February 3, 2010 E-MAIL PRINT

Fischler Report: Advantage, Burke

by Stan Fischler/

Dion Phaneuf (photo: Getty)

Dion Phaneuf (photo: Getty)

Maple Leafs GM Brian Burke (Providence, R.I.) isn’t kidding around, and more power to him.

The deals he made recently were as follows: Toronto traded Matt Stajan, Niklas Hagman, Ian White and Jamal Mayers to Calgary for Dion Phaneuf, Fredrik Sjostrom and prospect Keith Aulie. Also, the Leafs traded Jason Blake and Vesa Toskala to the Ducks.

Burke’s blockbuster deals have gained Toronto a Cup-winning goaltender (J.S. Giguere) and a potential All-Star defenseman (Phaneuf) with Burke-type toughness.

Clearly, Burke landed the bestplayers. If Hagman, Stajan, et. al. have been so terrific, how come the Leafs have been playing to the left of punko? The only ex-Leaf we like in this deal is Jason (The Energizer) Blake, who winds up in Anaheim.

Bottom line: Toronto gets thebest player; thus, the Leafs win the trade.

Observations

* What’s with Milan Lucic? Our Boston correspondent, Margaret DeJesus, offers this:

“It’s been awhile since the fans have enjoyed Lucic throw down an opponent at center ice or hit someone along the boards so hard that it smashed the glass. He may not be back to full just yet, but the hums of “Looooch” still ring out at the Garden whenever he touches the puck.

“It seems like he may be headed in the right direction, especially with the return of center and frequent linemate Marc Savard. Milan scored the Bruins’ only goal last Friday against the Sabres on a wrist shot after a nice pass from Savard. Plus, he had his first fight since October when he squared off with Jared Boll of the Blue Jackets.

* Commissioner Gary Bettman’sdecision to dig deep into a solution for the concussion epidemic is wise. Sadly, his crusade also may be as futile as it is commendable.

As one veteran referee – who has seen the head injury rate dangerously rise – tells us, “Today’s players simply have no respect for one another.”

Gossip

* Tim Thomas is rapidly losing in the race for No. 2 goalie on Team USA.

Jonathan Quick’s (Hamden, Conn.) recent play moves him into second spot behind Ryan Miller.

* It takes a former general manager to know what Don Waddell is going through to get good value from Ilya Kovalchuk. Jay Feaster, who managed the Lightning to a championship, tells us that Waddell waited too long.

“Don should have moved him last year at the trade deadline,” says Feaster. “His challenge now is to convince more than one GM that there’s interest in Kovalchuk.”

The thinking is the Kings are a prime candidate for a Kovalchuk deal.

“If so,” adds Feaster, now a commentator on NHL Network, “Waddell is going to have to convince (Kings GM) Dean Lombardi that there are other (GMs) who want Kovalchuk.”

* Mathieu Darche, 33, has been impressive for the Habs since being recalled from Hamilton. The McGill grad had a goal and two assists in his first four games with the Canadiens.

Darche says that Bulldogs coach Guy Boucher and Jacques Martin share a similar component in their coaching styles. They preach hard work and no shortcuts. Respecting this notion has led to Darche’s success.

Stan Fischler can be reached at FischlerReport@aol.com.

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