Leafs Vs Panthers and Brian Burke talk about trades
Tonight at 7:00, the Toronto Maple Leafs will visit the Florida Panthers in a battle against former Maple Leaf Bryan McCabe and his Panthers. Additionally, Brian Burke addressed the media regarding his outlook for the rest of the season, as well as what has been considered a “double deadline” year with the Olympic break and trade deadline.
Brian Burke kicked off his brief discussion with the media about the team’s position down the stretch with the exact statement everyone expects Burke to make.
“If I could make a trade today that would propel us to the playoffs, I’ll do it. I know with every loss it seems more remote, but that’s still our goal.”
Brian Burke feels that there really is a double deadline this season, and that many teams will want to make trades before the Olympic break in order to have those players with the club immediately after the world event. Many GMs believe that certain players will elevate their game after the Olympics, and that’s a type of leadership many franchises crave these days.
“You’ll see activity before the Olympics, and then the normal frenetic activity for 3 days after the Olympics.”
Burke acknowledged many of the rumors surrounding his team, but adds that the process behind each trade is much deeper than previously thought.
“The exchange is a phone call away, but the work that is done usually takes weeks or months. After this meeting, I think we are ready to go.”
It sounds like Burke has some trades on his mind right now. He also added that many teams make the most mistakes of their careers at the trade deadline because they feel like they’re missing that final piece to win the Stanley Cup; however, Burke said he advises all GMs to put themselves in a position to make those mistakes because the Stanley Cup is the only thing that matters when all is said and done.
“If you think you’re close and you’re missing a piece, go get it, because you don’t know when you’ll be back at the dance.”
While it doesn’t look like the Leafs are anywhere near their playoff march, tonight is still a big factor in the season, just like any other game. This is the third of four meetings between the Leafs and Panthers this season, and so far Toronto has won each meeting.
The Panthers have struggled lately, but Tomas Vokoun certainly hasn’t. He has let in 2 goals or either in 8 of his last 10 starts, but the Panthers haven’t been able to score goals recently. Tonight is also the final game of Toronto’s 5-game road trip. In that time, they have a 1-2-1 record. Florida is 1-1-1 in their last 3 games despite scoring only 2 goals in that span.
Phil Kessel has 1 goal and 7 assists in a streak of 7 game points. Matt Stajan has 4 goals and 5 assists in his last 10 games. Alexei Ponikarovsky has 3 goals and 1 assist in his last 3 games, while Niklas Hagman seems to be back to his old self with 2 goals and 2 assists in his last 3 appearances.
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Komisarek, Van Ryn and Grabovski are all on the Leafs’ injured reserve list, while Horton left Thursday’s game with a fractured tibia, and Nick Tarnasky, David Booth and Kenndal McArdle are all on the Leafs’ injured reserve list. the Panthers.
Jonas Gustavsson is expected to get the nod in goal tonight. If he gets a win, it will be his tenth of the season.
Michael A. Aldred
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