Brian Burke has, effectively, given the Anaheim Ducks notice.

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Brian Burke.

Photograph by : Getty Images

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By not signing the contract extension he's had in his mitts for months, he's made it clear he has little or no intention of signing it without actually saying so to Anaheim fans and the general public.

Meanwhile, by indicating this week that he intends to "make a decision" by Christmas, he's basically told the Ducks that by that date he won't be willing to pretend any more.

He wants out.

The Ducks wouldn't release him as he asked last spring, or at least give him permission to talk to other clubs. But soon that won't be their call any longer.

That, of course, will put the Ducks and team president Michael Schulman in a dicey predicament. When Burke tells them during the holiday season that he won't be agreeing to a new contract - only a major change of circumstances would change that now - Schulman will be left with the problem of having a lame duck GM heading towards the trade deadline and, after that, the draft and free agency.

If the Ducks, even with owner Henry Samueli possibly heading to the big house next summer, are rolling through the Western Conference, that won't be as big a problem.

But what if they're playing the way they are now?

At 2-5, these Ducks just don't look very much like the team that won it all two seasons ago. Sure, they beat the Maple Leafs in a shootout Tuesday, but they were outshot 28-4 over the second half of the game and seemed to basically fall asleep after jumping ahead 2-0 in the first.

"It just seems like a switch turns off for us," said head coach Randy Carlyle.

The Ducks held the lead into the final minute of play, but then lazily iced the puck, with Anton Stralman of the Leafs easily outskating Corey Perry to get the faceoff in the Anaheim zone.

With Vesa Toskala out for a sixth attacker, the Ducks called a timeout to organize their defence and sent out their most reliable veterans. But the Leafs easily swarmed the visitors and Matt Stajan missed a wide-open net moments before Nik Antropov buried a rebound for his second goal of the game to send the match into OT.

"Most of the guys that are here now were here when we won the Cup," said goalie Jean-Sebastien Giguere. "We know what it takes."

Burke has said he will wait until Nov.1 to evaluate his club before considering major changes. While the guts of the Ducks remain the same, there have been a lot of changes over the past 18 months with the support personnel. Dustin Penner and Andy McDonald were significant players for Anaheim who left, while spare parts like Drew Miller, Joe DiPenta and Ryan Shannon were helpful players as well.

The complication, of course, is that if Burke decides to start re-working his roster but isn't committed to the Ducks beyond this season, it creates an awkward perception for everyone involved.

Schulman believed he needed to force Burke to stay for the health of the team, but now the health of the team might end up suffering because Burke has been forced to stay.

For the Maple Leafs, meanwhile, the search committee headed by Gord Kirke is still operating, but at a very low level. Burke, Ken Holland of Detroit and Doug Wilson of the San Jose Sharks are believed to be three GMs coveted by the Leafs and the first to spring free would likely get the job.

If that's Burke in January, then he could be heir to the throne soon after. But if he can't come before the summer, then Cliff Fletcher is in the lame-duck position, left with critical and complicated winter personnel decisions.

This Burke-to-the-Leafs story stopped being uncomplicated a long time ago.