Brian Burke obviously is sincere, but the annual grousing about his fellow general managers' spending habits is getting tiresome -- and, regardless of his true intentions, is coming off as pre-packaged excuses. It almost does a disservice to the job he has done in assembling an entertaining, highly competitive team of a nice mix of elements -- including Todd Bertuzzi, whose progression from a wandering underachiever into a top-flight power forward is just about complete. If feisty goalie Dan Cloutier can hold up, the Canucks should be back in the playoffs again, although the Stars' likely ascension back into the field leaves one less spot open.