Jim Kelley

Jim Kelley writes regularly on the NHL for Sportsnet.ca and can be heard on Primetime Sports on the FAN590.

Two things to consider: Brian Burke is not the only name on the market and the Maple Leafs are not the only team looking.

Got Burke?

That's the question circulating around much of the National Hockey League in the wake of the announcement that the bombastic general manger of the Ducks of Anaheim has thrown an "ex" in front of that title.

The question has also gripped Toronto and pretty much all of hockeydom as speculation builds that Burke, who was in Toronto this past weekend, will bolt to the Leafs as soon as the phone rings asking his soon-to-be ex-employer for permission.

Well, we're here to say that Burke is the odds-on favourite to get the job, but it is by no means going to happen today, tomorrow or even next week and there is a possibility it won't happen at all.

That's not to say Burke doesn't want the job or that the current members of the recently re-awakened Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment selection committee don't have him at the top of their eligible list. But certain dynamics have changed in the time between when Burke was hands-down No. 1 and the time when the committee went on hiatus.

One is that while it's incomprehensible inside the coughing confines of the Big Smoke, it's possible - make that likely - that Burke will entertain other offers. There are at least five teams that would seriously consider making a management change if they knew Burke might look their way. Several of them are in markets that Burke might actually want to work in.

More on that later, but let's look at the Toronto situation first.

For starters, the committee - along with the rest of us - was caught unaware that Burke was going to come free right now. The consensus, based largely on some rather large Burke hints, was that this decision wouldn't come due until sometime around the December holidays.

That's not to say things can't come up to speed in a hurry, but you can be certain the Leafs will move cautiously here, checking with the league about their rights and responsibilities and then going through the formality of asking Ducks ownership for permission to talk to Burke.

One can only assume the Leafs will attempt that before the owner, Henry Samueli, faces sentencing for his criminal acts surrounding his primary investment, Broadcom.

Once that's done - and it should take the two weeks or so that Burke and the Ducks both say Burke will still be off limits - there are a number of other serious issues that need to be discussed.

How much Burke wants and how much MLSE is willing to offer will be an issue. Burke, given his reputation, a Stanley Cup ring on his finger and his unique position of being on the market long before others of his ilk come free, is certain to ask for more money than any current GM is receiving. The Leafs are likely to agree to that, but that's only part of a general manager's package and length of term and bonus structure are all in play and will likely require some hard negotiation.

After that, or maybe even before, is the issue of autonomy. Burke will want as much as he needs to assure himself of complete control of the hockey operations. Management is likely to offer it, but like so many deals, the devil is in the details and working out just what assurances Burke would get is likely to be difficult.

The common perception is that he'll get the same deal that Toronto Raptors GM Bryan Colangelo got, but that's not a given. Colangelo is said to have an exit clause if there is interference from above, but Burke should want more than that.

First off, if he gets an offer and takes it, he's not going to want to leave so there has to be more to the autonomy clause than just the right to walk away. Burke will seek assurances that there will be no interference and penalties to ownership or bonuses to him if there is any. That's not to say he gets complete control. Ownership needs to retain the right to make certain that Burke can't make deals that are outside the economic or political scope of ownership (for example, dealing No.1 picks for an aging defenceman or a fading scorer). There also needs to be a clear statement of purpose so that should Burke want, for example, to bring Todd Bertuzzi to Toronto the day before his trial opens in Ontario in his assault on Steve Moore, ownership has the right to say yes or no.

That's not interference. That's protecting the rights and value of the franchise, an ownership responsibility. It's something that goes on in every franchise and the Leafs are no different. Working out an agreement that covers that will be a time-consuming and difficult process.

There's one other point and though we've made it before in this space it bears repeating: the Leafs need to have a Plan B.

They may very well want Burke with all the heart and soul that Doug Gilmour could ever muster and Burke may want the job every bit as much or more than Cliff Fletcher wanted Luke Schenn, but that doesn't mean the deal is a dead-lock cinch.

For one thing, Burke's demands might be more than the teacher's pension people are willing to agree to. Another problem could well be the length of term is longer than the MLSE board is willing to approve. There could be a flip of positions in that regard. There could be a host of issues just like it.

Then there's always the possibility that a even more successful talent - say a Ken Holland in Detroit, a Lou Lamoriello in New Jersey or a Doug Wilson in San Jose (and Wilson's stock has been consistently rising) - might come free at season's end.

The Leafs need to consider the possibility that one of those men will come into the market. The Leafs also need to be aware that now that Burke is free some big-name competitors, including Boston, New York and Chicago, might consider a management restructuring to get him.

The perception is that Burke will go to Toronto to be closer to his children in Boston, but what if Boston calls?

One might make the argument that Burke has arranged to leave the Ducks now in part to get a jump on other candidates, the idea being that if the Leafs don't give him what he wants now, he could sign elsewhere. And if none of the other A-listers do come free the Leafs would be left in the same circumstance they created when they eventually settled for John Ferguson Jr.

That's the way it works in the management game; it's a dance and sometimes a team in need, even a team with the best intentions, is left without a partner. Burke is in demand, and there are other markets who would love to a) get him and b) keep the Leafs from getting him.

The common speculation - and a part of the hand Burke is likely to bet on - is that none of those men will come onto the market while he's there and that Holland has already signed an extension and the others are likely to do so, but is anyone certain of that?

Media and fans can speculate all they like, but the Leafs need to be certain. Both their future and their future dealings with Brian Burke depend on it.