The Legacy of Sundin

It was a different hockey world when Mats Sundin made history.

His status as the first European ever selected No. 1 in the NHL draft back in 1989 was no small achievement, you should remember. Back then, Euros weren’t necessarily seen as players that could be trusted to be franchise players despite the success players like Jari Kurri had already experienced. The Iron Curtain had yet to fall, so players from Czechoslovakia and the Soviet Union were all but unreachable.

The year before, Teemu Selanne of Finland had been drafted 10th overall, the only European taken in the top 30. In the ’87 draft, every single player selected in the first round was a Canadian.

But in ’89, Sundin was still a slam dunk as the first pick. He was that much better than the rest of the world’s teenagers and he made history.

Twenty-years later, Sundin has hung ‘em up, a year too late, as it turns out. Had Sundin retired in the spring of 2008 as a Maple Leaf, the farewell would have been spectacular and his reputation would have been unsullied as one of the best Leafs of his generation.

Going to Vancouver for one unsuccessful half-season surely didn’t destroy Sundin’s legacy, but it did hurt it, made him appear interested only in cashing in one more time but unwilling to make the sacrifices necessary to compete in the world’s toughest hockey league.

As it turned out, he couldn’t compete any longer, just as Guy Lafleur wasn’t the same when he came back as a New York Ranger, and just as Theo Fleury couldn’t crack the Calgary Flames roster this spring.

Once you check out, it’s hard to check back in. And while Sundin didn’t check out in the summer of ’08, it seemed he was dragged back to the rink, persuaded to play one more season by advisors, friends and family. His heart never seemed to be in Vancouver, although as always he said the right things, and he made not the slightest difference to a Canucks team that fell to Chicago in the post-season.

But if you remember all the seasons before that, Sundin had one heck of a career, a terrific ride. A Hall of Fame experience.

He scored 564 goals and added 785 assists in the regular season, and added another 38 goals and 44 assists in 91 playoff games. He was remarkably consistent and durable. He was more explosive in his early years with Quebec, but after being dealt to the Leafs in one of the club’s most controversial deals that sent captain Wendel Clark to the Nordiques, Sundin gradually evolved into a reliable power centre, usually a point-per-game player, and one who developed into a solid playoff competitor after being questioned for his playoff grit in Quebec City. Strangely, the team never found the perfect fit for him as a linemate, and looking back over Sundin’s long career one sees a series of different players rather than one winger who was always there riding alongside the splendid Swede.

The absence of a Stanley Cup ring injures the resume, but only slightly. Sundin did, after all, win three world championship gold medals with Sweden and the 2006 Olympic gold as well, certainly team achievements that are worthy of being in the same conversation as winning the Cup. Some will slam Sundin for being unable to bring the Cup to Toronto, but on those teams, with those players, it’s worth asking: Who could have?

The debate over whether he was a great Leaf captain, or a pedestrian one, will go on for years. He wasn’t as fiery as Doug Gilmour, and was surely never particularly popular in Toronto, never as beloved as Clark, Gilmour, Curtis Joseph or Tie Domi. Insiders would tell you, however, that he always cared about his teammates and tried to do the right thing while working for an organization that could at best be described as flighty and easily distracted.

The other mark against his name by many Leaf fans will be his status as the leading member of the infamous Muskoka Five, the group of Leafs that included Darcy Tucker, Bryan McCabe, Pavel Kubina and Tomas Kaberle who collectively refused to waive their no-trade clauses in the winter of ’08 to allow interim GM Cliff Fletcher to trade them for draft picks and futures as the team stumbled through another non-playoff season.

Sundin insisted he believed the team could make the playoffs and didn’t want to join a Cup contender partway through the season, a claim undercut months later when he joined the Canucks in late December for the second half of the NHL season. In the end, it mattered little, for he couldn’t help the Canucks just as he wouldn’t have been able to help the Leafs. He was finished.

Five years from now, Sundin should be a first ballot Hall of Fame selection. But the Leafs shouldn’t wait that long to raise his No. 13 to the rafters of the Air Canada Centre. Next season, perhaps, would be perfect, just to make doubly sure he’s committed to retirement. The Leafs like to do these things in pairs, so put up former captain Rick Vaive’s No. 22 at the same time, an oversight that requires correction.

Both were outstanding Leafs and outstanding leaders. That no Leaf is currently viewed as worthy of wearing the captain’s “C” is, really, an indirect but significant tribute to both men.

It Could Happen

Somehow, the Maple Leafs will make the playoffs.

THE CANADIAN PRESS

Can Toronto turn pre-season success into a playoff berth?

There, I said it. Now it will almost certainly haunt me for the next seven months.

Maybe it’s just a change of pace after predicting non-playoff campaigns over and over in recent years.

But suggesting a Leaf playoff berth certainly isn’t about logic. There are gaping holes in this Toronto lineup that can’t be denied.

But you can bet on an improved sense of team identity to help Brian Burke’s Leafs, and let’s face it, the mediocrity of so many Eastern Conference teams leaves the door wide open for any club able to put together a 93-95 point season.

The most worrisome part of the club, however, is that it is distinctly average to below average down the middle. There isn’t a 60-point pivot on the squad and goaltending remains an enormous question mark.

As I said, picking the Leafs, then, can’t be about logic. It’s more about a feel.

Some thoughts as the pre-season (mercifully) ends:

-- If Vesa Toskala is doing anything but sharing the goaltending load this season, there’s trouble. At 32 coming off hip surgery and a so-so season, Toskala isn’t going to suddenly rival Martin Brodeur, Henrik Lundqvist and Tim Thomas in the east. Ray Emery maybe.

But if Jonas Gustavsson can play 35-40 games and be better in March than he is in October, there’s reason for hope in the Leaf crease, and hope the NHL’s worst defensive team from a year ago can move up to at least be in the top 20.

-- Those who believe the Leafs have all this excess blueline depth that Burke is going to be able to convert into an impact forward are living in a dream world.

Look folks, Ian White is still your No. 5 on defence. If you put Garnet Exelby, Jeff Finger and Mike Van Ryn on waivers today, only Exelby would likely go because of the prohibitive salaries of the other two.

There is no depth of significance here to trade. Tomas Kaberle is still the D-man to move, but now he’d have to waive his no-trade clause again.

-- The swing guy up front has to be John Mitchell, who apparently is now a left winger, not a centre. He loves to tease with his talent but his hockey sense is at times, well, peculiar, and he fades in and out. Mitchell could make a significant difference with this team, but that doesn’t mean he will.

-- Detroit has made a handsome living in recent years with late-blooming Swedes, and it's worth wondering whether the Leafs might have one of their own in Viktor Stalberg.

Not to compare Stalberg to the gifted Johan Franzen, but Franzen didn’t start making an impact until he was 27 years old. Stalberg is similarly sized and with a nose for pucks around the net like the one he re-directed out of mid-air on Saturday night.

That said, don’t be surprised if Stalberg also plays a little in the AHL as well this season.

-- The Leafs were a surprising 10th in NHL offence a year ago, but that was with both Nik Antropov and Dominic Moore having good seasons. They may have trouble keeping that pace up this season, but two players could have more of an impact as the season wears on than they will at the start.

The first, obviously, will be Phil Kessel, likely unavailable until mid-November. He can stretch a defence with his speed, although expectations of his production should be tempered by the fact he will have missed training camp and the first 15-20 games. If he can score between 15 and 20 goals for the Leafs this season, it will be a success.

The second player is Tyler Bozak. He may be with the Marlies by week’s end, but he’s going to play in the NHL this season. He’s somewhat reminiscent of Kyle Wellwood but bigger and, the Leafs hope, more responsible defensively.

-- The Leafs were criticized for acquiring veteran goalie Martin Gerber down the stretch last season because Gerber’s mostly solid play helped turn what might have been a pick in the top three selections in the entry draft into the No. 7 selection.

But maybe doing it the right way, trying to win games instead of tanking, won the Leafs points from the hockey gods as Nazem Kadri, the player drafted with that seventh overall pick, surely looks like a keeper.

But was it really necessary for Ron Wilson to label him a future NHL “superstar?” That tag will follow the kid around for years.

Don't Let the Door Hit You On the Way Out

The Boston Bruins, it seems, were determined to give Phil Kessel a swift kick in the drawers on his way out of The Hub.

He didn't want to play in Boston. He demanded a trade. He didn't train hard enough. He wouldn't backcheck. He hadn't forgiven the team for benching him during the 2008 playoffs. Claude Julien was mean to him. He was greedy. He was untruthful in denying ever asking for an exit visa out of town.

These were some of the grenades launched at Kessel over the weekend from Boston management after the trade that sent him from the Bruins to the Maple Leafs for two first round picks and a second.

Clearly, this was a trade Boston GM Peter Chiarelli didn't want to make but was forced into making by circumstance and the unrelenting pressure of Leafs GM Brian Burke. Burke's public acknowledgment that he had an offer sheet waiting for Kessel put a chill on the Kessel market that Chiarelli couldn't thaw. Teams like Minnesota and Nashville had interest in the speedy winger but weren't about to give up prospects and picks and then not be guaranteed to get the player.

So, after the trade, Chiarelli had to present the Bruins case in as positive a light as possible after initially refusing to make any comment at all on the day of the deal. His No. 1 priority was to make a strong argument that this trade wasn't about the Bruins being cheap and not wanting to pay Kessel, an accusation that was lobbed at the team for years.

Kessel, says Chiarelli, demanded a trade and wouldn't negotiate a contract, so that was that. Indications are that was indeed the situation, and Kessel's statement that he "never once" demanded a trade was really just semantics. Whether his agent made the demand or whether his unwillingness to talk contract was a passive aggressive strategy, it really doesn't matter now.

Clearly, Julien's coaching style was part of the issue, and so the most fascinating part of Kessel's career as a Leaf when it begins in two months or so will be how he and Ron Wilson are able to forge a working relationship. Wilson's a demanding coach, and he can be caustic and pointed in his public and private remarks when he feels it is warranted. San Jose officials make no bones about the fact they believe Wilson's riding of Patrick Marleau retarded Marleau's development.

Understand this. While Wilson and Burke are friends from years back, Burke now has more personal prestige invested in Kessel being successful than in Wilson, a coach Burke didn't hire. The Leaf GM will hope Wilson and Kessel get along very well, but it's a great deal more difficult to find top six forwards than head coaches.

Moreover, the three of them - Burke, Wilson and Kessel - may all be involved on the American entry in this winter's Olympics in Vancouver. They better all be able to work together.

Leafs New Minutes Man

Ron Wilson must have figured, "Why wait?"

He obviously intends to play the heck out of defenceman Francois Beauchemin this season, and that process started in the first exhibition game last night against Boston when Beauchemin received 26 minutes of ice time.

Even though the Leafs didn't dress Mike Komisarek, Tomas Kaberle or Luke Schenn, it's a trend likely to continue, with Beauchemin likely to become the club's new No. 1 defenceman in terms of ice time and responsibility.

Kaberle may have more flash, and Komisarek's an imposing figure. But Beauchemin, Leaf fans will learn, is probably the best two-way defencemen the Leafs have had on their roster since Dave Ellett. Just guessing at this point, but Beauchemin and Schenn seem destined to become the first lockdown Leaf defensive pair in a long, long time, a tandem that can be put out in the final minutes of a period or a game to protect a one-goal lead.

Kaberle and Bryan McCabe could attack. But defend when it mattered? Never a strength.

Beauchemin, 29, can also handle power play duties, one of the reasons Hockey Canada saw fit to invite him to the Olympic team's training camp last month in Calgary.

Over the past three seasons in Anaheim, with Scott Niedermayer and Chris Pronger hogging all the ice time. Beauchemin still averaged more than 25 minutes per game. When the Ducks won the Cup in '07, Beauchemin actually led all Anaheim players in ice time, averaging 30:33 per game in the playoffs while playing an extraordinary 632 shifts in 20 games.

He's not particularly big, but he's tough. He plays with his head up and is obviously fit after being criticized for carrying extra pounds earlier in his career, one of the reasons Columbus let him go to Anaheim in a trade.

There's a little bit of Wendel Clark in Beauchemin, a little bit of the farmer mentality. His father-in-law, incidentally, does run a farm near Sorel, Quebec, and when Beauchemin played in Hamilton several years ago for the AHL Bulldogs, he preferred to live way out in Jerseyville, Ont. in a farming atmosphere.

Others may get more ink on this Leaf team. But if its going to be successful, the quiet, no-nonsense Beauchemin will be the linchpin on the blueline, sucking up all kinds of important minutes.

Looking for Leadership

STEVE RUSSELL/TORONTO STAR

"Big Blue" seeks leader. But there are no candidates on board right now.

Tomas Kaberle may be coming back to at least start the season with the Maple Leafs, but despite speculation in some corners, it won't be to become the next Leaf captain.

Ditto for newcomers Mike Komisarek and Francois Beauchemin. In fact, GM Brian Burke is setting the bar awfully high in terms of finding the player who will next wear the "C" in Toronto, making it a virtual certainty the club will again not have a captain this season.

"Look, we're Big Blue," he said yesterday. "We're not naming a captain until we have someone who can rank with the captains that have come before."

And we're not talking Rob Ramage quality players. Ramage ended the last captain-less period in Leaf history (1987-89) by succeeding Rick Vaive, but clearly Burke is looking for something more along the lines of Ted (Teeder) Kennedy, who was Leaf captain from 1948-55 and again in 1956-57 and passed away last week.

Its going to take a while to find such a player.

Interestingly, the search for leadership with Toronto is the same process Burke is beginning with the United States Olympic program today on the ice at the Seven Bridges Ice Arena in Woodbridge, Illinois. Burke is to the U.S. what Steve Yzerman is to Canada, but while the 2010 Canadian team is widely regarded as Sidney Crosby's team, these Olympics are a transition year for the Americans from the generation of stars that included Chris Chelios, Jeremy Roenick, Tony Amonte, Brian Leetch and Bill Guerin. Only Mike Modano - who coincidentally, ripped USA Hockey at the conclusion of the Torino Olympics, remains.

"We had some real warriors represent us for a generation," said Burke yesterday from the U.S. camp. "This is a new generation, and we'll have to see which guys emerge in the leadership role."

Zach Parise looks like an obvious candidate, as does L.A. Kings captain Dustin Brown.

Before that happens, the Americans will begin their 34-man orientation session today by dealing with a controversy, just as Team Canada will have to deal with the Dany Heatley issue next Monday in Calgary.

For the U.S., the status of Chicago Blackhawks forward Patrick Kane will obviously attract media inquiries after Kane and his cousin were charged with assaulting a cab driver in Buffalo last week. The plan is for Kane and Burke to address the issue today - they won't have much to say - and then ban all further questions.

Will Canada do the same with Heatley? The Ottawa forward has steadfastedly refused to shed much light on his situation after first demanding a trade earlier this summer, then using his trade veto to block a move to Edmonton.

Is it the job of Yzerman, Mike Babcock and Canadian Olympic organizers to protect Heatley at the team's camp next week, or should Heatley be forced to fend for himself given that he created the mess himself?

I say let the man explain himself. But no doubt it will be the story of the Canadian camp next week.

Leafs Add to Front Office

More than 30 years ago, when Dave Poulin was skating for the Dixie Beehives junior club in Mississauga, he couldn’t get a single NHL team interested in drafting him.

Today, he’s found a new home with one of the league’s most historic clubs.

The Star has learned that Poulin, 50, will be announced at 10 a.m. today as the new vice-president of player development for the Maple Leafs, essentially moving into the third slot in the Leaf executive lineup behind president/GM Brian Burke and his right-hand man, Dave Nonis.

Poulin fills a hole in the Leafs front office left by the departure of Joe Nieuwendyk earlier in the summer to become GM of the Dallas Stars. Burke has repeatedly said he expects Nonis will be scooped up by another NHL team as a GM next summer, so the hiring of Poulin fills a need for a succession plan.

A native of Timmins, Poulin eventually parlayed a scholarship at the University of Notre Dame into a tryout with the Philadelphia Flyers after a brief stint in Sweden. It was one of the best signings the Flyers ever made, as Poulin went on to captain the club and won the Selke Trophy as the NHL’s top defensive forward in 1987. In all, he played 13 years in the NHL as an industrious, checking centre, including playing for Boston and Washington.

After retirement, he ran the Fighting Irish hockey program for a decade, and in recent years has split time working for a headhunting firm in Chicago and doing part-time scouting work for the Anaheim Ducks.

Monster Update: No Decision Yet, But Field May Be Thinning

LONDON - Brian Burke may continue to push, but The Monster hasn't decided yet.

In fact, agent Joe Resnick said today that Swedish free agent goalie Jonas Gustavsson's situation hasn't changed after meeting with Burke yesterday in Stockholm.

"No, no change," said Resnick. "It's really up to Jonas now. I can't make a decision for him."

The earliest Gustavsson will decide is tomorrow, but it could still drag on into next week. The Colorado Avalanche have already effectively dropped out by getting incumbent Peter Budaj and free agent Craig Anderson under contract.

The Leafs are likely to hang in there, and its not clear whether San Jose or Dallas may yet choose to head in a different direction for goalkeeping help.

One More Try

LONDON

Brian Burke will make one more attempt to capture The Monster.

The Maple Leafs GM, fresh of signing Colton Orr and Mike Komisarek as free agents yesterday and making a deal with Atlanta to send Pavel Kubina to the Thrashers in exchange for Garnet Exelby, is meeting with Swedish free agent goalie Jonas (The Monster) Gustavsson today in Stockholm.

With offers in from Dallas, San Jose and Colorado, as well as the Leafs, Gustavsson has been struggling to make a decision as to which of the four will be his first NHL club. He has to sign a one-year entry level salary at the same money with any of the clubs, but he's really looking at a three- to four-year commitment given that he wouldn't be unrestricted again next summer.

Burke has pursued the 24-year-old netminder hard, travelling once to the world championships in Switzerland to meet with him, and then again in a previous trip to Sweden. 

The Leaf GM is in Sweden after taking a trip late Tuesday in hopes of making a face-to-face offer with the Sedin twins or Matthias Ohlund, all of whom had signed with other clubs by the time he landed.

Other free agents on the Leaf radar screen today, with Chris Neil having turned them down to re-sign in Ottawa, are Columbus centre Manny Malhotra and Anaheim blueliner Francois Beauchemin. It's also possible talks have been revived between the Leafs and Bruins over a possible Tomas Kaberle-for-Phil Kessel trade.

Plane in Vain

LONDON

The Maple Leafs have signed free agent defenceman Mike Komisarek away from their ancient rivals, the Montreal Canadiens.

Komisarek decided late Tuesday that he wouldn't accept the final offer from the Habs and instead would test the unrestricted free agent waters.

After speculation suggested he was leaning towards the New York Islanders, the American-born blueliner instead inked a five-year deal with the Leafs at $4.5 million per season

The signing cleared the way for the completion of a trade, first reported by The Star, that sends Pavel Kubina and the rights to Tim Stapleton to the Atlanta Thrashers, for hard-hitting defenceman Garnet Exelby and youngster Colin Stuart.

The Leafs have also made an offer to winger Chris Neil. Another target, Mike Cammalleri, has signed with Montreal.

Komisarek was voted to the stating lineup for the Eastern Conference in this year's all-star game, but suffered through an inconsistent season after injuring his shoulder in an early season fight with Boston's Milan Lucic.

He's also expected to be part of the U.S. Olympic squad next winter in January, a team organized by Leaf GM Brian Burke and coached by Leaf bench boss Ron Wilson.

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Brian Burke got over the disappointment of losing the Sedins without even being able to make a bid in a hurry.

The Maple Leafs GM has signed enforcer Colton Orr to a four-year, $4 million contact and has traded defenceman Pavel Kubina to Atlanta, a deal that should free up about $3 million in cap space, The Star has learned. (Update: A trade call is scheduled on the trade, and details over what the Leafs are getting in return have yet to become clear as of 4:45 EST. The deal is still expected to happen, but after the Phil Kessel-for-Tomas Kaberle swap didn't end up materializing on the weekend, no trade is a trade until it actually occurs.)

REUTERS FILE PHOTO

Burke couldn't pull off a twin bill like he did at the 1999 draft.

The Leafs also are negotiating a possible deal with Ottawa free agent winger Chris Neil - more muscle - and are planning a meeting with Toronto-born winger Mike Cammalleri, a 39-goal scorer with Calgary last season.

And to think it's all happening from Sweden.

Burke, you see, flew overnight from Boston to Frankfurt and then on to Stockholm today with bold, ambitious plans to make a face-to-face offer to Henrik and Daniel Sedin today in Sweden but was thwarted in the final minutes before the free agent season opened when the identical Swedish twins signed new five-year deals averaging $6.1 million per season just before noon EST with the Vancouver Canucks.

When Burke's flight hit the tarmac in Stockholm, he got that bad news, and found that defenceman Mattias Ohlund, another potential free agent target, had signed with Tampa Bay.

Armed with lots of MLSE money and acres of precious salary cap space, Burke targeted the 28-year-old identical twins – Henrik is six minutes older than Daniel – as his No. 1 free agency priority. All signs suggested the Sedins would try free agency, but a last ditch offer by Vancouver GM Mike Gillis on Monday apparently was enough to meet their demands.

The Leafs probably would have been willing to go higher on salary, perhaps as high as $7 million per twin, but the talented brothers clearly wanted to stay on the west coast and opted not to entertain other offers. Burke would not have been able to make any overtures to the twins before noon EST.

With defenceman Jay Bouwmeester (six years, $33 million from Calgary) and the Sedins now off the market, the NHL free agent market has been robbed of its star power before it even opened.

It's the second time the Leafs have missed out on Ohlund. They tried to sign him to a restricted free agent offer sheet in 1997, but the Canucks matched the offer. Tampa GM Brian Lawton is clearly looking at Ohlund as a potential mentor for newly drafted Swedish blueliner Victor Hedman, acquired with the second pick in Friday’s NHL draft.

The Leaf GM, meanwhile, could now use the trip to take another shot at convincing Swedish free agent goalie Jonas Gustavsson, who is at home in Sweden right now, to join the Leafs.

“That is going to be an exercise in persistence,” said Burke, who has made two trips to Europe in the past three months to try and convince Gustavsson to pick the Leafs over the Stars, Avalanche and Sharks.

Leaf management had thought that if the Sedins could be signed along with some less expensive depth for the rest of the roster, the Stanley Cup playoffs would be achievable next season.

Burke had clearly hoped his previous relationship with the Sedins – he performed draft day gymnastics to land them for the Canucks in 1999 – would make a difference when it came to luring them as free agents, but he never got the chance to bid on them.

It’s the second round of frustration for Burke in less than a week. He tried mightily to land John Tavares in the NHL draft last weekend but couldn’t convince any of the top teams to part with their picks. He also thought he had a trade in place with Boston that would have brought winger Phil Kessel to the Leafs for Tomas Kaberle in a package deal, but that fell apart.

Burke's biggest successes so far during his seven months as Leaf GM have been the signing of two U.S. college free agents, Christian Hanson and Tyler Bozak.

So Many Possibilities

THE CANADIAN PRESS FILE PHOTO

Leafs could make a double-splash tomorrow if the Sedin twins are on the market.

Having been absurdly slammed in some quarters for being too vocal prior to the draft - yes, by all means let us not encourage newsmakers to speak freely - Brian Burke has gone quiet the past two days.

Don't worry. He'll reappear tomorrow. In fact, if there are still a pair of Swedish identical twins available named Henrik and Daniel on the first day of free agency, there's a chance for Burke to make the biggest splash of his short tenure in Toronto.

The Sedins are target No. 1, and the Leafs are unlikely to do too much, or anything that would eliminate them from bidding for Rick Nash next summer if he gets to unrestricted free agency. Otherwise, precisely how Burke will spring into action is unclear, and for several reasons.

First, he's still waiting to hear from Swedish free agent goalie Jonas Gustavsson, which is why he had to cover himself by giving Justin Pogge a qualifying offer. Gustavsson won't be making his decision by tomorrow, it appears, and is back in Sweden overwhelmed by the decision and still grieving over the death of his mother two several weeks ago. With no parents left and no siblings, he's finding it understandably difficult to grapple with this very complex choice.

But the Leafs aren't going away on this one.

AP FILE PHOTO

If Toronto can't land the Sedins, look for them to take a run at Mike Cammalleri, a 39 goal scorer last year.

You can assume that if Gustavsson does eventually sign with Toronto, Burke has promised Pogge he'll find him a new home somewhere. That's Burke's style.

Second, It's not entirely clear which players will actually be available - hey, 44-year-old Ed Belfour wants to make a comeback - with many clubs going down to the final hours still trying to sign key athletes. Bill Guerin signed with Pittsburgh yesterday, and Rob Blake re-signed in San Jose today. So the situation is fluid.

Third, it's one thing to have a wish list and quite another to be willing to confront the financial demands of top players.

In general, Burke isn't keen on bidding wars or setting a price that other teams can top. Instead, his usual strategy is to huddle with his key advisers, set a target salary and then a number he won't go beyond. Last summer with the Ducks, for example, he ballparked $2 million a year for defenceman Jeff Finger and decided he would go no higher than $2.5 million per. The Leafs, of course, got Finger for the astronomical number of $3.5 million a season.

Dave Nonis, Burke's right hand man, is the governor on the engine here. He's determined not to let the Leafs get into a salary cap jackpot or to overpay for individual players.

That said, there is help for the Leafs out there in four areas:

1. DEFENCE.

The Leafs would love to think Jay Bouwmeester, if still unsigned, would consider them, but no one believes that to be likely. Moreover, the Leafs probably don't want to get into the $7 million a year range for a player who has really accomplished little in his NHL career because of his situation.

Their fall back positions included Anaheim's Francois Beauchemin, underrated and tough, and Montreal's Mike Komisarek, if he doesn't re-sign with the Habs. Those two players, however, could turn out to be this year's Finger, meaning the bidding could get goofy.

Vancouver's Mattias Ohlund, a long-time Burke favourite, is very much on the radar screen.

2. SKILL FORWARDS

The Sedins twins will get an offer from the Leafs if Canucks GM Mike Gillis can't get them to agree to new contracts. The Leafs are probably willing to hit the salary target unless it goes over $7 million per, but they would be likely unwilling to do anything longer than six years per twin.

Understand, the Leafs would love to rip these twins out of the hands of the Canucks, for hockey reasons first and foremost. But you can bet Nonis hasn't forgot having Gillis do an end-around to get his job in Vancouver.

The fall back position would be Calgary's Mike Cammalleri, a 39-goal scorer. Diminutive New Jersey winger Brian Gionta is another possibility here.

3. CHECKERS/GRINDERS

The Leafs want to become harder to play against, but that doesn't mean just muscle. Burke likes edgy, fast third and four liners like two players he had in Anaheim, Sami Pahlsson and Todd Marchant. Both interestingly, are available.

Local lad Manny Malhotra would be a good fit, a player who was drafted originally as a skill forward but has redefined himself in Columbus as a hard-nosed checking centre who can still score a little bit. He was skilled enough to play with Nash and Kristian Huselius for chunks of last year.

AP FILE PHOTO

Rangers tough guy Colton Orr could be high on Leafs' wish list.

Marchant could fit. while Pahlsson might not because Burke is well aware of his injury history. Domenic Moore might be another option.

4. MUSCLE

You've got to believe Burke is going to make a pitch for tough guy Colton Orr of the Rangers, the only bonafide enforcer out there who can play. He's 27 and made only $550,000 last season, and the Rangers rejected a three-year, $1 million per season offer from Orr's camp. He can play a regular shift, and in fact was used extensively by ex-Rangers coach Tom Renney in a checking role against top-end opposing forwards.

The fall back position here would be Buffalo's Andrew Peters or ex-Senator Brian McGrattan. There's also Ottawa's Chris Neil, although he's more of a middleweight compared to Orr, one of the toughest fighters in the league, and would be more secondary toughness.