While the Leafs Didn't Make the Playoffs... They Are Making News

Tavares a Leaf? Brian Burke announced today that the Toronto Maple Leafs will look to trade up in this year's draft. He did this, of course, before the draft lottery results were even announced. Start ordering the John Tavares Leaf jerseys now! Right? After watching Tavares play in a few London Knights games this year, and on television at the world juniors, I think I can speak for all of Leaf nation when I say we would love to be cheering for him in the blue and white next year. But saying you want to make a trade is much different then actually doing it. One problem is the basic dynamics of trading up in the draft: to acquire an asset of greater value, the Leafs will need to send something of value the other way in order to obtain it. Unfortunately as we have heard time and again from the coach, GM, and Toronto sports media: the cupboard is bare in Toronto right now. Every team that is in position to win the Tavares sweepstakes right now would love to have him on their team. Just look at the turn around organizations such as Pittsburgh and Washington have taken as a result of striking it rich in the draft. Superstar number one picks like Ovechkin and Crosby will make it impossible for a GM not to take Tavares with that pick. As such it would take a lot to pry him away from the lucky winner, and the Leafs just don't have a lot to give. Now some people will point to Burke's record, saying that he has pulled of draft day miracles before, moves like Chris Pronger to Hartford or the Sedin twins to Vancouver are the big examples. Couldn't someone like Tomas Kaberle and the Leafs (random guess here) number 5 pick entice the Islanders or whoever wins to cough up number 1 over all? (Maybe the Islanders will want Jason Blake back...) It's only possible if the team that wins the draft lottery sees itself as being relatively close to making a move up the NHL standings. The Tampa Bay Lightning come to mind here, with their talented group of forwards maybe they will see more benefit from getting an asset like Kaberle now, as well as another high draft pick later. (Of course they could draft a defenseman, or trade Lecavalier and keep Tavares... or a million other things...) The bottom line is that Burke said he wants to trade up, and that makes news because there isn't any other positive news coming out of Leaf land these days. (Read: the last five years, or since they last made the playoffs.) So this is probably just some wishful thinking. One thing is for sure, if Burke were somehow able to pull off the deal for Tavares - it would certainly make some headlines.