By WEB STAFF
sportsnet.ca
Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Brian Burke said Monday that he is looking at other options for goaltending and said he has no interest in signing Brendan Shanahan.
Speaking on Hockeycentral@Noon, Burke said he is a firm believer that an NHL team can never have enough goaltending.
“Goaltending is like pitching,” he said. “It doesn’t matter how good the rest of your team is. You can have eight all-stars in baseball, but if you don’t have pitching you’re going home. Its that simple.
“When I got to Anaheim I said never again will I be short on goaltending, never again. So that’s part of the reason to go get The Monster (Jonas Gustavsson), part of the reason to look at other available opportunities with other guys. Right now we’re playing with our third and fourth goaltenders and no other organization in the NHL is doing that and its hurt us,” Burke said.
Both of the Leafs’ regular goaltenders, Vesa Toskala and Jonas Gustavsson, are out of the lineup with injuries. Both skated at the Leafs’ practice facility Monday but did not participate in the team’s workout.
Burke also addressed a newspaper article suggesting the Leafs would be wise to sign the 40-year old Shananan. However, the Leafs’ rebuilding plans likely rule that move out.
“To me a team has to be a lot closer to competing for (Shanahan) to make sense,” Burke said.
The Leafs most recent loss came Saturday night in Toronto, 4-1 to the New York Rangers. They are now off until Saturday, when they travel to Vancouver to play the Canucks for the start of a five-game road swing.
NOTE: Leafs defenceman Ian White needed 25 stitches to mend a cut suffered Saturday when a puck was deflected into his face.
