1. Without the moves Burke made Anaheim doesn't win that year;
2. He also built nearly the entire core (give or take a goalie and a Hamhuis) of what is currently a very good Vancouver team;
3. The Leafs are actually turning the corner the last couple of years. The problem is in net. It's not consistent. When they're getting league-average goaltending, they're a playoff team - a low seed but a playoff team nonetheless. Then when the netminding falls apart they're a lottery pick contender. It's the entirety of the difference.
I think Burke is a pretty good GM who has a couple of terrible policies (like setting up arbitrary rules that can't possibly make his team better) who will have a GM position again in the not too distant future.
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