Brian Burke’s philosophy for building teams has always been predicated on building from the goalie out. He won a Stanley Cup with the Anaheim Ducks with a team built with a Conn Smythe Trophy winning goalie and two Hall of Fame defenders. Not to mention a skilled top six which included the likes of Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry and Teemu Selanne.
This philosophy is quite apparent when taking a look at the Leafs roster.
Granted at the moment, the Leafs really don’t have a legitimate top six group of forwards, the potential is there for them to develop into those players. Players like Nazem Kadri, Phil Kessel, Tyler Bozak, Nikolai Kulemin, and the recently added Kris Versteeg seem to already have top six roles with the Leafs next year, if all goes according to plan with Kadri makin ...
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Article written by Brad LeClair
Burke’s Vision Begins To Evolve: Grading the Leafs Offseason Thus Far
Posted: 8th July 2010 by Brad LeClair in NHLComments Off on Burke’s Vision Begins To Evolve: Grading the Leafs Offseason Thus Far