Two historic franchises are taking different routes for their rebuilding process.
EDMONTON — They are two iconic Canadian franchises — one old and long in tradition, one younger but with a resume of historic success.
And as these two rebuilds take place with the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Edmonton Oilers, what unfurls are two completely different road maps to a single destination.
"(Edmonton) has got a different blueprint," admits Brian Burke, the Toronto general manager who many believe is losing this race early on.
Does anyone ever remember though, who was leading the Kentucky Derby as they came out of the first turn?
Should anyone care?
Off the ice, this story is about East versus West, Bay Street versus the oil patch. On-ice, it’s drafting versus trading; building front-to-back versus building from the blueline out.
One tie is knotted neatly around the neck of the reserved GM Steve Tambellini’s in Edmonton, the other constantly untied and draped around the broad shoulders of Burke, who will need every ounce of his considerable confidence if this wonky-looking Leafs team doesn’t turn a corner at some point soon.
"It’s a hot seat," he said of the GM’s chair in Toronto. "If your team isn’t playing well in Toronto, you’re going to hear about it more than in any other city in the National Hockey League. It is the centre of the hockey universe. If you’re not prepared to take that kind of heat, then don’t take the job."
He took the job, and now the Kessel trade has provided the majority of the heat for Burke, who stands accused of building a dynasty in Boston after sending two first-rounders and a second to Beantown for Kessel.
In making that deal he paid no heed to an old Sam Pollock rule: Never trade a draft pick until you know exactly where it stands in the draft order.
Finishing 29th might be in the Oilers plans, but it certainly was not in Burke’s.
"We’re trying to rebuild without finishing dead last. We almost did last year, but that wasn’t the plan," he admits. "That’s our job, to make the playoffs. It was our goal at the start of the season and it still is our goal."
In Edmonton, a force field exists around the Oilers dressing room inside Rexall Place. Outside the invisible shield, everyone realized that the Chicagos, the Washingtons, the Pittsburghs, they all collected lottery picks for a few years before growing into a powerhouse.
Inside the Oilers room however, a young corps with growing confidence took a 5-1-1 recent record into Tuesday night’s 4-1 loss to the Maple Leafs.
Taylor Hall came out and said it on Monday: "Losing sucks." He and his mates are not into any plan that involves finishing in the high 20’s against this season.
So the common thread is, neither Burke nor Tambellini can manage the standings. Though the standings may, in Edmonton’s case at least, manage the rebuild.
"In reality, there’s nothing you can do. You can’t dress less players, or play a lesser lineup," said Kevin Lowe, president of hockey operations for Edmonton. "Inevitably, people who make predictions just assumed we wouldn’t be a playoff team this year. Well, who really knows?"
After that tidy 4-1 win at Rexall Place Tuesday, Toronto pulled one point ahead of Edmonton — 28 to 27. Both clubs are already well below the playoff cut line, eight points back with Christmas not yet passed.
What happens with Edmonton’s patient rebuild if, come early February, they are three points out of eighth spot?
"The decision times for us don’t come now. The decision time will be at the trade deadline," Lowe said. "We’d certainly like (6-foot-4 Drummondville centre Sean) Couturier to play in between Hall and Eberle one day, but… if we’re in a position to maybe make the playoffs, then obviously we’re not picking in the Top 5."
When Edmonton walked into the Air Canada Centre and laid a 5-0 whupping on the Maple Leafs 13 days ago, the odds makers re-set the board on these rebuilds. But the two projects do have one thing in common, and Burke would like to kindly remind us of that.
"This is not the ageing Toronto Maple Leafs against the youthful Oilers," he said. "I think we are the youngest team in the league."
It changes daily as rosters shuffle, but as of Burke’s comments, Colorado was actually carrying the youngest roster in the league at 26.1 years.
Toronto and Edmonton were tied for second place at 26.3.
The GMs in Colorado or Edmonton, however, aren’t charged with bringing the Stanley Cup back to Toronto for the first time since 1967. There are no comparisons there.
"I get 1967 every day," Burke said. "Or I get a guy who stops me on the subway and says, ‘I’ve been a season ticket holder for 30 years.’ So, he’s been waiting for 30 years. I’ve only been here two years.
"(Leafs fans) have been hungry, loyal, patient, wonderful, and they want to see some results. I understand the exasperation and the impatience. But it can’t change the blueprint for putting a team together."
