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3 Worst Moves By Brian Burke As Toronto Maple Leafs General Manager

By Stephen Nixon

ST PAUL, MN - JUNE 24: 22nd overall pick Tyler Biggs by the Toronto Maple Leafs stands onstage for a photo with President & General Manager Brian Burke (L) and a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs organization during day one of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft at Xcel Energy Center on June 24, 2011 in St Paul, Minnesota. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
ST PAUL, MN - JUNE 24: 22nd overall pick Tyler Biggs by the Toronto Maple Leafs stands onstage for a photo with President & General Manager Brian Burke (L) and a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs organization during day one of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft at Xcel Energy Center on June 24, 2011 in St Paul, Minnesota. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /
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BOSTON, MA – MARCH 19: Gregory Campbell #11 of the Boston Bruins and Mike Komisarek #8 of the Toronto Maple Leafs. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA – MARCH 19: Gregory Campbell #11 of the Boston Bruins and Mike Komisarek #8 of the Toronto Maple Leafs. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /

#3. Mike Komisarek Signing

Brian Burke’s first splash in free agency came when he stole Mike Komisarek away from the Montreal Canadiens and gave him a five-year $22.5 million contract (4.5 million per season).

Sure, Komisarek had previously been named a starter to the NHL All-Star team a year prior, but it’s so easy to see why Burke fell in love with him and made sure to give him a five-year deal.

He hits every single Burke fantasy check-mark that he’s looking for in a player.

  1. Big Body: 6-foot-4, 240 pounds
  2. Not Afraid to Fight: Had over 100 PIM’s in back-to-back seasons (2006-07, 2007-08)
  3. Nationality: He’s American-born
  4. Position: Komisarek is a defenseman, and this is what Burke told The Toronto Star in October, 2010: “I’ve always spent more money and more effort on defense than any other position. I think it’s like pitching in baseball. You can have eight all-stars, eight Hall of Famers in the field, and if they’re not behind a pitching staff that’s competent, they’re not going to win.”

If you guessed all four of those are key components; congratulations, you just won “Burke, Bingo!”

As you can already probably assume where this story is going, the Komisarek contract was a disaster.

In 158 games with the Leafs, Komisarek finished with two goals and 19 points. I know Burke didn’t sign him so he would become the next Bobby Orr, but when you’re paying someone $4.5 million per year, you need a bigger contribution than 0.12 points per game.

The Komisarek narrative became even sadder when the Toronto Maple Leafs put him on waivers, where he would play seven games with the Toronto Marlies before eventually getting bought-out in July, 2013.

It’s funny how comparable the story of Burke and Komisarek are, as this contract signing was ultimately the end of Burke’s career as Toronto Maple Leafs G.M.

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