It’s weird, isn’t it, to see both Lee Stempniak and Jamal Mayers trying to lead the Maple Leaf revival. Both players have some grit, so new general manager Brian Burke should be good with them.

Guys who could be moving along: Defenseman Tomas Kaberle, defenseman Pavel Kubina and forwards Nik Antropov and Alexei Ponikarovsky. Burke likes rugged North Americans, a preference that will resonate with frustrated Leafs fans.

Trust Hockey Guy — Burke will be very aggressive.

Burke is a great fit for the Leafs job. It is a huge job, arguably the highest profile team job in hockey. Like Rangers czar Glen Sather, Burke has the ego to handle it.

Former Flyers GM Bob Clarke told TSN that Burke will have to reel in that ego to succeed in Toronto.

“I do think that he and Ron Wilson will have to be careful that they don’t get bigger than the team,” Clarke said. “I think we’ve seen it happen here before, maybe not identified but all of a sudden, the coach or the manager or either one or both are always in the paper, always ahead of the players and when that happens, the players don’t end up liking that very much.

“I don’t think it’ll be a problem, I think [Burke] is way too smart but Ron Wilson has started already, his ego is pretty big right now and if it gets bigger than the team’s, then you are going to have a problem.”

Fair point.

FANTASY HOCKEY WINNERS AND LOSERS

For a look at the NHL at the quarter pole, check this out.

AROUND THE RINKS: Big injuries continue to mount in the NHL. Coyotes center Olli Jokinen, the cornerstone of that offense, should be sidelined for two week a shoulder injury . . . Colorado Avalanche agitator Darcy Tucker could miss a month with a knee injury . . . Old friend Curtis Sanford will get lots of work in Vancouver with Roberto Luongo sidelined for some time with hip/groin injury. He fought his way up from the old Missouri River Otters to stick in the NHL. “It’s been a battle, but when people ask, ‘Why would you want to be the backup in Vancouver?’ the thing I say is I’ve worked extremely hard to get to where I am and I’m extremely proud of what I’ve accomplished,” Sanford told the Vancouver Sun. “I’m not going to settle on that, obviously, and the goal is to get better and start as many games as you can, but I’m happy with what I’ve been able to do so far, and hopefully, it continues.”