Brian Burke is many things, including Maple Leafs GM and president, strong-willed Irishman, and friend to all great analogy lovers. What he isn’t, though, is someone unable to adjust his blueprint for hockey success as times change. The Maple Leafs’ current roster is ample proof of that.

Remember when Burke arrived in Toronto three years ago? He was snorting fire and talking about building his team into an on-ice version of the apocalyptic gangs seen in Mel Gibson’s Road Warrior movies – a bunch of Lord Humungouses as intent on knocking the daylights out of opponents as they were ready to score more goals than the other side.

That plan has gone by the wayside. The Leafs are anything but menacing. Sure, they’ve got Colton Orr and Jay Rosehill on the roster, but the two enforcers play about as often these days as Johnny Bower. And sure, Dion Phaneuf, Mike Brown and Luke Schenn could drop the gloves when necessary, but they’re valuable contributors in many more regards than just fighting.

No, this Leafs team has become a bona fide playoff contender because of its killer speed. Phil Kessel and Mikhail Grabovski gave them that element over the course of the past couple seasons, but now they’ve also got winger Matt Frattin and defenseman Jake Gardiner who can turn on the jets and blow past an opponent at will. Veteran blue-liner John-Michael Liles, winger Nikolai Kulemin, defenceman Carl Gunnarsson and injured centre Matthew Lombardi also aren’t lacking for footspeed.

Burke deserves credit for seeing the shifting sands of the NHL and realizing that recent Stanley Cup champions such as the Boston Bruins, Chicago Blackhawks and Pittsburgh Penguins won because their players could skate, not because they could take and/or give a punch.

I’d never put it past Burke to at least try and bring a bit more bite to the organization as he tweaks the team here and there. However, it is clear he isn’t irreversibly tied to a philosophy as some might have believed he was. The braintrust Burke has assembled – including assistant GMs Dave Nonis, Rick Dudley, Dave Poulin and Claude Loiselle – offer their own views and input, and Burke has always maintained he believes in trusting those around him. It’s foolish to imagine he hasn’t been influenced by their ideas of building a winner.

To hell with truculence. If Toronto can win with swiftness and talent, neither Burke nor Leafs fans will complain.