent that he is okay with sacrificing a 3rd round pick in the process.
2) Brian Burke is a man who wants results, and as such, he needed to re-acquire his 2nd round pick, so he can pitch an offer sheet to the Boston Bruins for Phil Kessel.
Yes, Kessel to the Leafs is being strongly rumoured again. So much so, that Bob Mckenzie has already mentioned this possibility on his TSN blog. The dots connect so concisely here that it is difficult to imagine Burke simply holding on to the pick.
Now, if we are to believe that Brian Burke is going after Kessel, then the trade may give us a clue as to Burke’s intentions.
First, that the 2nd round pick would be required as compensation. This points to a contract between 4.5 and 6 million dollars. As the CBA stipulates, any offer sheet valued in this range must be compensated with 1st, 2nd, and 3rd round draft picks to the team who fails to match the offer.
Based on his skillset and potential alone, Phil Kessel is a 5 million dollar player. However, he hasn’t always displayed maturity in Boston, and his health will continue to be in question, after he valiantly contended with testicular cancer before his 20th birthday.
At 21, Kessel is not yet a franchise cornerstone, but he is already a star, and shows promise to improve on last season’s statistical output. His 36 lamp-lighters led the Bruins last season and placed him 12th in the league in goals.
Adding Kessel would bring some much-needed offensive flair to the Leafs, no question there. But at the cost of three picks next year, there may be some who question Brian Burke’s patience in rebuilding his franchise.
Based on his aggressiveness in free agency and the amount of moves he’s made, Burke doesn’t appear to be willing to plummet to 15th in the Eastern Conference for the sake of the rebuild. You’ll never see Brian Burke take the path of the New York Islanders, and frankly, that’s okay. Toronto is one of a few teams that will always, regardless of any circumstances, have the ability to spend maximum cap dollars.
Burke’s managed to add pieces through free agency, while stocking the Buds’ prospect pool with young talent this off-season. A solid draft this year in ‘09 along with his college additions has given Toronto a better NHL roster while sacrificing none of the future in the process. In other words, Brian has found a way to improve the short and long-term stability of the club.
The question is though, would sacrificing next year’s first rounder be a JFJ move? We say no. Consider that Kessel is turning 22 on October 2nd, so he’s still at the age when many prospects get their first crack at the league. The difference is that Kessel already has a 36-goal season to his credit, and that he has yet to approach the most productive portion of his career.
Besides, there are many first rounders who don’t have successful NHL careers, nevermind approach the 30-goal mark. The offer sheet approach can be looked at as trading the rights to a prospect who may never pan out for a prospect-aged player who has already proven that he can produce in the NHL.
Brian Burke’s plans are not yet clear regarding the aftermath of this move, but the dots certainly connect. The Leafs GM continues to tinker with his hockey club, much to the delighted anticipation of the club’s massive fan base.
