With the NHL lockout finally over and the season ready to begin, the Toronto Maple Leafs have decided to make some major changes, firing general manager Brian Burke on Wednesday.
The team announced the news at press conference and said that David Nonis, the Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment senior vice president of hockey operations and general manager of the AHL's Toronto Marlies, will take over for Burke. Burke will remain with the franchise as a senior adviser to Leafs president Tom Anselmi.
"I've worked closely with our board to evaluate the long-term direction of the Leafs, and as a result of this assessment we have decided to make these leadership changes," Anselmi said in a statement, according to ESPN.com.
Burke has been the most prominent executive for the Maple Leafs since 2008, serving as present and general manager for the franchise. The team hasn't made the playoffs since the 2003-04 season and Burke took a lot of the heat for that after being unable to bring a winning roster to the city. The Canadian club hasn't won a Stanley Cup since 1967, one of the longest droughts in the sport.
"Brian will not have direct authority over hockey operations, however this new role will allow our Board and I to continue to benefit from his hockey expertise," Anselmi said. "We want to thank Brian for accepting his new role and staying on with our organization."
Nonis has past experience as a general manager with the Vancouver Canucks and helped bring over franchise star Roberto Luongo from the Florida Panthers. Burke had two years remaining on his contract when the move was made.
Burke was scheduled to be in New York for Wednesday's board of governors meeting, but was replaced by Larry Tanenbaum, chairman of Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment. While at the meeting, he was asked about Burke.
"This is a decision of the board," Tanenbaum said.
The Maple Leafs may be at a disadvantage after waiting so long to make the move, but will now be forced to find a new GM as the season is set to open. The NHL lockout lasted over 100 days, but the league and the players reached an agreement and will now play a shortened season starting on Jan. 19.
Burke's last major move was the firing of coach Ron Wilson in March of last year. Burke was formerly the general manager with the Anaheim Ducks for three seasons, winning the Stanley Cup in 2007.
Burke's time in Toronto was marred by bad play and some misguided (at least in retrospect) transactions. He traded for Boston Bruins star Phil Kessel, who was a 30-goal scorer for the team, but Burke had to give Boston first-round picks in 2010 and 2011, as well as a third-round pick in 2010. The haul was a heavy one for Toronto and although Kessel played well, scoring 37 goals last season, the team has yet to make the playoffs since the move.
Other moves by Burke included the trade for Dion Phaneuf from the Calgary Flames in 2010 and one of his first big moves, the signing of free agents Mike Komisarek and Francois Beauchemin in 2009. Phaneuf has played well for the team since coming over, but both Komisarek and Beauchemin were disappointments. Making matters even worse, one of the picks Toronto sent to Boston was used on Tyler Seguin, who has turned into an excellent player for the Bruins.
The team finished just 35-37-10 in 2012 and played horrible down the stretch, winning only seven games over the final 29 to end the year, culminating in the firing of Wilson, who was replaced by Randy Carlyle. During Burke's tenure with the team, the Maple Leafs went just 128-135-42 over four seasons.
Leafs forward Joffrey Lupul spoke with CBC.ca about the move.
"It means we're not getting the job done," Lupul told reporters outside the team's practice facility.
"We're going to have a very short window in order to make some decisions about this hockey team," Nonis said. "We're going to focus on that right now."
Toronto started off the 2011-12 season on a good note, sitting at fourth place in the Eastern Conference in December, only one point behind Boston in the division standings. The string play of the team resulted in a contract extension for Burke, but the solid play was short-lived. The team broke down towards the end of the season and finished 13th in the conference after losing 18 of their final 29 games.
Burke previously served as the general manager for the United States hockey team for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver and has helped to support gay rights and equality in recent years in support of his son Brendan, who was gay. Sadly for Burke, his son dies in a car accident while in Indiana in 2010.
Toronto hasn't finished higher than fourth in the Northeast division since the 2007 season and hasn't won a division title since the 199-2000 season. While the team has 13 Stanley Cups in franchise history, the team has not been to a championship since winning it all in 1967.