Report: Brian Burked Fired As Toronto Maple Leafs GM
Some breaking news out of Toronto this afternoon.
On the day that the owners are meeting in New York City, and are excepted to ratify to new Collective Bargaining Agreement that will bring back the NHL for a shorten 48-game season, one team is already making a major shakeup in their front office.
Toronto Maple Leafs have apparently fired Brian Burke as general manager. Working on official confirmations.
— Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) January 9, 2013
The move has yet to be officially announced by the team itself, but when Bob McKenzie breaks a story, you can take it to the bank with it’s accuracy.
The Maple Leafs hired Brian Burke as their President and GM in 2008 after Burke built a team in Anaheim that one the 2007 Stanley Cup. The belief was that Burke was going to come into Toronto and build a team like he did in Anaheim to help get the Maple Leafs back to the playoffs, a place they haven’t been since before the last lockout.
Instead, Burke’s teams often failed to live up to expectations and consistently finished in the lower-tier of the Eastern Conference. It was time for the organization to go in a different direction.
The move comes at a surprising time. The Leafs traded for former Philadelphia Flyers forward James Van Riemsdyk over the Summer to add some more scoring on a team that really only had Phil Kessel putting up goals on a consistent basis. They were also, according to information given to Fansided, still attempting to work on a deal that would bring Vancouver Canucks goaltender Roberto Luongo to Cananda’s biggest city.
Whether or not that move still is negotiated with Burke gone remains to be seen.