Quietly, Toronto Maple Leafs general manager is righting the wrongs that he made in off-seasons past. Gone is veteran defenseman Francois Beauchemin, as is speedy forward Kris Versteeg, with a real possibility of more changes to come. At Monday nights press conference Burke announced that the Maple Leafs would receive the Philadelphia Flyers first and third round draft choice in 2011 in return for Versteeg. Along with that announcement Burke stated that he already had the Flyers third round draft choice in play in hopes of landing another forward to help fill the void left by Versteeg. When you look at next years payroll the Maple Leafs have a total of 12 players under contract at a cap hit of $35,170,000. That leaves Burke with $24,230,000 with which to sign ten players, one of which must be a top six forward,

The Time for Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Brian Burke to trade Tomas Kaberle was never better than last summer. Void of his no-trade clause, Kaberle was susceptible  to a move but Burke failed to pull the trigger on a deal, suggesting the returns being offered up by opposing GM’s were underwhelming. Given the lack of interest in Kaberle from NHL circles, Burke happily held onto Kaberle, where he has watched his veteran defenseman have an ordinary season on a team that has once again fallen short of expectations. Even with Kaberle struggling at times this season, in a league with few defenseman that can play upwards of 25 minutes per night, make a terrific outlet pass, run the power play and play with poise, Kaberle is expected to be sought after by several NHL teams. The Boston Bruins, New

Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Brian Burke has traded veteran defenseman Francois Beauchemin to the Anaheim Ducks in return for a package that includes forward Joffrey Lupul, defensive prospect Jake Gardiner and a conditional fourth round draft pick in 2013. For Anaheim, they get a player that they are familiar with—a veteran Defenseman that can step into the lineup and give their team upwards of 25 minutes per game if need be. Criticized for giving away the puck too often and looking slow on occasion, Beauchemin registered two goals and 12 points through 54 games with the Maple Leafs this season, while posting a respectable minus four rating on a team that has struggled to keep the puck out of the net. Beauchemin has one year left on his contract which carries a cap hit of $3,800,000. Anaheim fans remember

When the 2010-11 season began, there was hope that the Toronto Maple Leafs would make the playoffs for the first time in what seems like a decade. Failing that, many Maple Leaf fans held out hope that general manager Brian Burke would be able to bolster the lineup with a unrestricted free agent or two up front this summer, which, at this point, doesn’t seem like a smart option. Dallas Stars centre Brad Richards has always been the apple of the Leafs Nation eyes, but with the Stars looking like a playoff team and Richards’ contributions being a big reason for that, it is looking more and more like Richards will re-sign in Dallas. Alexander Semin garnered some interest from some fans, but he recently signed a one-year $6.7 million deal with the Washington Capitals, stifling any delusions the Leafs

It wasn’t supposed to be this way. Fifty games into the 2010-11 season, Brian Burke was supposed to know who his goaltender of the future was going to be. Given the lack of results or lack of experience from his three most talented goaltenders, Burke is still unsure which way to turn. On the one hand, it would seem beneficial for Burke to turn his back on J.S. Giguere, trading the veteran goaltender to a playoff contender or allowing Giguere to escape Toronto this summer via free agency. On the other hand, if Giguere leaves, who could possibly step up in his absence? When Burke brought in Swedish goaltending sensation Jonas Gustavsson he touted the youngster as “the best goalie not playing in the NHL”. Unfortunately for Burke, through 65 career NHL games, Gustavsson has posted a 22-28-11 record with

Fresh off  a 7-0 loss to the New York Rangers on Wednesday night, the Toronto Maple Leafs pulled a 180 degree turn, thumping the Anaheim Ducks by a final score of 5-2 in Toronto Thursday night. The Maple Leafs will salvage some respect in bouncing back so well, but the teams penchant for Jeckyl and Hide results has the Leafs Nation and team management wondering just what they have at the end of the day? Numerous players have shown flashes of brilliance, followed by lengthy cold spells, while others have proven to be better than expected. Case in point, a year ago just about every Maple Leaf fan was willing to sell off Mikhail Grabovski for a case of Budweiser and a bowl of pretzels. Now, given his strong performance on the season in which he has already amassed 35