Burke Still Has His Work Cut Out For Him

Thank God its over. The Toronto Maple Leafs have wrapped up a dismal 3 game road trip out West. After a promising 3-1 win against the LA Kings-a team in the same rebuilding situation as the Leafs-Toronto was then manhandled by the league leading San Jose Sharks. After a day of rest, they looked no better as a brutal 3rd period collapse led to another ugly loss against the Phoenix Coyotes. They finished with one win and two losses. Though the Maple Leafs never seem to do well on Western Conference road trips, these losses cant be blamed on travel time or jet lag alone. This team is obviously still missing quite a few pieces, despite the great work done by Cliff Fletcher in the offseason. Brian Burke has his work cut out for him if he is going to build this team into a legitimate playoff threat in the seasons ahead. Here is a breakdown of the areas where the Leafs are lacking, and what I hope Burke will try and resolve:

A Franchise Forward

The Leafs goal scoring has been a pleasant surprise this year. So far, they are among the top ten teams in the NHL in goals scored, with 78 on the season. While this is an encouraging sign for the Leafs as they move forward with the rebuild, the team is still lacking a game breaking forward. They are in need of that key player up front who is capable of breaking open a close game and putting the Leafs over the top. Just about every team who is serious about making a Stanley Cup run has a franchise player in their top 6 they can lean on to put up big numbers. While the Leafs are managing to score goals, they are doing it by committee, and rarely do they have a player who can get 3 or 4 points in a game-as Joe Thornton did when the Sharks steamrolled the Leafs on Tuesday. So what options do the Leafs have to acquire a franchise forward in the near future? Here are some young impact forwards (all in their mid-twenties) who could soon be leaving their respective teams.

#1 Rick Nash - Nash is slated to become an unrestricted free agent in 2010. It is believed that he does not want to re-sign with the Columbus Blue Jackets, but would instead prefer to play in a bigger market team. Being from Brampton, the Toronto Maple Leafs are his hometown team and he may be tempted to return home if Burke were to make him an offer. Some rumors suggest the Leafs may also try to trade for him before his current contract expires, though the asking price would be very high.

#2 Marian Gaborik - Gaborik is slated to become a UFA at the end of this season. This makes him the most immediately available player of the group. Add to that the fact he has vehemently refused to sign an extension with the Minnesota Wild, and its pretty much a sure bet he will be out the door. The Wild will likely try to trade him away for a return rather than let him walk away for free. His downside of course is his injury history. He rarely plays a full season, so the Leafs would be taking a gamble if they were to acquire him. However, this could also mean the asking price for him will be lower than market value for a player of his calibre.

#3 Ilya Kovalchuk - Like Nash, Kovalchuk's contract expires in 2010. He has recently made comments about his desire to play in a bigger market and his unhappiness with the empty arena in Atlanta. It is unlikely the Thrashers will try to trade him though, as they are trying desperately to hold onto him, lest their last few fans stop coming to games. If he makes it clear he does not want an extension however, Atlanta will have little choice but to start shopping him on the trade market by next year.

An Up-And-Coming Goaltender

The Leafs have struggled miserably in goal this year. Vesa Toskala has failed to live up to expectations, despite a few brilliant flashes. His backup is a 41 year old senior citizen in Curtis Joseph who has so far proved incapable of winning a game. The Leafs do have Justin Pogge who is developing in the minors right now, but with his lackluster play so far with the Marlies, it is beginning to look questionable as to whether or not he will be ready to take the starting job for the Leafs at the NHL level. The Maple Leafs need a backup plan in case Pogge doesn't pan out. For the rebuild to succeed, they MUST be solid in net. There are two young goalies right now destined for greatness that wont get a shot on their current teams. I would like to see Burke pursue one of them.

#1 Jaroslav Halak - The Montreal Canadiens are believed to be actively shopping Halak on the trade market. And for good reason. This 23 year old has shown the potential to be a solid number one goalie in this league, and given a starting role could easily turn into one of the leagues top young netminders. The reason he is destined to leave Montreal in the near future? Their other goalie is Carey Price. While Halak has serious potential, it is unlikely Price will be unseated, and if Halak wants a starting job he will have to go elsewhere. If Burke were to make a move for him I dont believe the asking price would be terribly high given Halak's lack of experience.

#2 Cory Schneider - Schneider has had the oppurtunity play at the NHL level following the injury to Roberto to Luongo in Vancouver. Like Halak, he also has the potential to be a number one goalie in the NHL. Just not with the Canucks. Luongo is king there, and will never be dethroned. He too will likely seek a job elsewhere so he can play the number 1 role. The advantage to trading for him instead of Halak? The Leafs wont have to give up anything that helps their arch-enemies in Montreal.

Another area that the Leafs need to address is toughness of course, but 4th line enforcers will be relatively easy to find. Burke will have no problem landing a couple of tough guys to rough up the opposition.

Of course, some of these areas can also be addressed through the draft in July as well. From the looks of things so far, the Leafs will be in good drafting position to land them a potential franchise player. Though it is only December and things can still change. As much as I would love to see my beloved Toronto Maple Leafs make the playoffs, every time I see them perform the way they did on this road trip, I just close my eyes, and think ahead towards draft day. That helps ease the pain-at least until the next game.