Brian Burke and the Toronto Maple Leafs officially opened camp Friday morning, and with the opening, have began another attempt at making the playoffs. The club has not made the playoffs since the "Lockout."
Since the lockout, the NHL changed from a league full of big, strong, slow-skating players to a league full of young, speedy and crafty NHL players that the Leafs did not have in spades.
Also adding to the Leafs' frustrations was the implementation of a salary cap. The Leafs have always been a team that likes to spend money, but in the new NHL they are limited in their spending powers. This forced them to draft better and vastly improve their farm system to become competitive in the NHL. They couldn't buy the necessary players, so they have had to develop them from within.
It's been a very slow climb for the Leafs since the lockout and the ending still isn't near, but this offseason certainly has helped in their ascent to the top.
Brian Burke's mission is to build a team from the goaltender out and build a team that exhibits toughness, belligerence, and truculence night-in and night-out.
Coming in ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NHL
Article written by Brad LeClair
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