One more year

Before we book Brian Burke a ticket on the midnight train to Siberia, let's take a breath, calm down, and re-organize our angst.

There's no doubt that based on the results his tenure with the Maple Leafs appears a failure. The team he built, bolstered, and bragged about is in one of the worse death spirals in franchise history. The optics are horrible. And going forward, in terms of gaining any serious respect or trust, the embattled GM really doesn't have a pot to piss in. So what then? Fire him? And replace him with who? Dave Nonis? Let's just wait a second. Brian Burke still has more to give.

Special case

Under most circumstances someone in Burke's position would be relieved of his duties, either on the spot or following the season. See Montreal: Pierre Gauthier is on borrowed time. But Burke is in Toronto as more than a general manager. He's the president of the club. And more importantly (or annoyingly) the bombastic figure head of the organization. He was installed to make the team a champion, and to keep the Leafs the top talk of Canadian sports. While he hasn't improved the team's image much, he has kept the club on the tip of tongues across the country. Burke is everywhere. In good times (the few) and the bad. To get him out of "office" it's going to take a lot more than this recent fall from however close to grace the Leafs were. We should just deal with it. Besides, considering Burke's trade history there might be a good deal or two left for him to make.

Making amends

If there's one guy who'd die trying to make this organization respectable again, it's Burke. Look at him now. He looks like he's aged 10 years over the past 4. It can't be vain. Burke made this mess and you know he's willing to die just a little more to clean it up. It's a hockey thing, and a pride thing. Because right now the hockey sucks, and his reputation is a close second. It's going to take another off-season (or two) for Burke and his brain trust to right the ship, so settle in. Endure this slip to the bottom. Get excited and prepped for a high pick in the draft. And maybe, while you're champing at the bit, throw the AHL Marlies a bit of attention. After all, Burke built them into a Cup contender.

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