Uncertainty in Vancouver

The Canucks have scheduled an 11 a.m. (PST) press conference for today, and maybe that's good news for the Maple Leafs.

If chairman Francesco Aquilini is going to name a GM to replace the fired Dave Nonis, after all, it won't be Burke. Just not possible, with Anaheim still in a playoff series.

But if that's not what the presser is about, then speculation over Burke's future, given that most believe he's the Leafs' No. 1 choice for president/GM, is about to heat up.

First, a word on Dave Nonis.

Classy guy. Apprenticed in the game over a number of years. Respected around the league. Young man with a great future.

Is it unfair he was canned? Yes. Nonis turned the Canucks into a 105-point team and swung one of the most lopsided trades in hockey history to land goaltender Roberto Luongo.

He missed the playoffs two of three years, but this team still has lots of potential. Just not enough goal-scoring.

But at the same time, while unfair, his firing was the right thing for the Aquilini family to do if they had decided, for whatever reason, Nonis wasn't the hockey executive of their choice.

He had a year left on his contract, and theoretically, they could have done what the Leafs did with John Ferguson, string him out as a lame duck GM into his final year and turn his status into the No. 1 issue facing the team on a daily basis.

We all know how that turned out. We all know what a distraction it was.

Key members of the MLSE board wanted Ferguson out last summer. When they didn't extend his contract, they should have fired him.

Instead they just wasted more time.

Similarly, if the Aquilinis didn't have confidence in Nonis to spend all the cap money the Canucks have available this summer and didn't want to extend his contract, better to fire him now.

Nonis was Burke's protege in Vancouver, and back when JFJ was hired, the Leafs actually sought permission to talk to Nonis but were rebuffed.

Now Nonis is available, but he isn't the mega-star candidate MLSE has been promising. If Burke and others fall by the wayside, he could quickly move into the picture, however.

Could Burke go back to Vancouver now? Anything's possible, and Burke's wife, Jennifer, is a TV talk show host in the area who commutes back and forth to their Anaheim-area home.

That's gotta be tough on a family.

But Burke, to some degree, sided with the non-Aquilini group when the Canuck sale was in dispute. Moreover, there are suggestions he would like to improve his family's life by working in the east and spending much less time travelling.

Going back to Vancouver doesn't solve that.

Moreover, for any progressive franchise, going backwards just doesn't make sense, just as it made no sense for the Leafs to turn back to Cliff Fletcher. If the Canucks bring back Burke, are they going to bring back Todd Bertuzzi and the target of his legal actions, Marc Crawford, as well? How about Harry Neale as coach?

This much seems true: Burke's holding a lot of cards at the moment, and he's smart enough to make that pay off in one way or another.

Comments

[Andrew Cunningham]

I don't think it was unfair that Dave Nonis was fired. I think it was the right move for the Canucks franchise, given his failure to improve a weak, borderline-playoff team at the deadline.

While I think Cliff Fletcher was a similar disaster for the Maple Leafs at the deadline, at least he had an excuse: namely, the refusal of the the "Muskoka Five" to waive their no-trade clauses. Could he have found a way to convince them? Perhaps, but on balance he was hamstrung by the decisions of his predecessor and the interference of the MLSE Board.

The third GM mentioned in this Blog piece is Brian Burke, and as he has proven over and over again, true GM talent finds a way to make moves to improve, no matter the circumstances.

Can anyone say that Dave Nonis did any such thing this season?

[Peter van Hoof]

Damien,
I'm not sure why there is such an uproar about the potential hiring of Brian Burke to the Maple Leaf GM position. It seems to me that he pretty much inherited the Stanley-Cup-winning Anaheim Ducks from former GM Brian Murray. The only team which he can lay claim to having built is the consistently underperforming Vancouver Canucks. It's interesting that his successor is now being fired after trying to improve on this disappointing squad. Why don't the tall foreheads at MLSE go after Doug Armstrong, the chief architect of the always competitive Dallas Stars. Alas, he doesn't even appear to be on the radar screen.

[Barb Medeiros]

All I'm hearing these days is Burke as the new GM. While I don't think he'd be bad (he's my #2), whatever happened to Scotty Bowman (guess who my #1 pick is)?

Thanks
Barb

[Mark]

Enough of this Brian Burke coming to Toronto business!

He's not coming, it's just a fantasy created by the media in this Championship starved town full of 'Vito from Woodbridge's'.

[peter harlam]

i agree with the guys comments on brian burke...he did a mediocre job in vancouver and took over an anaheim team whos nucleas was already put into place by bryan murray...scott niedermayer signed there to play with his brother...chris pronger had edmonton over a barrel otherwise what has this guy really done? how about giving the job to a proven winner..lets say a joe niewendyk..played the game at the highest level...was a stanley cup winner with three different teams...knows the types of players required to win..the formula for winning in the nhl isnt rocket science,,it requires a guy with the understanding of what it takes to win and puts in the plan to get it done....paul holmgren is the perfect examle of a guy with limited experience...hasnt done too bad has he? form what i can see he's taken a few gms to the cleaners in deals...thats how u win..u make the right deals..u take your average young talent..combine it together,,package it and come up with a better young talent..a few mooves along these lines..and you're on your way!! there are teams loaded with high end young talent that will not be able to keep due to cap restictions...philadelphia...pittsburgh.

[bagoverheadguy]

Since Burke was on the Beedie/Gaglardi side that took legal action to wrestle the Canuck franchise from Aquillini, you can rest assured that he's not welcome back in Vancouver by Francesco Aquillini.

Here's a thought: if Burke does take the Leaf gig, his right-hand man could well be Dave Nonis. Pretty good duet there Leaf fans!

[Bob Holden]

After having lived my first 50 years in the Toronto area and having been a Leaf/Argo/Maple Leaf-Blue Jay fan for most of it , it was a big change coming to the west coast 6 years ago.
Brian Burke did a first rate job, not only building a hockey team but breathing life into a franchise in trouble here with out of town ownership. It was surprising to say the least when he was cashiered in 2004. He sized up his opportunities and obviously chose correctly in going to Anaheim.

Dave Nonis, his protege did a good job here, rebuilding quickly to win what may have been the most competitive NHL division last season and being in contention until a late collapse took them out of the playoffs thia year, in which their strength, the defence, was decimated, by injuries all season.

My fear is that the current ownership has no real direction, but has had a knee jerk reaction to a disappointing finish, and may lead the Canucks back into the wilderness.

In any event, either Burke or Nonis, or the assistant GM, Steve Tambelini are all reputable hockey men, capable of building a solid/strong/contending team in Toronto or elsewhere.

[JohnnyK]

I think Burke would be nuts to go to the Leafs.
That said, if he took it I think he's tough enough to set his own terms. That would mean the Peddie-Tanenbaum jocksniffers have to butt out and give him full control, the purse strings and a lng tem contract.
He doesn't need their aggro and he should call their bully boys bluff.

[Al Reggie]

It is amazing how "The Spin" never seems to miss an opportunity to write about Todd Bertuzzi.

I can just imagine the 24/7 coverage he will get once the legal proceedings begin.

I am no fan of Bertuzzi and his actions (on or off the ice) but I don't think I have ever seen more biased and less objective writing in my life.

Makes Larry Brooks and his Splashots rants about Gary Bettman look fair...

[Scott Summers]

Reverse Psychology will do it.

Any winners that Leafs hire turns out to be a dud.
Proven players, GM's and Coaches. So why hire winners?
Just hire looser so they can become winners, Leafs will be winners
& fans will be winners.

A choice of winning GM: Current buffalo GM, Darcy R.

[smokey]

Burke would not be my first choice as a GM for the leafs....wish though they coul somehow recruit lou Lamroello (sp) from the Devils. Perhaps Murray will get canned from the Sens and he has a good consistent record also of building strong teams Soem one previously mentioend Armstrong and he also has a strong record.

However, I would like to see some one very new.....how about trying to reunite Roberts with Joe Nieuewndyk (sp) and throw Doug Gilmour in the mix. They are all young, energetic and would be committed to rebuilding the Leafs!