from Michael Grange of Sportsnet,

The Leafs are the Leafs. They are the biggest brand in hockey and need not prove that to anyone. Dion Phaneuf could hate kids, puppies and old people but if he figures out how to move Zdeno Chara from in front of the net in a playoff game he’ll be the revered like a Leafs captain should be.

But the last thing the Leafs – finally, tentatively – turning the corner to competitive respectability needs is anything that distracts from the mission of rounding that corner at full speed.

Burke should never have agreed to participate in the first place. At the time he signed up his Leafs were terrible and on their way to missing the playoffs for the seventh straight season.

The 2013 game was cancelled due to the NHL lockout. This year’s version comes on the heels of the Leafs earning a playoff spot over the 48-game sprint that was last season.

It’s too late to pull the plug on the whole thing, but you don’t think Randy Carlyle would like to wish it all away?

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