Brian Burke: Maple Leafs Need to Trade William Nylander

Brian Burke put his fingerprints all over the Toronto Maple Leafs from 2008-2013 and quite frankly, it may have set the franchise back a few seasons. Burke loved going against the grain and didn't care what anyone had to say about his moves.

The general manager turned media member has been busy during the recent NHL seasons as a member of the Hockey Night in Canada broadcast on CBC. It's a great chance for Burke to stay close to the game and voice his opinion whenever he pleases.

Speaking of his opinion, Leafs Nation will love this one. Burke was a recent guest on the hit podcast Spittin Chiclets and was asked about the current state of the Maple Leafs. Needless to say, Burke didn't hold back.

When asked if the Maple Leafs can win with three forwards making north of $10 million, Burke's response "No".

When asked what the Leafs could do to improve their financial situation and their team:

It gets better, how about giving 4 guys $40 [million]?. 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 Nylander and get a defenseman.

Nylander's name has been on rumor mills since the day he arrived and this statement isn't anything new for Leafs Nation.

Will the team eventually move Nylander? Perhaps, but it won't be anytime soon unless the team is a disaster next season. General manager, Kyle Dubas has gone on the record numerous times stating how much he loves Nylander.

For Burke, it's a bold statement considering all the wonderful transactions he completed as a Leafs GM. One that certainly stands out is trading up in the 2011 draft to select Tyler Biggs who hasn't played an NHL game since he received his free jersey on draft day.

Meanwhile the two picks Burke traded ended up being goaltender John Gibson and winger Rickard Rakell of the Anaheim Ducks. The cherry on top is Burke could have made up for it with his second 1st-round pick in 2011, instead he drafted defenseman Stuart Percy, who has managed to appear in 12 games since.

It's ironic too regarding the Biggs trade, considering the reason the Leafs were terrible during the Burke era was the team never had a #1 goalie.