Yeah that doesn’t make any sense, and you’re going through some serious mental loops on that one.

First off, the difference in contract between Kubi and Komi is 500k, Beauchemin signed for 3.8 mil and we have over 2 mil in cap space before the bonus cushion. Ditching Kubina did not help us sign Beau.

Second, you’re already assuming that ditching the defenseman on the team that was a threat to score goals on the powerplay for 4.5 mil of Komisarek is actually a good thing, and that remains to be seen. I don’t mind Komi as a player, he’s a great addition, but to be worth that money he needs to show a rounded game, and he hasn’t done that in his career thus far.

Burke is creating a team with the formula that he has had experience with. It is also somewhat of a winning formula instead of the ramshackle band aid lack of direction crap we have been putting up with for quite some time. I agree that we should have gotten more for Kubina, but the market will pay what the market will pay.

Fact of the matter is Burke outlined his strategy for winning the day he was presented as the GM of the Leafs. He has stuck to that strategy and I hope(but we will never know for sure) that he has made the best deals possible in trying to implement this strategy.

We won’t know for at least 2-3 years(or more) if his plan works, but at least he has a plan. Internal to the organization, they see and know more about these players than the media or the fans will ever know. I have worked with some pretty big douchebags and everyone who worked with these people on a regular basis knew they were douchebags. There were others who knew them on a more superficial level that just loved them and thought they were great.

We are the ‘others’ in this equation. Not saying that Pogge, Kubina and Stralman are douchebags – far from it as Kubina always projected he was a good teammate and Stralman seemed to be pretty quiet. I just want to impress upon you that we only see the surface.

Burke has the responsibility of making the decisions on whether players will fit the team now and in the future. He obviously relies on his coaching, scouting and development staff to keep him appraised on each player’s potential.

This info as lead to him making some tough decisions about guys that have been ‘prospects’ for some time. At what point do you say “this guy is no longer a prospect.” You are either part of the solution or you are part of the problem and I think if you have identified guys that won’t be pieces of the future then it is your responsibility to move them – sooner rather than later.

You are entitled to your opinion on questioning how good or bad Burke has been in managing the assets of the Toronto Maple Leafs, everyone is. Instead of analyzing these trades at face value now, I tend to try and look at it over the long term. How can we judge Burke’s moves when we still have no idea how good the players we have will play, and how good the guys we moved will be.

Let time take its course and let history be the judge. You may very well be right, but I prefer not to make too many hasty judgments when we have still yet to see one full season of Burke’s changes.

Also, this is another transition year. I think next season we will know more on who the core of this team will be as I predict there will be another fairly significant player turnover.

Long response, but I was bored and have not posted one of these big ones in a while….

I don’t think of it as much as lauding them as positive so much as waiting to see if there is a reason to be upset.

Stralman and Pogge only have value insofar as another team is willing to give something up to get them. In the case of Stralman we can say it’s a 2nd round pick in 2011. Pogge, for a litany of reasons, was worth less. This is just like Wellwood. He went through waivers twice without being claimed

Being upset at the return on them makes as much sense as being upset at Burke for only getting a 2nd for Moore and Antropov. That was the market.

You don’t see the age problems that arise from this? Or the potential cap issues? Or the fact that once again we are trying to buy a team in a salary cap era?

The players that were signed are not exactly over the hill. They can more than play out their contracts which gives the Leafs time to develop players. That’s something that they have not had the luxury of using before.

What potential cap issues are there right now? The Leafs have millions of free cap space for the foreseeable future.

I don’t think that the Leafs are trying to buy a team. Burke is trying to ice a team that will not only be competitive now but that allows him to work in young players while leaving plenty of room on the farm for the kids that have a future with the club. The wave of prospects might not be the greatest (they could still be :) ) but the pipeline isn’t shut off. There are still plenty of ways to pick more up.

People talk about Stralman not having a role with the club, is it somehow positive that we have no roster space to allow young, cheap RFAs with upside to play some minutes?

The team does have roster space for those players but they don’t have unlimited spots for those kinds of kids. Building a team isn’t just about throwing out 25 kids under 21 and then seeing how things pan out. Schenn and White are on the blueline and the rest of the guys will give Gunnarson, Mikus and Oreskovic time with the Marlies to develop their games.

The problem with all you young punks is that you weren’t around when Joshua Tree was released. It was, and still is, one of the all-time great albums. Since then, they’ve been up and down (Beautiful Day being one of the major ups) , but the live show is still one of the best in the business.

Im pretty sure the Vesa is here all year unless Gusstavsson turns into the next Hiller/Thomas/Goalie from Phoenix whos name I cant recall at this time.
If that is the case the Monster will earn himself a few year contract for a few million and Burke will get as much as he can for The Vesa at the deadline (assuming there is a market for a UFA goalie)

Well, let’s just say I don’t see the circumstances for Vesa to stay. Will he take a paycut to stay? Cause so far he’s not a $4mil goalie. If the Monster proves to be the real deal, I’d rather mold him than the Vesa.

If the Vesa plays well, like Jared says trade him at the deadline if possible. If he doesn’t, let him walk. If he wants to resign for less than the $4, then we can talk.

But who is our Leaf’s backup then?

Would certainly be nice. If all goes well, playoffs are definitely a possibility. And having that reward while still developing the young’uns makes me all tingly inside.

As a hockey fan, I can’t cheer for a team named after a Disney movie.