"Our goal is to make the playoffs. I don't know if we're good enough to make the playoffs yet. But that's our goal. These were the exact words used by Brian Burke prior to the off season when asked about his expectations from the team last year. Brian Burke is a fantastic general manager for Toronto due to him being so upfront and honest with his expectations, goals and views. Unfortunately, I honestly believe he might just be building up hype for what will turn out to be a decent season but one without playoffs.
I am a die hard Leafs fan but sometimes it’s best to realize the truth before it comes and hurts you later on. The team Burke has built is an decent one with a lot of depth at the defensive end of the spectrum , a sturdy bottom six with grit and a respectable goaltending pair. We all know the one area this team lacks in and that’s the top six department. This whole top six business has been run ragged in the Toronto media so I am not really going to blabber too much about that. It’s an evident problem but not one I think is necessarily the major issue in Burke’s goal.
The Issue that I feel is being missed by many is that this team has basically been torn up and rebuilt Burke’s way. If this was NHL 09 then I wouldn’t probably be writing this article, unfortunately for you and me this isn’t the case and the main fact is that these players haven’t played hockey together as a team. This is what will come back and hurt us and rid us the chance of making the playoffs. I r eally see this team having a rocky season with a ton of ups and downs due to the unfamilarity to the conditions for some players. There will be various issues such as adjusting with new teammates and their tendencies, getting used to Ron Wilson’s system or just getting used to the intense atmosphere here in Toronto.
I really hope these guys prove me wrong and gel quickly as a unit but it seems quite unlikely. This is all before the problem with the top six forwards. Brian Burke’s moves are heaviliy scrutinised to see if he has won or lost in each deal and he seems to be winning most of his deals right now. Does this mean he is going to be successful? Nope. I am sure he knows as well that until we see these guys on the ice playing together as one unit we are basically hoping for a bunch of individuals to succeed in a new environment.
In the end, all we can do is cheer these new guys on and watch the rookies of last year develop and become stronger players for what hopefully will be a team that goes to the playoffs every year. This upcoming season will be crucial no matter what Burke’s expecatations are of this group.
GO LEAFS GO!
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