MLSE and Leafs fans may think Brian Burke is the answer to the Stanley Cup drought in Toronto, but is he really going to be worth the price tag?
Here's a thought: Stay with what's working right now, interim general manager Cliff Fletcher, and eventually have one of his apprentices take over, someone like Joe Nieuwendyk.
Since Fletcher took over for John Ferguson Jr., the locker room and subsequently the attitude of the team has improved. Gone is the dead weight in exchange for some hard-working players and one of the best coaches in the league. That's all happened within the past 11 months.
The idea of bringing in another young, inexperienced GM obviously doesn't have the same appeal as bringing in a Stanley Cup winning, no-nonsense kind of guy like Burke especially since the JFJ experiment didn't work out so well. But Nieuwendyk has the on-ice experience and for every ring Burke has, Nieuwendyk has three. Not to mention Burke essentially inherited the 2006-07 Anaheim Ducks team, whereas Nieuwendyk is helping to build the Leafs from the ground up.
Timing is everything in this deal. Nieuwendyk isn't ready to take over now, but then again at 73-years old, Fletcher won't be doing this much longer. Extend Fletcher's contract by a few years and keep Nieuwendyk in the assistant role until he's ready to take over. There's no guarnatee that Burke will come in and save the day for the Leafs, so instead of overpaying him, wait and see what else the Silver Fox and his crew can do. It looks promising so far.