Burke busy trying to retool Leafs' fate

Hockey Betting Lines

07/06/2010 - Toronto, Canada (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - After coming off one of their more distressing seasons in recent memory, the Toronto Maple Leafs headed into the summer with more holes to patch than a gulf oil pipeline.

But it didn't take long for Leafs general manager Brian Burke to start phase two of his self-described retooling plan.

On the eve of the July 1 free agency extravaganza, Burke pulled out another trademark multi-player deal that saw the Leafs acquire Chicago Blackhawks winger Kris Versteeg and minor leaguer Bill Sweatt in exchange for prospects Viktor Stalberg, Chris DiDomenico and Philippe Paradis.

While Versteeg doesn't exactly fit Burkes vision of truculence, belligerence or any other colorful adjective he spews out, he does bring some much-needed skill to a lineup that finished 25th in the NHL in scoring.

Versteeg, a 2009 Calder Trophy nominee, followed up a 53-point rookie campaign with a solid 20-goal, 44-point sophomore season while playing a depth role on a stacked Blackhawks' squad.

And perhaps of greater significance, Versteeg represents yet another young, proven player who will pay immediate dividends as opposed to optimistically waiting for a prospect to mature into a top-six scoring threat.

The following day, Burke stuck to his guns in saying that July 1 will be his draft ... after sitting on the sidelines for the opening round of the actual draft two weeks ago ... and went and acquired versatile winger Colby Armstrong.

Armstrong comes equipped with relentless grittiness, good character and leadership skills painted over the ability to light the lamp on the odd occasion. He scored 15 goals for the Atlanta Thrashers last season.

As per usual for the inflationary nature of free agency, it can be argued the Leafs overpaid for a perennial third-line grinder, having footed a three-year $9 million bill to obtain his services.

Regardless of Armstrongs perceived value, he is the exact type of player Burke clamors for, and like Versteeg, he will aid in the fast tracking of a time-sensitive rebuild.

What is the next step for the brash boss of the blue and white? Cue Tomas Kaberle, the sole leftover from an era of broken hearts and early summer vacations.

The 32-year old Czech blueliner is heading into the final year of his contract that will pay him $4.25 million, a relative bargain considering his production in comparison to other top-tier defenseman.

With prize free agent defenders such as Dan Hamhuis, Paul Martin, Sergei Gonchar and Anton Volchenkov all off the market, teams looking for a veteran puck-moving blueliner might be tempted to ante up in order to get a deal done.

Patience has been the key to Kaberle's situation, and now that the market is depleted of bona fide top-end talent, Kaberles value has perhaps reached its peak.

What the return will be is anybodys guess. But as we have seen with Burke, his ability to turn tired assets into important pieces is uncanny.

Whether you agree or disagree with Burkes blueprint, it is hard to neglect the tectonic shift that has occurred under his watch.

And based on this, one would have to expect that the acquisition of Versteeg and Armstrong is a start, but not the end to the roster shuffle set to unfurl this summer.

With training camp still two months away, there is still plenty of time for more tinkering ... or a lot of tinkering if playoffs are on the menu for 2011.

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Pacific-10 Conference odds

Teams that should be in: Stanford

Oregon and USC get their tickets punched after taking care of business this weekend. Yes, the Trojans' computer numbers aren't great, but there's no way the third-place team in this league is getting nixed. Grudgingly, I added Arizona after consultation with our Bracketologist. I don't know that Arizona will lose its last three (including a Pac-10 quarterfinal game), and even if the Cats do, I still can't see how they'd be left out, given the overall profile. That said, it bears watching, as three more L's would leave them at 18-12 (9-9) and on a 6-11 skid entering the Dance. It would be nice to see the Wildcats get at least one W in the Bay Area next week, as Cincinnati (albeit without Armein Kirkland and with a worse profile) was axed after a similar slide last season. I just couldn't rationalize having some of the other teams as locks and not having Arizona in that category -- there just aren't enough good teams behind the Cats to threaten their spot, it seems. Stanford has its fate in its own hands with the Arizona schools coming to the Farm to close out the regular season next weekend.

Should be in:

Stanford [17-10 (9-7), RPI: 40, SOS: 21] No shame in not getting a win in L.A., but that makes the home game against Arizona State a must-win ahead of what could be an intriguing meeting with Arizona should the Cats lose at Cal. Getting to 11 Pac-10 wins would make Selection Sunday much more comfortable, but 10's probably more than enough this season. The Cardinal have nonconference wins over Texas Tech and at Virginia to lean on, although they also lost badly to Air Force and Santa Clara at home.

Southeastern Conference odds
Work left to do: Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Mississippi State

It looks more and more possible that no one from the SEC West will make the NCAAs. How weird is that? Tennessee and Vandy move into the locks category after more good work this weekend. Kentucky stays there, although it would be smart for the Cats to handle Georgia at home Wednesday ahead of a trip to the Swamp. Could a disaster scenario (two more L's and a first-round SEC tourney exit) somehow dislodge the Cats despite their incredible computer numbers? Still unlikely, but not worth chancing it.

Work left to do:

Alabama [19-9 (6-8), RPI: 43, SOS: 47] The tough L at Tennessee was understandable, and even created some hope. Unfortunately, that hope was dashed by a home loss to Auburn, which leaves the Tide in some real trouble. There's still no signature win on the profile (no, Kentucky doesn't count), and the computer profile is weakening rapidly. The Tide conceivably could beat Ole Miss and win at Miss. State to get to 8-8 and clinch at least a share of the West crown, but that's probably not enough right now. The Tide will need to do some work in the SEC tourney.

Georgia [16-10 (8-6), RPI: 52, SOS: 23] This is the team with the best chance to make it from this section right now. The Bulldogs rebounded from a terrible performance at Ole Miss to beat down Miss. State. Now they are at Kentucky (king of the RPI 51-100 win) and home to Tennessee. That would be worth a lot of computer points to get both (which is doable), as both teams are in the top 11 in RPI. Finishing at least 9-7 is an absolute must, and I would feel much better about the Dawgs' chances if they got both to get to 10 SEC wins. They also beat Gonzaga, but lost to ACC bubblers Georgia Tech and Clemson.

Mississippi [18-10 (7-7), RPI: 63, SOS: 79] Like everyone else in this division, Ole Miss gacked up a chance to stake a claim, losing by double figures at South Carolina. Even 9-7 likely is not nearly enough with a nonconference profile devoid of anything notable.

Mississippi State [16-11 (7-7), RPI: 66, SOS: 37] With a chance to get in the mix, these Bulldogs were leashed by their Georgia counterparts. Could they get to 9-7? I guess -- although winning at Arkansas, then beating Alabama is no lock -- but would that mean all that much for a team with this overall profile? Probably not. There's nothing of note (on the good side) in the nonconference profile.

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