According to various sources GM Brian Burke is getting better offers and may indeed pull the trigger after all. It has been widely speculated that Burke wants a top 6 forward plus, and one sorce stated last week that Burke was offered a top 6 forward and a 1st round pick. So why did Burke not pull the trigger? In my opinion, I believe Burke knows the offers are only going to get better and by holding off until the last possible day – next Sunday the 15th, Burke will be offered a deal he cannot refuse. We can only hope this is true. This storyline is all too familiar, and I think it is time the Leafs part ways with their longest serving Leaf and get some forward help that they so desperately need. We will continue to keep an eye out and update you on anything we hear in the coming week on this drama filled situation.

On another note, we are here almost in mid-august. Training camp is less than a month away. Any other year 90% of team’s rosters would be set, waiting for training camp to begin; but not this year. This year there are a bundle of impact UFA’s and RFA’s who have yet to be signed, not to mention the biggest fish of them all, Ilya Kovalchuk. This summer has definitely been a crazy one, and i expect these next few weeks to be busier than ever before. Some teams are over the cap or close to and need to drop salary, while others are not even at the cap floor and need to add salary in order to play a game this season. Lots of work needs to be done. Leafs wise, I still expect a bottom 6 forward to be added via free agency. The likes of Raffi Torres or Glen Metropolit are 2 targets the Leafs are after, and as time passes by, their price tag will continue to drop. The Leafs will be able to pick up a very good role player for a great price which can be crucial to the Leafs post-season hopes this upcoming season. I also think the Leafs are holding off because they do not know what is going to happen with the Kaberle situation. Depending on if he stays or goes will determine how many forwards we need to sign and how much cap space we will have left to do so. Stay tuned Leafs fans as this cloudy smoke screen is about to clear up fast, and we will finally get to see what team will be taking the ice this season.

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Over the last few years, the Leafs have been one of the most revamped and youth injected teams in the entire National Hockey League. This off-season was nothing but the same, as Brian Burke continued to rebuild this team into what he hopes will be a contender this season and beyond. In the past the Leafs have been known as an old experienced veteran lead team which usually got into the playoffs but never got things done. However in a cap induced world, GM’s can no longer sign who they want for whatever they want, therefore youth is a key component to success as we have seen the last few years in previous Stanley Cup Champions. Most recent winners – Chicago and Pittsburgh followed this model to a tee proving that success comes from building within.

With this in mind, Brian Burke has continued to drop the average age on this Maple Leaf team letting veteran players walk to the market, while acquiring and signing younger quality players such as Kris Versteeg and Colby Armstrong. If  32 year old Tomas Kaberle is dealt, which is expected, that only drops the average farther. This is not to say that older experienced leaders are lethal to a team, but with the direction the Leafs are going, it is best for them to part with the old and start with some youth.

Something that can be argued, but vastly agreed upon is that the Leafs have not only gotten younger, but better. The Leafs have bulked up at every position on the ice, and with their core young group of players developing each season, they will only get better as a team. Brian Burke will always be looking to improve this team, but one can understand that once you hit a certain point of satisfaction, the amount of change is surely going to decline. This is not a bad thing, because something called chemistry has great potential to develop. Chemistry is going to be key for the Leafs going forward, as we have seen between certain groups of players in the past few seasons (ie. Kessel & Bozak)

For this upcoming season, anyone knows that anything can happen, however predictions are made for a reason, and more likely than not come into fruition. For the purpose of this article, and after analyzing the progress the Leafs team has made over the course of a year, I believe the Leafs will contend for a playoff spot. I think the days of lottery picks and rebuilding is over as the Leafs have begun a new era and have changed almost all aspects of their team off and on the ice. They are young and only going to improve, so as each season goes on we can expect them to get better and better. This however is the first year of the rebirth which can only mean that things will be taken slow. The Leafs will not win the Stanley Cup this year (I pray to God I am wrong), but they most definitely will not be a lottery team either. Injuries and other factors will play a huge part in determining their final position, but aside from all that a 6th-8th place finish in the conference and playoff hockey is not out of the question… in fact it is highly possible, and if I were a betting man, look for the Leafs to turn a lot of heads this season.

The Leafs signed Lebda do a 2 year deal worth 2.9 million, equating to an average of 1.45 mil per season. For a Stanley Cup winner and NHL ready defenseman the price is right. I personally love this signing.

Lebda is only 28, meaning he is still fairly young and is surely in his prime years. Last season in Detroit he put up 8 points and 24 PIMs in 63 games played. Lebda is also known for his great skating ability and solid ‘stay at home’ play on the back end.

I think that Lebda is comparable to Jeff Finger, however Brett came in at 1.45 instead of 3.5. Also Lebda has a Stanley Cup ring and knows what playoff hockey is all about; something Finger is very unaware of. In my opinion Lebda will slot in the number 6 spot, and occasionally may sit to allow other defensive depth to get their shot on the Maple Leafs blue line this season. None the less, this signing is very solid and will prove beneficial to the Leafs’ team this upcoming campaign.

With Lebda in the mix the Leafs now with with 8 NHL ready defensemen. Dion Phaneuf, Francois Beauchemin, Tomas Kaberle, Mike Komisarek, Jeff Finger, Luke Schenn, Carl Gunnarsson, and newly acquired Brett Lebda are the eight. Defensive depth is very important as we’ve seen through playoff contending teams, however this much depth in my opinion is useless and GM Burke needs to translate some defence into offense if we are to contend this season. Burke is not stupid, and he is definitely seeing what I am seeing, therefore trade talks are surely on going, with defenseman Tomas Kaberle being heavily shopped. Kaberle is a d-man with the most trade value on this team, and with a pretty stacked blue line on paper, Kaberle becomes expendable, ultimately trying to lure in a top line winger or centerman to lead this team to the playoffs. It is only a matter of time before we see Kaberle in a new uniform. For the fans, and Tomas’ sake, hopefully its sooner rather than later.

This deal is a steal for the Leafs, considering Kulemin was originally looking for dollars in the 3-3.5 million range. To get him locked up for a couple years at that price is great value for a hard gritty winger who can also put the puck in the net. This deal saves us some valuable cap space to go out and use the rest via free agency or trade.

In other news Burke stated late last night that “they are not done” and they will continue to look at depth players through free agency and other top players via trade. Look for the Leafs to sign one of Raffi Torres, or Glen Metropolit in the next few days as they are under the Leafs radar for a bottom 6 role.

On the rumor front there is a rumor going around that the Leafs and Flyers are talking deal involving goltender JS. Giguere and Simon Gagne (who recently was asked to waive his no trade clause). As a Leaf fan we can only pray that this deal goes down, but surely there would have to be more to it, because as it stands it does not make much sense in regards to the Flyers.

Hold tight Leaf fans the frenzy is only starting, this summer will surely be an exciting one as Brian Burke continues to build the Leafs into a contender.

The Philadelphia Flyers are coming off a tremendous yet heart breaking season, making it all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals. Unfortunately the Flyers lost in 6 to a well-deserved Chicago Blackhawks team. In regards to the Flyers, to make it that far seemed very far fetched towards the end of the regular season. Making it into the playoffs on the last day of the year, and finishing as a 7th seed without a starting goaltender put them as early favorites for a first round exit. However, Philly kept on fighting. With outstanding play from young forwards Claude Girioux, and Ville Leino as well as work horse Chris Pronger on the back end playing over half a game, the Flyers trekked on in to the finals and put up a fight against one of the early favorites in the Blackhawks.

Coming into the off-season the Flyers do have a fairly stable core in order to be competitive again next season, however there are a bunch of decisions and moves that must be made in order to take them a step farther in making them cup champions. The Flyers seem to be set up front with a strong set of forwards, with the exception of Daniel Carcillo who is RFA and is surely to stay in Philly with a decent raise from last year.  1.5-2 million is not out of the question for the feisty agitator. Where problems start to arise for the Flyers is on the back end including both the blue line and in goal. Philly is going to be up close to the cap next season and with defencemen Braydon Coburn and Ryan Parent set to become RFAs, they will surely be in line for a hefty raise. Both could demand upwards of 3-3.5 million dollars. In goal is the biggest issue. The Flyers will have to decide weather to go into next season with the tandem of Brian Boucher and Michael Leighton (whom is UFA) or go the trade route or through free agency to find a more bonafide keeper. If it were up to me I do not think the Flyers should do what they did last year. In my opinion they got lucky with outstanding play by two goalies who were simply trying to prove themselves. With this in mind, some moves are to be made. Enter the Toronto Maple Leafs.

The Leafs do not have anything on the front end that would be of interest to the Flyers so I will not even cover any possible deals on that front. However the Flyers do have a plethora of forwards that may be available for trade if they can get help on the back end and get some salary relief. The most foreseeable option that makes the most sense would be defencemen Tomas Kaberle being dealt to the Flyers in exchange for one of their top 6 forwards plus. Kaberle has been rumored to Philly ever since the infamous Kaberle for Carter and a first (Luca Sbisa) deal that fell through almost 3 years ago. Oh how Leaf fans are heart broken on that one. To be honest I do not see the Flyers moving Carter for Kaberle unless they received some sort of prospect as well in return. The Leafs like Claude Giroux, however with the excellent show he put on in the playoffs, it will be tough to pry him out of Philadelphia. With that said, anything can happen and the most realistic scenerio would be a Kaberle for Giroux swap which benefits both teams. Kaberle with his attractive 4.25 million dollar salary would not put Philly in that big of a hole, and with some movement of other big contracts and some buyouts coming off their books, they may in well fact be able to get the deal done.

As attractive of it sounds, and as hopeful as I am I do not realistically see these teams being big trading partners this summer. Maybe a minor deal may go down, but the numbers vs. assets simply do not match aside from the one deal mentioned above. The draft is approaching with only 8 days away, therefore it is only a matter of time before we see what can transpire if anything between these two teams.

The Columbus Blue Jackets are coming off a very disappointing season finishing 4th last in the whole league. As a growing youth injected team this is not all that bad, however they have a variety of well experienced players who should have done better in getting the Blue Jackets into the playoffs. The Blue Jackets finished the year with 79 points which now equates to them having the 4th overall pick in a fairly deep and talented first round selection. In that slot the Jackets can potentially pick up a future stud on the blueline in Cam Fowler. With that said the Blue Jackets are going to have a plethora of quality youth that will not find playing time. Enter the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Do not get me wrong, the Leafs do not have a bundle of superstars that Columbus would be interested in, but we do have some more proven players that will surely help Columbus in reaching the playoffs this upcoming season. Columbus lacks most on the defensive end. Mike Commodore is “technically” their best and most payed defenceman. That alone is a huge problem. Yes they have some young d in Methot, Stralman, and Russell, but they are still years away in reaching full potential, not to mention they all are fairly large question marks.

Any deal involving the Leafs and Blue Jackets would be defensive help going to Columbus in exchange for offensive help (probably youth) going to Toronto. Burke is not interested in prospects that were just drafted, however players around the age of 21-24 who can step into the lineup and potentially be impact players is exactly what fits the bill.   3 players the Leafs would definitely have interest in are forwards Jakub Voracek, Derick Brassard, and Jared Boll. The question is whether the Leafs can provide a good enough package to lure one or 2 of these young players out of the Jackets lineup. Voracek is probably the best of the 3 being the youngest and showing the most potential, with Brassard close behind. Both would be top 6 forwards instantly, with potential of being top line guys in the very near future. Boll is a perfect 3rd line guy who is quite the agitator, however can also put up decent numbers. He is only 23 and looks to be getting better. He is definitely a Burke type player. Columbus on the other hand would have interest in a variety of Toronto’s blueliners such as Tomas Kaberle, Francois Beauchemin, or perhaps even Jeff Finger if the deal is right. One of the following forwards may be included in a deal as well: Nikolai Kulemin, Mikhail Grabovski, or Fredrik Sjostrom.

As things stand Columbus seems to be one of the top contenders for Kaberle‘s services. I can assure that Burke will be asking for Voracek in return, and if the deal were to get bigger expect a forward mentioned above from the Leafs heading to Columbus for a prospect/pick. Toronto and Columbus have the tools to get a deal done, which would surely help both teams in what they are trying to achieve.

As the draft approaches, look for Columbus/Toronto rumors to heat up. I cannot wait.

On a side note, the NHL buyout period opened today, so teams are now allowed to buy out players. The fun is beginning to start. Stay tuned.

Heading into this year’s off-season, the Ducks have many holes to fill, especially on the back end. Visnovsky and Eminger are the only two defencemen under contract for next year which means they have a lot of work to do in bolstering their blue line. James Wisniewski is an rfa and looks to be resigning, making it 3. Aging defencemen Scott Neidermayer may look towards retirement or a potential reunion with brother Rob on the East coast. A team with one of the best bluelines a few years ago (Pronger, Neidermayer, Beauchemin, Whitney, etc.) looks to be a thing of the past, as this year they may have the worst. That is unless they decide to make a trade.

Enter the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Leafs are one of the teams with the most depth on the blue line, and arguably good depth. Defenceman Tomas Kaberle, rumored to go almost anywhere these days is without a doubt a very good option for Anaheim if they want to contend for a playoff spot this up coming season. Kaberle would look great with newcomer Visnovsky on the number 1 powerplay unit, acting as Mr. tee up, dishing Lubomir one-timers all day like he did with McCabe back in the day.

In regards to the Leafs, Bobby Ryan is one of the League’s best up and coming young superstars. Drafted 2nd overall behind Sidney Crosby, Ryan is coming off his best campaign plotting 35 goals and 64 points in 81 games. The power power forward right winger is definitely on Brian Burke’s radar this summer, however it will take one hell of a package to lure him away from the Ducks team.

The Ducks do not have a plethora of good prospects so any deal involving Kaberle would be for roster players who can make an impact right away. The Ducks will also have a few holes in their forward lines with the ufa status of some key forwards including Saku Koivu and Teemu Selanne. Both may be contemplating retirement. The Ducks may also be in need of some offensive 2-way help. With contract talks at a halt with Leafs’ Nikolai Kulemin, Brian Burke may look to package Kules along with Kabby to get the return he wants… aka Bobby Ryan.

As a Leaf fan Id love to have Bobby Ryan on my team, and as far fetched as it sounds, it is actually a possibility. Burke has the tools to get a deal done. A package such as Kaberle, Kulemin, and a decent prospect such as Jimmy Hayes, or Phillipe Paradis should get the job done. In my opinion this deal works for both teams as it aids Anaheim desperately on the back end and also provides some excellent secondary scoring and 2-way ability by forward Kulemin. While on the other hand, the offensively challenged Leafs get a tough young power forward who can score, dish, dangle, and play the body on the Leafs’ first line this up coming season.

As the draft approaches, and the longer Ryan stays RFA we can expect the rumors to heat up. It is only a matter of time before we see what transpires and if Toronto and Anaheim can make a deal.

Over the course of last week news broke out that the Tampa Bay Lightning were looking for a new general manager. At the top of their list for potential candidates sat current senior vice president of hockey operations and general manager of the Toronto Marlies – Dave Nonis.

To the majority of Leafs Nation and the hockey world this news caused nothing more than a reaction of… so what? Whats the big deal if Nonis leaves? Its not like he actually does much anyways. These people could not be anymore wrong. We here at LeafsWire went into panic thinking what would happen if we were to lose Dave Nonis. People fail to realize that Nonis is just as important if not more than current GM Brian Burke.

Once news broke out late Monday evening that Nonis would be staying put in the Leafs organization through the 2011-2012 season I let out a giant sigh of relief. Tampa Bay on the other hand realized they lost their prime candidate and now has to move on to find another suitable representative for their vacant GM position.

Why was Nonis atop Tampa’s list people may ask? It is simply because Nonis is probably the hardest working man in all of NHL management. The amount of work he has done for the Leafs, Ducks, and Canucks has gone so unnoticed…almost like the time he went “incognito” to a Calgary Flames game this past season to scout Dion Phaneuf and other flames players. Wait what? Nonis didn’t actually do that did he? Why do they have scouts for? Thats right Nonis did in fact go to Calgary dressed as a fan to scout the Calgary Flames a few weeks before the shocking blockbuster deal that sent Phaneuf to Toronto. Is Nonis crazy for doing that? Not one bit, this is just one of the many examples that shows how important Nonis is to an organization and how hard he works to get what he wants.

Not only was Nonis the backbone to the blockbuster Calgary/Toronto trade this past January, but as surprising as it is, Nonis essentially has built this team from the ground up and has lead us in this positive direction we are currently heading in. Remember last July 1st, opening day of free agency? Burke was across the Atlantic fishing for some Swedish twins and a monster. But wait if Burke was busy in Sweden who dealt Kubina to Atlanta, and signed Komisarek, Orr, and Beauchemin? Thats right… Dave Nonis. Nonis was counted on numerous times in his short tenure with the Leafs to act as a GM. Not only did he step in, but he stepped in and did the job better than most would have been able to do so.

Another huge aspect to Nonis is the fact that people probably are unaware of the fact that he is the current GM of the Toronto Marlies. What does that mean exactly? Well he is in charge of our youth and growing pool of prospects. Over the last couple years the Leafs went from arguably the worst ranked team in terms of tops prospects to the top. LeafsWire isn’t the only one to think so, as Hockey’s Future (one of the top online sources for NHL organizational rankings) lists The Leafs in 6th spot, ahead of every other Canadian team. That is quite an accomplishment in such a short time, and a large part of that success should be awarded to Nonis who has either signed or played a large role in the signing of a bunch of young free agents.

All in all, Nonis is in my opinion the most underrated management figure in the whole NHL. For reasons listed above, and for even more unknowns, it is inevitable that Nonis is driven, intelligent, and determined to turn the Leafs into a Stanley Cup champion in the very near future. As long as Nonis is on board doing the dirty work, and big boss Burke approving the final decisions, this tandem is arguably the best in the NHL.

Leafs Nation… the future looks bright.

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Calgary has failed to get it done with their main core group of players over the last half decade. Maybe it is in fact time that they part ways with franchise player Iginla and go in a new direction. Iginla however does have a No Trade Clause and a hefty price tag which may put Calgary in a tough position to find a trade partner. Iginla has publicly stated though that if Calgary comes to him and tells him they do not see him as part of their future plans, he would seriously consider moving on.

In regards to the Leafs, Toronto has been looking for top 6 forwards feverishly. By acquiring a franchise player in Jarome Iginla the Leafs would have two proven goal scorers (the other being Kessel), and would actually have some scoring threat. Any deal that would involve Iginla would automatically include defencemen Tomas Kaberle. ESPN also reports the possibility of Mikhail Grabovski and other assets being involved as well. Both teams would want the salaries to approximately match up (totaling roughly 7 mil per team).

There is absolutely no indication that this deal is bound to happen. However ESPN is a reputable source and although it is speculation it makes you wonder. The Leafs and Flames have a vast history of being great trading partners, the Flames are looking for a shake up, the Leafs looking for scoring help. I ask why not? If this deal were to happen it would happen anytime between the draft and august 15 when Tomas Kaberle’s no trade clause is temporarily lifted. I can almost guarantee this will not be the last time we see this rumor as the draft approaches. It will surely be an interesting and exciting summer.

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