According to Damien Cox and Darren Dreger, the Leafs are one of the teams Arizona Coyotes' assistant to the general manager and goaltending guru Sean Burke is considering as he looks to take another step up in hockey management.
Burke has been credited with helping resurrect goalies such as Devan Dubnyk and he is currently a member of the Team Canada management team for the upcoming World Championships.
Prior to taking on his two current roles with the Coyotes, Burke was the team's director of prospect development.
And while he's not a traditional candidate, with experienced general managers like Joe Nieuwendyk, Ray Shero, and Peter Chiarelli all available, he is reportedly not being considered for the general manager position, according to Steve Simmons.
Kyle Dubas and Mark Hunter are going to be with the Leafs for the long haul, and the next general manager will be someone who is comfortable with that team, and the analytics-driven direction they appear to be taking.This attitude in the search for the next general manager may lend itself towards a younger talent that doesn't have the baggage of a previous management team to bring along, although it appears Burke is still too inexperienced to be given that nod just yet.
At the end of March, Burke told Fox Sports Arizona that he had already spoken with seven or eight teams, so the Leafs aren't the only suitor for the former NHL goalie. Burke is a veteran of 18 NHL seasons, with nine NHL teams. He's also a three-time Gold medalist (1997 and 2003 World Championships, and 1991 Canada Cup).
In 1997, Burke's history with domestic violence was made public. Consequently, when he was with the Vancouver Canucks, he was required to attend a six-month domestic violence program after pleading guilty to charges for abusing his wife. He was sentenced to 18-months probation.
One way or another, it appears he won't be returning to Arizona next season.
Update: Here's a full story following interviews with our very own Katie Esmonde and Achariya Rezak on why the domestic violence history is important.
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