Overall, I'd give Burke about a C+ for his work at the draft. Things started out well, as he made an excellent trade to shore up our blueline, and hopefully keep Lebda-time to a minimum next year. In my eyes, the remainder of the first day was a mistake. Instead of hanging on to three picks that probably all have roughly equal chances of producing a useful player, he cashed two of them in for one higher pick. The result? We wind up with a player that has 3rd line "energy guy" written all over him, and that's if things go well throughout his development.
Yesterday was perhaps a bit quieter on the trade front than many anticipated, and since the Leafs had to wait until the third round (82nd overall) to make their next pick, there wasn't a lot of buzz about their choices, either. Naturally, we've got plenty of links and info on each pick anyway; we're just that kind of people.
Brian Burke seemed pretty satisfied with his last couple days, and here's some post-draft interview footage for you to dissect (via Puck Daddy):
I will say that it makes me feel a little better about the Biggs pick that several other teams were aggressively pursuing him. Maybe it's just Burke Bluster, but maybe there's more to this player than his box stats are telling us if he was so sought after.
Plenty of draft links after the jump. Hurray for having Leafs news!
Leafs draft Josh Leivo at 82nd overall, Tom Nilsson at 100
Alec Brownscombe with a few words on two of the Leafs' later picks.
Leafs select Tony Cameranesi 130th overall, David Broll 152nd overall, Dennis Robertson 173rd
Same deal for two more late-round picks, by Mislav Jantoljak.
Leafs take Garret Sparks 190th overall, Max Everson 202nd
This time by Brian Huddle.
Leafs Draft Tyler Biggs 22nd, Stuart Percy 25th
PPP with his take, along with some videos for your perusal, over at The Leafs Nation.
Give me the Ron Wilson I heard on TSN Radio this week
Michael Langlois liked the friendlier version of our coach.
Q&A: Draft pick Tyler Biggs excited about joining Leafs
Tyler Biggs reacts after the Toronto Maple Leafs made him their 22nd pick in the NHL Entry Draft. From the Globe and Mail.
Jets pushing NHL to radical realignment
Bettman's proposal includes four divisions, and possibly uneven conferences.
