Here's what, in my opinion, one of the dumber guys in the toronto/canadian sports media realm think:
Quote:
Damien Cox @DamoSpin 3m3 minutes ago
So basically Brian Burke likes Calgary more than Toronto bc more media there openly cheering for the team. Which should be about the most insulting thing you can say to a CGY media person.
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I think burke's involvement with the leafs will be looked at as a negative period for the team. The move to trade 2 x 1st round picks for a non-franchise player, especially when the leafs were not a lock to be a team on the rise, and it essentially blowing up in his face really left burke looking like a very poor GM here. He made some other great trades (JVR for schenn, the phaneuf trade, the kaberle trade, the Beachamin trade), but for the leaf fans/media, there is no discussion, he f'd it all up.
The leafs' (and therefore Burke's) biggest downfall was the unwillingness to go full rebuild, and think that the fans of the city wouldn't be able to stomach it. Even though the media were always critical of the leafs not going that route. So yes, i do believe the leaf media here were like wolves and were critical of the leafs' to the point where i think they were happier to see the team fail just so that they could say i told you so.
The leafs are now media darlings in toronto in my opinion. Shanahan can do no wrong. He was right in getting Lou as the GM, and Babcock as their Coach, and between the 3 of them, i don't think there has been a single point of contention/cynicism for a move made/not-made. Right or wrong, the new management was willing to go full rebuild, and to date that plan looks PERFECT given that they have a core built around Mathews, who actually looks more valuable to a team's general success than "generational talent" Mcdavid.
It's amazing to think how different the leafs would have turned out if they somehow didn't win the draft and came out with Laine or Dubois out of their bottoming out season.