Brian Burke says big name player has to go for Leafs to be a contender
It seems pretty clear that even with all the moves and signings the Toronto Maple Leafs made in the offseason that Sportsnet analyst Brian Burke still doesn't see the team competing for the Stanley Cup. Burke, a former GM of the Leafs, appeared on the Spittin' Chiclets podcast recently and was asked whether the team could compete with three forwards making north of $10 million per season.
"No," was Burke's simple answer.
He went on to say a major name needs to be moved in order to make the Maple Leafs a better team.
"It gets better, how about giving 4 guys $40 [million]?" asked Burke. "They got half their cap, it's $81.5 million, $40 million in 4 guys, so guess what the math doesn't work. They've got to trade [William] Nylander and get a defenseman."
Trading Nylander for a defenceman isn't a new suggestion. Some fans and critics of the team have been saying it for some time. However, given the current situation with the salary cap remaining flat for the next couple of years, combined with the fact that Nylander is making just under $7 million per season (AAV) for the next four, that might not be an easy sell.
Source: Spittin' Chiclets
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YESTERDAY
JUNE 6, 2026
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| G | A | PTS | ||
| Mitch Marner | 3 | 1 | 4 | |
| Tomas Hertl | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Jordan Staal | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Shea Theodore | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Sebastian Aho | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Brayden McNabb | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Taylor Hall | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Jordan Martinook | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Andrei Svechnikov | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Jackson Blake | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Jack Eichel | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Brett Howden | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Seth Jarvis | - | 1 | 1 | |
| William Karlsson | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Eric Robinson | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Jaccob Slavin | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Logan Stankoven | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Frederik Andersen | - | - | - | |
| Rasmus Andersson | - | - | - | |
| Ivan Barbashev | - | - | - | |
| COMPLETE STATS | ||||