Building the 21st Century NHL Contender

Eric Duhatschek of the Toronto Globe and Mail says the next boss of the Anaheim Mighty Ducks might represent a new prototype for NHL general managers.

"(Brian) Burke won out over a handful of other candidates – ex-Rangers' GM Neil Smith and (Al) Coates were the other finalists for the job – mostly because his history suggests that he can put together a competitive team and do it within the confines of a comparatively restrictive budget," writes Duhatschek, refering to Burke's six years as GM in Vancouver.

With a salary cap coming in the next collective agreement, assembling a team on the cheap will be the NHL norm. Burke and others with experience in stretching dollars are assumed to have an advantage. But in the new era, modest budgets ae no longer relative. When it comes to hiring players, most teams will be on a near-equal financial footing. Will that play to Brian Burke's strengths or expose his weaknesses? Or will it make no difference to a man who has shown he has the fundamental skill of a general manager: the ability to evaluate and assemble NHL talent?

Much will be revealed over the next couple of years, starting this summer. The ratification of a new collective agreement will kick off what many commentators expect to be "the busiest and most bizarre offseason in the history of the game."