Brian Burke has been criticized for first leading the Leafs Nation to believe that he would be rebuilding a contending team within four to five years after his arrival, and then squandering away any potential of doing so. Well, despite popular belief, he may very well have been doing what he promised all along.
A contending franchise in the NHL is, at the very least, one which makes the playoffs on a regular basis. It should be noted that many will argue that to be a true contender, getting home ice advantage for at least the first round of the playoffs on a consistent basis. For either definition, Burke’s Leafs appear to be quite far away from achieving this sort of success.
With the parity existing in today’s NHL, I would suggest that the first definition is likely to be the more apt one the longer we exist in a salary cap world.
So what is required to make the playoffs most years? Well, if one is to judge by the numbers, scoring 220 to 230 goals for and allowing no more than 200 to 210 goals against.
So where do the goals come from? Well, if a team is able to rely on somewhere around 20 to 30 goals from their defence co ...
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Article written by James Hardie
Brian Burke’s Toronto Maple Leafs: Is He Building a Contending Franchise?
February 4th, 2011 by James Hardie Leave a reply »
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