Sundin stall stiffs Cliff

With Mats Sundin likely making all his suitors wait beyond tonight's midnight free-agent deadline, the Maple Leafs will move ahead and concentrate rebuilding efforts on trades and a lesser-known group of free agents in their late 20s.

General manager Cliff Fletcher will keep the porch light on one more night for Sundin, but likes neither of the options left for him by his indecisive captain. If he waits for Sundin's inner Leaf to emerge later this week, he loses out on first- and second-tier National Hockey League free agents. If he tries to replace him, he will risk overpaying in a seller's market for a limited number of impact centres.

"I haven't got the sense entirely that Mats (won't be a Leaf)," Fletcher said last night. "But you have to make other plans."

He had tried to prod Sundin by giving the Montreal Canadiens exclusive rights to negotiate a trade before tonight, a move that would have given the Leafs some kind of return if Sundin signed. But Sundin's agent, J.P. Barry, e-mailed the Montreal media last night to tell them Sundin hadn't made up his mind about playing at all, trying not to offend GM Bob Gainey's efforts to sell the Swede on the division champion Habs.

One report said Gainey was prepared to go as high as two years at $8 million US a season. But Gainey will look elsewhere after 12:01 a.m. tomorrow, while the Leafs' war room plots its own post-Mats strategy.

The Tampa Bay Lightning made some proactive moves late last week to boost their chances, trading with the Pittsburgh Penguins to land the rights to Ryan Malone (signed last night to a $31.5-million, seven-year contract) and Gary Roberts.

GETTING LATE

"It's a little late in the game before July 1 for us to get involved in something such as that," Fletcher said.

Wingers Jaromir Jagr, Marian Hossa, Markus Naslund and defenceman Brian Campbell are tomorrow's UFA headliners.

The priority for the Leafs is finding a No. 1 centre, unless they plan to move Nik Antropov over and surround him with star wingers or give a heck of a promotion to Matt Stajan.

"The number of top first- and second-line guys at that position is very limited this year," Fletcher said. "But it doesn't mean you can't look at fixing it through other ways."

He meant a trade, but the Leafs couldn't get anything in the days leading up to buying out Darcy Tucker and Andrew Raycroft, and cutting Kyle Wellwood.

As of today, Fletcher's biggest bargaining chip, defenceman Bryan McCabe, would immediately invoke his no-movement clause, even though the Leafs are trying every civil way of convincing him to start anew elsewhere.

Failing a trade, Fletcher will go back to a second group of free agents for help on forward, defence and backup goaltending.

Money won't be such a hindrance in those cases with the Leafs having around $15 million to spend towards the cap, but the problem then becomes selling new players on the Leafs, with no Sundin, poor playoff chances and the only guarantee being lots of grief from fans and media ready to flip the calendar to 42 years since a Stanley Cup.

"You go after the players who want longer deals, who are big on being part of the rebuilding here," Fletcher said.

Fletcher denies he's bullying McCabe into accepting trade

TORONTO - Cliff Fletcher may no longer be viewed as a lovable grandpa because of his decisive personnel moves recently, but he says he is not a bully.

The 72-year-old Toronto Maple Leafs general manager granted the Montreal Canadiens exclusive rights to negotiate with long-time captain Mats Sundin and bought out beloved forward Darcy Tucker. But Friday he denied he has played hardball to force defenceman Bryan McCabe into accepting a trade.

"We don't threaten people," he said in a phone interview from a rented cottage, where he and his wife are enjoying some rare down time.

What Fletcher said the Leafs have done is ask McCabe if he would be willing to waive his no-trade clause. Reportedly, the defenceman refused and his agent suggested Toronto should buy him out of the remaining years of his contract.

Fletcher said that is not an option, though.

In order for both parties to sever ties, the Leafs would have to pay McCabe two-thirds of what he is owed - almost $3 million US per season - plus a reported $2-million US_bonus due on Sept. 15. Having already bought out Tucker on Wednesday and goaltender Andrew Raycroft on Thursday, Toronto would prefer not to absorb any more buyout money under the salary cap.

But Fletcher refuted that he would make Toronto an unfriendly place for McCabe.

At least one report has suggested Toronto might prevent him from participating in training camp or would simply keep him out of the lineup.

Such tactics could be grounds for filing a grievance against the Leafs.

"There's just so much speculation as to what may or may not happen," said Fletcher, who added he is no longer shopping McCabe around. "Bryan told us he would not accept a trade and that's where we stand."

Fletcher said he was unsure whether McCabe would be in the Leafs lineup when the regular season begins.

"I can't answer that right now," he said. "He's under contract. Ask me that on Labour Day."

Former general manager John Ferguson signed McCabe to a five-year, $28.75-million US contract after the defenceman scored a career-high 19 goals and 68 points in 2005-06. But the 33-year-old, who represented Canada in the 2006 Olympics, has since failed to replicate those offensive numbers, which helped cushion some of his defensive liabilities.

McCabe scored 15 goals in 2006-07 and managed only five in 54 games last season. He also tied for third in the league with 104 giveaways two years ago. That did not include the time he accidentally scored a game-winning goal on his own net last October.

Fans at Air Canada Centre, who have expected more out of McCabe since he signed his rich deal, were particularly nasty after that incident. But some still value his big shot from the point.

But if McCabe cannot be moved, the team would likely try and trade the Czech-born defenceman Pavel Kubina, who can be traded without his permission until Aug. 15.

"There's going to be a lot of changes," Fletcher said. "At the end of the day, we have to improve this hockey team."

National Post

mtraikos@nationalpost.com

Leafs put Raycroft on unconditional waivers

Goaltender Andrew Raycroft has been put on unconditional waivers by the Toronto Maple Leafs.

The final year of his contract will be bought out by the NHL team.

"Growing up in Ontario, Andrew wishes he would have been able to leave on a more positive note," his agent Jordan Neumann told TSN on Friday. "He's a year away from winning 37 games - it's not like he woke up one morning and forgot how to play. He looks forward to his next opportunity and a new challenge."

Raycroft's two seasons in Toronto were shaky, although in his first year with the club in 2006-07, he set a franchise record for wins with 37, but he also lost 25 games.

Last season he was replaced by Vesa Toskala as the Leafs' No. 1 netminder and appeared in only 19 games. Raycroft, 28, had a 2-9-5 record, 3.92 goals-against average and .876 save percentage.

He was acquired from the Boston Bruins for goalie Tuukka Rask just prior to the 2006-07 season.

Meantime, the Florida Panthers announced Friday that they have bought out the remaining one year on the contract of centre Jozef Stumpel. Stumpel, 35, appeared in 52 games for the Panthers last season, scoring seven goals and 13 assists. In three seasons with Florida, Stumpel played in 199 games scoring 129 points (45-84-129).

Leafs' Fletcher seeking free agent with right qualities

Young. Hard working. And oozing with character.

That is the criteria Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Cliff Fletcher plans on using to identify talent when the free agency period begins on July 1.

Last summer, former GM John Ferguson spent US$20-million on 34-year-old Jason Blake. This time around, Toronto is not looking for short-term solutions to fix the hockey club.

Instead, a rebuilding Leafs team is more interested in finding affordable, blue-collar personnel who can provide leadership to what promises to be an inexperienced hockey club.

"We're not looking to bring on players who are 31, 32 or 33 years of age," said Fletcher. "But there's going to be some unrestricted players who are in the 27, 28 or 29 age bracket who, three years from now, when we've hopefully got a good hockey team, can still be a big part of it."

The Leafs have the resources and roster room to be active on the free-agent market.

Last week, Fletcher granted the Montreal Canadiens the exclusive rights to negotiate with Mats Sundin. He then bought out Darcy Tucker's contract on Tuesday and placed Kyle Wellwood and Andrew Raycroft on waivers. Wellwood was claimed by Vancouver yesterday.

The potential exodus of four roster players will result in a little more than US$10-million in savings, although goaltender Vesa Toskala's salary will jump from US$1.375-million to US$4-million and restricted free-agent forward Matt Stajan could be looking at an increase from the US$1-million he made last season.

With the salary cap expected to increase nearly US$6-million, the Leafs could have the finances to be in play for one of the few marquee free agents available.

But rather than try and replace Sundin's offence with a top-end forward such as Pittsburgh's Marian Hossa, the team seems more interested in hard-nosed grinders like Ryan Malone or Jarkko Ruutu.

"We need quality young players," he said. "We'll be looking for a couple of players to fit in on the bottom two lines. And then we'll be looking at the possibility of getting one top-six forward, which may or may not be available to us. We could also be looking at getting a couple of defencemen."

Though there are some enticing restricted free agents available -- Anaheim's Corey Perry, Colorado's Marek Svatos and Philadelphia's Jeff Carter -- most would cost the Leafs multiple first-round draft picks.

"We can't afford to give away draft picks like that," Fletcher said." We have to build up a reservoir of young talent that finds its way to the NHL."

That reservoir deepened when Toronto selected Luke Schenn fifth overall last week's entry draft.

The Leafs believe the NHL-ready defenceman and 21-year-old Russian prospect Nikolai Kulemin (drafted 44th overall in 2006) have a legitimate chance at cracking the team's roster. Even if they do not, Toronto promises to ice a youth-heavy team this season.

Forward Jiri Tlusty, defenceman Anton Stralman and six other potential Leafs -- Stajan, Alex Steen, Jeremy Williams, Kris Newbury, Carlo Colaiacovo, Ian White -- are 26 years old or younger.

That was part of Fletcher's reasoning behind the trade with St. Louis for veteran forward Jamal Mayers.

"[Mayers] can still play at a high level, he has good speed, and if you're going to have eight, nine or 10 players in your dressing room that are 25 or under, you need that type of leadership."

Leafs won't just sit back and watch

Maple Leafs GM Cliff Fletcher promised yesterday to be busy July 1 in pursuing free agents. Fletcher said he's going after younger players, eyeing unrestricted free agents under 30, as he tries to remake the team into a contender.

"We're not going to be in the bidding for older players, anybody 31, 32, that age bracket," said Fletcher. "We're more interested in free agents, 27, 28, 29, who legitimately - if we have a team that can compete three years from now - will still be a big part of it."

Fletcher didn't give away any names, but there are a few unrestricted free agents who fit his description. Among those:

Left winger Ryan Malone, 28, who had a breakout season with the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Agitator Sean Avery, 28, of the New York Rangers, a Pickering native who claims to hate the Leafs.

Left winger Antti Miettinen, 27, a solid performer for the Dallas Stars.

Defenceman Brian Campbell, 29, a puck-moving defenceman of the San Jose Sharks who is sure to command top dollar.

Defenceman Brad Stuart, 28, an under-the-radar performer for the Detroit Red Wings, until they won the Stanley Cup.

More than a few restricted free agents fit the bill, too, like Philadelphia's Jeff Carter. But Fletcher said it would cost the Leafs too much in terms of compensatory draft picks to pursue the solid crop of restricted free agents.

"In our situation, to go for the top ones (RFAs) doesn't make any sense at all," said Fletcher. "We're not in a position to give up three and four first-round draft picks. We're building for the future, and we can't afford that luxury."

The Toronto Star

Shedding Tucker's contract shouldn't be the last step

There's one enormous question lingering in the wake of the buyout of Darcy Tucker.

Why?

Not that there can't be a meaningful rationale behind the decision to send Tucker, designated a core athlete by the Maple Leafs just 12 months ago, packing with $6 million in his jeans, $3 million in salary lost and new opportunities should he choose to pursue them.

But was he that bad?

He wasn't overly expensive at $3 million a year, particularly for a club that may be well below the salary cap next season. He'd had one bad season, yes, but that had come on the heels of several good ones. It infuriated him to be compared to Tie Domi as the two players were never even friendly, but the fact was that both men were enormously popular as Leafs despite being nowhere near elite NHLers.

So why buy Tucker out without even giving him a chance to skate in even one practice for Ron Wilson?

It has to be one of two reasons. First, the Leafs think he's just done, unable to skate well enough to be an effective regular in the NHL, and no longer capable of being a physical threat. Being speed-bagged last season by Jarkko Ruutu - a Finn pounding the bejeezus out of a heart-and-soul Canuck! - didn't do much for Tucker's rough-and-tumble image.

The second possibility is that the Leafs' management team decided Tucker was a toxic element in the team's dressing room that had to be cleansed. To be sure, there was a remarkable sense of entitlement last year among the last-place Leafs. Tucker seemed to be a mentor to youngsters like Alex Steen and Kyle Wellwood, and maybe it's no surprise Wellwood's gone, too.

Tucker, who voraciously reads every word written about him, fumed all year long that he wasn't getting enough respect from the media but had to wait until he finally produced a two-goal game in the second half of the season to feel confident enough to get in the face of his tormentors. The man should have been embarrassed to do so even then. It never dawned on him that he should have to perform to be exalted.

But whatever the reason, the Leafs no longer wanted Tucker, and because of his no-trade deal, they couldn't trade him, at least not easily.

So they dumped him and moved on. Tucker might come back and prove he can still play or do damage to the Leafs in a game or two, but so what? By the time the Leafs are a significant force in the Eastern Conference again, Tucker will be retired. Sundin too, and probably Bryan McCabe, who is also designated for reassignment elsewhere in the NHL by the current Leaf management team.

Throw in those players along with John Pohl, Wellwood and Andrew Raycroft, and you have the change that general manager Cliff Fletcher promised.

Right now, this appears to be a team that will be built around Vesa Toskala in net, Nik Antropov, Alexei Ponikarovsky, Jason Blake, Matt Stajan, Steen, Jiri Tlusty and Nikolai Kulemin up front, and Tomas Kaberle, Pavel Kubina, Carlo Colaiacovo, Anton Stralman and Ian White on the back end.

Sadly, there are already some calling for 2008 first-round pick Luke Schenn to be part of the squad next fall, when the reality is that the correct time for Schenn to appear in a Leaf uniform will be for the start of the 2010-11 season - at the earliest - after more grooming in junior and the AHL.

The Leafs, having rushed a long list of young defencemen including Jim Benning, Gary Nylund, Luke Richardson, Drake Berehowsky and Jeff Ware over the years, should know this better than any other team.

So the Leafs, effectively, have been blown up. Logically, they should be looking only for support players this summer, with the big payoff being a dominant forward (John Tavares, Brayden Schenn) or a big-time defenceman (Victor Hedman) a year from now.

That should be the plan. If it isn't, dumping the likes of Tucker will seem more puzzling, or downright pointless.

Fletcher sets deadline, says he needs a decision from Sundin by Sunday

Cliff Fletcher is prepared to wait for Mats Sundin no longer than this weekend before the divorce is final and he makes free agent spending plans without the Maple Leafs' franchise scoring leader.

While the betting is that Sundin will go elsewhere this season, the general manager has kept the door open a crack, even after granting the Montreal Canadiens exclusive rights to try and work a deal prior to unrestricted free agency starting Tuesday. The Leafs will keep something along the lines of a one-year, $7-million US no-trade deal in the drawer, though the growing feeling is that Sundin will out-wait the Leafs and Habs and go to the highest bidder in July.

Sundin told Swedish reporters yesterday that he hadn't yet made his mind up, regarding retirement, a Habs deal or coming back here. Montreal general manager Bob Gainey hoped to speak to Sundin yesterday, though reports of him flying to Sweden are premature. But Gainey wants to acquire a big centre somewhere and will quickly look elsewhere if Sundin drags his feet. Toronto's window to shop elsewhere also is small.

"(The uncertainty) would be an issue for us and it would become a bigger issue at 12:01 on Tuesday," Fletcher said. "I anticipate we'll have dialogue with Mats on the weekend. If we had 48 hours, that's fine, but it's Mats' call.

"We're ready to proceed in any case when the gong goes off (Tuesday). After that, it would be very difficult to sit around waiting for Mats."

The Leafs did tie up some business ends yesterday, completing Darcy Tucker's two-thirds contract buyout, also cutting ties with Kyle Wellwood, who was claimed on waivers by the Vancouver Canucks, while goalie Andrew Raycroft cleared.

Fletcher said he would take the next two days to decide if he'd put Raycroft on unconditional waivers with the aim of buying out his $2.2 million US deal or play him somewhere in the organization next year. Fletcher said there was another goaltending option he was examining, which could mean watching what other clubs are doing with spare goalies, such as Marc Denis and Curtis Joseph.

Though no doubt upset about having to play away from his adopted city, Tucker declined comment to Sun Media's Mike Zeisberger yesterday, only saying "it is what it is."

Carlos Sosa, Tucker's agent, wryly noted his client won't suffer financially, getting $1 million a season the next six years.

"We'll take our $9 million one-year deal ($3 million last year and the buyout) and look elsewhere," Sosa chortled on the Fan 590.

Sundin says no decision yet

With the hockey world all atwitter about what Mats Sundin's intentions - will he sign with Montreal? Toronto? Will he retire? - the Leaf captain insists he still hasn't made up his mind.

"I have not decided what do to next season," Sundin told reporters in Sweden. "The first decision I have to make is whether I'm going to play next season.

"After that I'm going take on the question where to play."

So Sundin's mantra has not changed that much since his season ended. His negotiating rights remain with the Montreal Canadiens until July 1 in a deal worked out with the Maple Leafs prior to last week's entry draft. The New York Rangers, too, tried to obtain his negotiating rights, but failed.

Sundin would be the top prize in the July 1 free agent feeding frenzy; a character leader whose skills and speed have not eroded even as he hit 37 years of age this past season. He'd easily command $7 million (U.S.) a year and would be a natural fit for any team that thought itself a Stanley Cup contender.

On Tuesday night, Canadiens general manager Bob Gainey told reporters he spoke to Sundin once, briefly, on the phone. "He's trying to organize his ideas about what his future looks like," Gainey told The Canadian Press.

It's believed Gainey was ready to head to Europe to meet with Sundin this week, but is waiting for the big Swede to give him the green light so as not to pressure him.

Canucks claim Wellwood off waivers

VANCOUVER -- The Vancouver Canucks claimed forward Kyle Wellwood off NHL waivers on Wednesday.

The 25-year-old Wellwood no longer fit into the plans of the Toronto Maple Leafs after a disappointing season. The Leafs were likely not going to offer the restricted free agent a qualifying offer to retain his rights.

"We're really pleased, we think he's a guy that we are prepared to put a lot of time and effort into and work with," Canucks GM Mike Gillis told The Canadian Press. "We're quite pleased to have acquired him."

Wellwood had 21 points (8-13) and a minus-12 rating in 59 games last season while earning US$950,000, the last year of his contract. He showed promise the previous season when he collected 42 points (12-30) in 48 games. But he has been plagued by groin problems over the last two years.

The Canucks are eager to find some offence after struggling to score goals last season.

Tucker latest to go in Cliff's housecleaning

Darcy Tucker, Andrew Raycroft, Kyle Wellwood and Scott Clemmensen felt the sting of Cliff Fletcher's broom yesterday and more team-wide pain might follow.

While it's less likely the general manager has enough reach to dislodge defenceman Bryan McCabe by trade or buyout, as he tries to cut as much salary as possible before Tuesday's free agent shopping begins, yesterday was the long-anticipated housecleaning blitz on Bay St.

"We've been consistent in saying that we would make around half a dozen changes," Fletcher said yesterday.

Tucker, who was just moving into a new house 16 months after signing a four-year extension, will be terminated today by the Leafs, who must still eat two-thirds, or $1 million a season for the next six years, under their salary cap. The Canadian Press learned last night that Fletcher called the 33-year-old right winger to prepare him for today's transaction.

Comments from incoming coach Ron Wilson that Tucker looked "worn down" after getting 34 points last season were probably the last straw. "He'll have no trouble finding employment," was the frequent comment made by Tucker's agent, Carlos Sosa, who last night told CP that the Leafs move was simply "business".

Tucker, who joined the Leafs in 2000, could not be reached for comment, but he had taken less money to take a longer term in his adopted city.

Fletcher sounded less sure that the trade overtures begun in Ottawa at last week's draft would bear fruit for players such as McCabe.

Wellwood and Raycroft were placed on NHL waivers, with expiration at noon today. Centre Matt Stajan has been qualified, but might still have to go to salary arbitration, while Fletcher will not extend free agent minor league goalie Clemmensen a new contract, meaning two stoppers might have to be brought in for depth purposes this season.

Wellwood's meteoric career as a 100-point junior, farm team star and creative young centre turned into two injury-plagued seasons with concerns about his motivation.

"It was an organizational decision that all the pro scouts were in on," Fletcher said.

Wellwood or agent Mike Liut could not be reached for comment. Fletcher raised the possibility of a buyout of the restricted free agent, once considered the key to the Leafs' power play, pending another team making a claim. The New York Islanders might be interested.

In re-assigning Raycroft, Fletcher is trying to rectify one of predecessor John Ferguson's biggest mistakes. JFJ's faith that Raycroft could replace Ed Belfour, to the point of trading prospect Tuukka Rask to land him, slowly evaporated in a series of soft goals, fan anger and continued failure to win big games as Vesa Toskala's back-up.

But Raycroft's agent, Jordan Neumann, was hopeful that he wouldn't be bought out if not claimed.

"My thought is that he'll then be placed on recall waivers (later this year)," Neumann said of the option of another team getting the Leafs to pay half of Raycroft's $2.2 million US salary.

Leafs to Tucker: See ya

TORONTO -- The Toronto Maple Leafs and Darcy Tucker are parting ways.

Maple Leafs general manager Cliff Fletcher informed Tucker on Tuesday he would be bought out.

Tucker's agent Carlos Sosa told The Canadian Press the team would officially notify Tucker of the buyout Wednesday, and he would be an unrestricted free agent 24 hours after the notice has been given.

"It is what it is. We've been ready for this for a while. It is a business," Sosa said.

Tucker has three years left on his contract and will be owed two-thirds of it -- or US$6 million -- paid back over a six-year term by the Leafs. The veteran forward signed a four-year extension with the team in February 2007.

Tucker's contract included a no-movement clause and he opted not to go through waivers.

The Maple Leafs were busy Tuesday, putting forward Kyle Wellwood and goalie Andrew Raycroft on NHL waivers and possibly paving the way for their exit.

"We put them on waivers, we'll take it one step at a time and we'll see what happens tomorrow," Fletcher said.

Wellwood, 25, had 21 points (8-13) and a minus-12 rating in 59 games last season while earning US$950,000, the last year of his contract. If he goes unclaimed on waivers, it's expected the Leafs will not tender him a qualifying offer which will make him an unrestricted free agent July 1.

Raycroft, 28, appeared in only 19 games last season after losing his starting job to Vesa Toskala. Raycroft went 2-9-5 with a 3.92 goal-against average and .876 save percentage while earning $2 million.

He has one year left on his deal at $2.2 million and it wasn't clear whether Tuesday's move was the first step towards a buyout or not.

"I don't know what they're planning on doing," Raycroft's agent Jordan Neumann said Tuesday. "If it was me, I would put him on recall waivers, see what happens that way, and if he wasn't claimed then I would keep him.

"Because financially it doesn't seem to make a lot of sense to buy him out and then add the cost of another replacement goaltender," added Neumann. "It's going to end up costing you roughly the same amount and you're not going to get a guy as good as Andrew."

However, Toronto can't place Raycroft on re-entry waivers until this fall.

Should the Leafs put Raycroft on re-entry waivers, a team can claim him for half his salary next season. A buyout would be about a $700,000 salary cap hit against the Leafs next season and in 2009-10.

Leafs put Wellwood, Raycroft on waivers

The Maple Leafs began cleaning house in earnest yesterday when they placed centre Kyle Wellwood and goaltender Andrew Raycroft on National Hockey League waivers.

The deadline for other teams to claim both is noon tomorrow. Restricted free agent Wellwood was not expected to be offered a contract after he battled through a slump-ridden, injury plagued 2007-08 season, with just 21 points in 59 games. He was a minus 12.

The former 100-point OHL junior centre had 42 points in 48 games the year before. But he was a challenge to motivate for ex-Leafs coach Paul Maurice last season.

Raycroft was to be paid $2.2 million US this year, a raise of $200,000, but he had lost his starter‚s job after a so-so debut season with Toronto in 2007-08, a slow start last year and a terrible overall record of 2-9-5, once Vesa Toskala was established as No. 1.

If unclaimed, the Leafs can demote Raycroft to the AHL Toronto Marlies and use either Justin Pogge or Scott Clemmensen behind Toskala, though Clemmensen is at present an unrestricted free agent.

Leafs picks

A look at the Leafs' 2008 entry draft selections, including a brief scouting report from scouting director Dave Morrison:

D Luke Schenn (No. 5 overall)

6-2, 216 lbs.; Born in Saskatoon.

07-08 Stats: 7-21-28 with Kelowna (WHL)

Morrison says: One of top competitors in draft ... Shut down defenceman who plays physical ... We're so happy to get him.

RW Jimmy Hayes (No. 60)

6-4, 210 lbs.; Boston, Ma.

07-08: 4-11-15 with Lincoln (USHL)

Morrison says: Big guys take time to develop sometimes ... We feel lucky he slid down to us ... Power forward.

C Mikhail Stefanovich (No. 98)

6-1, 202 lbs.; Minsk, Russia

07-08: 32-34-66 with Quebec (QMJHL)

Morrison says: He's a shooter ... Power play guy ... Good shot from off-wing ... Another guy who slid down to us.

D Greg Pateryn (No. 128)

6-2, 212 lbs.; Sterling Heights, Mich.

07-08: 3-24-27 with Ohio (USHL)

Morrison says: Strong and physical ... A poor man's Luke Schenn.

C Joel Champagne (No. 129)

6-3, 210 lbs.; Chateauguay

07-08: 18-22-40 with Chicoutimi (QMJHL)

Morrison says: Strong as ox ... Big defensive centre.

LW Jerome Flaake (No. 130)

6-2, 187 lbs.; Guben, Germany

07-08: 33-41-74 in German junior league

Morrison says: Shooter ... Good hands ... Can play with an edge when he wants.

G Grant Rollheiser (No. 158)

6-4, 195 lbs.; Chilliwak,B.C.

07-08: 3.19, .910 save percentage with Trail (BCHL)

Morrison says: Big goalie ... Technically sound ... Will play at Boston U next year.

D Andrew MacWilliam (No. 188)

6-1, 214 lbs.; Calgary

07-08: 0-13-13 with Camrose (AJHL)

Morrison says: Character guy ... Going to North Dakota ... He'd block a shot with his face.

A moment of Schenn

OTTAWA -- As a euphoric Luke (The Human Eraser) Schenn was making his way up to the podium just moments after being selected fifth overall in the 2008 NHL entry draft Friday night, a text message appeared on the cell phone belonging to a member of the Maple Leafs' PR staff.
"Tell Luke he can thank me," it said.

The author of the message?

None other than former Leafs pugilist/quipster Wade Belak.

The reason Belak wants to be partially credited for the development of Schenn into a top-five NHL prospect is a simple one.

Back when Schenn and his younger brother, Brayden, were hockey-crazed kids, they would spend time at a cottage in northern Saskatchewan. Next door was a place belonging to a hulking NHLer who had a hockey net at the end of the driveway and would let the Schenn boys fire pucks into it for hours on end.

The NHLer's name was Wade Belak, who jokingly figures it was his net that helped young Luke grow up into the player he is today.

"(Brayden and I) were just kids then," Luke Schenn said. "(Belak) was with Toronto at the time and he allowed us to use the net.

"I didn't even think he knew who I was back then. I was really young."

No worries. Belak knows who Luke Schenn is.

And, after Friday, so do Leafs fans across North America.

* * *
Belak was not the only one glued to the tube, watching Schenn's NHL dream come true Friday night.

Out in picturesque Kelowna, B.C., home of the Western Hockey League's Rockets, a number of former Rockets players gathered at a local residence to watch Luke and his teammate, 6-foot-7 defenceman Tyler Myers, get drafted. Among those in attendance: Nashville Predators defenceman Shea Weber, Montreal Canadiens defenceman Josh Gorges and New York Islanders forward Blake Comeau.

"A bunch of us were there and it was really cool to see him picked," Weber said yesterday in a phone interview from Kelowna.

"I felt so good for him. He worked so hard to get to this point. "I'm sure it was special for him."
Especially when Weber and his buddies called him after he was picked.

"I talked to about 10 of them," Schenn said. "They passed the phone around."

In 2004-05, Schenn, then just 15, was a Rockets draft pick who had been summoned to the team late in the season.

While he did not play, Schenn experienced what life in major junior hockey was like.

During his visit with the Rockets, which lasted all the way through to the Memorial Cup in London, young Luke billeted with the same Kelowna family as Weber, a hard-nosed defenceman who possessed a cannon from the point.

"The first thing I thought when I saw this 15-year-old kid was: 'Man, he's big!' " Weber said. "He was a quiet kid. He didn't say a lot. He spent a lot of time by himself."

Three years later, Schenn, a 6-foot-2, 212-pound wrecking ball on blades, is the type of physical leader teams were clamouring to pick Friday.

"It's almost hard to believe he has come this far," said Weber, a player Schenn considers to be one of his hockey mentors. "He is going to have a great career."

* * *

Mention Schenn's name to recently hired Florida Panthers coach Peter DeBoer and the former Kitchener Ranger bench boss breaks into a huge smile.

"I love that kid," DeBoer said. "He is such a competitor. People in Toronto love the physical, meat-and-potatoes type of player like him.

"He'll be a captain in this league some day."

One of DeBoer's favourite Luke Schenn moments came during the 2007 Super Series last summer featuring the best junior players from Canada and Russia.

With DeBoer serving as one of Team Canada's coaches, the Canadians were up 6-1 late in the eighth and final game when a Russian player took a cheap shot at Team Canada's Claude Giroux several seconds after the whistle had tooted.

"(Schenn) got in there and beat the snot out of the (Russian) guy," DeBoer recalled. "I know you're really not supposed to do that stuff in those games, but, to be truthful, it really sent a strong message to his teammates."

Said Schenn: "You have to stick up for your guys."

That philosophy has earned him respect from teammates and opponents alike.
"When we were at the world juniors, Luke was a real leader," said Steven Stamkos, picked first overall by the Tampa Bay Lightning Friday.

"He's a physical competitor out there. And man, can he smoke people."

* * *

The Human Eraser.

That nickname was given to Schenn during Canada's gold medal run at the world junior in January by TSN analyst Pierre McGuire, who loves the way the Saskatoon native can rub out opposing forwards, both on the ice and on the scoreboard.

Is it a label that will accompany him to Toronto?

"It's fine," Schenn said. "It's more Pierre's thing. He went with it."

When The Human Eraser is out for punishment, no one can escape. Not even younger brother Brayden, a forward with the Brandon Wheat Kings who is projected as a top-10 pick in the 2009 entry draft.

When Luke faced then-WHL rookie Brayden and the Wheat Kings for the first time this past season, it didn't take long for the brothers to get feisty, a moment Luke documented on his NHL.com blog.

"In fact, my first shift -- his, too -- I was able to line him up with his head down and caught him with a pretty solid check," Luke wrote. "Then while we skated back up the ice he gave me a couple of hooks and slashes and was yelling at me. In a couple of scrums as well, we gave each other a couple face-washes."

Brotherly love at its best.

"The boys have always been hockey crazy," Jeff Schenn, Luke's dad, said last night.
"He has wanted to be a pro hockey player since he was 10."

Now Luke Schenn's dream has finally come true.

With a little help from Wade Belak's net, of course.

Leafs look to defence with No. 5 Schenn

OTTAWA-Luke Schenn was a Maple Leaf for all of a nanosecond when he found out what it was like to represent the blue and white in the home of the Ottawa Senators.

As soon as Leaf executive Mike Penny announced his name, the boos cascaded down from the Scotiabank Place crowd, and Schenn's baptism was under way.

"Obviously, Ottawa and Toronto are great rivals, and that's all part of it," said the smiling, 6-foot-2, 215-pound defenceman from the Kelowna Rockets of the Western Hockey League. "I feel so honoured to wear this jersey. I couldn't be more excited. It feels unbelievable."

Leafs GM Cliff Fletcher was beaming at how he landed Schenn, a mobile, physical, stay-at-home defenceman who had seven goals and 27 assists and 100 penalty minutes for Kelowna.

After Tampa Bay took Sarnia Sting centre Steven Stamkos first overall, it was a march of highly touted defencemen: Drew Doughty, Zach Bogosian and Alex Pieterangelo.

Coveting Schenn, and convinced about 15 other teams were trying to get the fifth overall pick from the Islanders, the Leafs offered the seventh overall pick and two conditional picks (a second-rounder and a third-rounder).

"I'll take quality over quantity any day of the week," said Fletcher. "He'll be a cornerstone of the Leaf defence for years to come. He's not that far removed from playing immediately in the NHL. He's physical, he's mobile, he makes a great first pass and he plays with tremendous composure."

Schenn was a standout on Canada's gold-medal winning world junior hockey team. Scouts aren't projecting he will be a big scorer in the NHL, but compare him most often to Adam Foote.

"He does so many things well in a detailed way," said Dave Morrison, the Leafs' top amateur scout. "He's not your flashy guy back there, but he finishes his checks, he's reliable, he's got great experience from the world juniors."

Schenn's arrival comes at a pivotal time in Leaf history. It appears Mats Sundin's career in Toronto is over. The team has a new coach in Ron Wilson, and a new general manager is in the cards.

"We moved up in the draft to get the player we wanted," said Wilson. "That's a huge message to everybody.

"(Schenn) is the kind of guy who could step in and play right away. You never know. You don't want to put that kind of pressure on an 18-year-old. It does signal that this team wants to get young, and build the right way."

Being a No.5 pick - the highest the Leafs have picked since selecting Wendel Clark first overall in 1985 - will bring some added heat in an already pressure-packed Leaf atmosphere.

"I'm looking to come here and help contribute and turn things around," said Schenn. "I'm set to be here. I'm a piece of the puzzle."

He says he's ready for the crazy atmosphere that often surrounds the Leafs.

"You always watch the Leafs on TV and read the papers, and they're the centre of attention everywhere you look," said Schenn. "It's really cool to be a part of and it we'll learn more as we go ahead.

"There's always pressure when you play in Toronto. But I put a lot of pressure on myself to be the best I can be. It's going to come from within."

Fletcher said Schenn will have a chance to make the team in training camp, but wasn't necessarily counting on it. Schenn said he welcomes the chance.

"I'm going to have to have a good summer, go to camp and see what happens," said Schenn.
In all, there were 13 trades involving seven established NHLers and 37 draft picks in a lively evening that lasted until Detroit chose Guelph goalie Thomas McCollum 30th overall.

The draft continues today with rounds two through seven. The Leafs have seven picks, having also traded a third-round pick to St. Louis for Jamal Mayers on the eve of the draft.

"Toronto's going to love this guy," St. Louis president John Davidson said. "He's a real character guy. He takes draws, he kills penalties, a lot of speed. He can fight."

Leafs select Hayes, Stefanovich

OTTAWA — Jimmy Hayes will have no shortage of NHL connections to tap into as he strives to make the Toronto Maple Leafs in future years.

The winger from Dorchester, Mass., was taken 60th overall by the Maple Leafs at the NHL draft on Saturday. He had originally been ranked higher but slipped a little after an off year with Lincoln in the United States Hockey League.

Hayes’ mother is cousins with St. Louis Blues forward Keith Tkachuk and former NHLer Tom Fitzgerald and he’s spent time around both guys while growing up.

Fitzgerald actually sent the 18-year-old a text message of encouragement on Friday night after the first round passed without him being selected.

“His career starts today,” said Fitzgerald, who now works for the Pittsburgh Penguins.
That’s the same way Hayes was looking at the situation.

He had four goals and 11 points while playing 21 games in the low-scoring USHL this season. He’ll play at Boston College in the fall and wants to prove that the Maple Leafs made the right choice in selecting him.

“I didn’t have the season I wanted to have,” said Hayes. “Going into the season I was a big high prospect. I believe I’m still a high prospect.


“I’m glad I got to fall to the Toronto Maple Leafs.”

Toronto used its third pick of the draft to grab another player who slipped. They selected Quebec Remparts winger Mikhail Stefanovich in the 98th position.

He was once projected to be a first-round pick but struggled with consistency at times this season. Even still, Leafs director of amateur scouting Dave Morrison couldn’t let a player with as much talent as the Belarusian go any further.

“He’s a shooter,” said Morrison. “He’s another guy we were thrilled to get. He had 36 goals last year.”

The Leafs were pleased with their weekend after trading up to grab defenceman Luke Schenn with the fifth overall pick on Friday night. He’ll be given a chance to make the lineup next season.

It will take a little longer than that for a guy like Hayes, but the Maple Leafs are optimistic about his long-term chances.

“Big guys get better,” said Morrison. “He’s a kid that can skate and he’s got good hockey sense.
There’s some lineage with him; there’s some people in his family who played in the NHL.”

The other players Toronto selected on Saturday were:

— American defenceman Greg Pateryn, 128th overall, from Ohio of the USHL;
— centre Joel Champagne, 129th, from the QMJHL’s Chicoutimi Saugeneens;
— German winger Jerome Flaake, 130th, from Koln of the DEL;
— goalie Grant Rollheiser, 158th, from Trail of the BCHL;
— defenceman Andrew MacWilliam, 188th, Camrose of the AJHL.

The biggest news for the Maple Leafs over the weekend surrounded Mats Sundin after GM Cliff Fletcher granted the Montreal Canadiens exclusive rights to negotiate with his captain before July 1. If the Habs can come to terms with Sundin, the Leafs would trade his rights to their biggest rival.

In the meantime, Toronto added a few players who are hoping to be part of the team long into the future. Hayes was certainly thinking that way.

“Best feeling I’ve ever had,” he said. “This is thrilling. I can’t believe I’m part of the Toronto Maple Leafs.”

Leafs Trade Up, Take Schenn 5th Overall

The Toronto Maple Leafs were in unfamiliar territory when they drafted Luke Schenn.

The bruising defenceman was selected by the Maple Leafs with the fifth pick on Friday night, making him the team's highest-drafted player since Scott Thornton was taken third in 1989.

Toronto has missed the playoffs the last three seasons and Schenn will now be seen as one of the players who can help turn the franchise around in years to come.

He welcomes those expectations.

"There's always pressure when you play in Toronto," said Schenn. "I put a lot of pressure on myself to be the best that I can be.

"For sure there's a lot of pressure being in the Leafs organization but it's going to come from within too."

The Maple Leafs entered the draft with the seventh pick but swung a deal with the New York Islanders to move up and select Schenn. They gave up a second- and third-round pick along with their first-round selection to get it done.

"The top four defencemen are all special and we knew we had to act to get one of them," said GM Cliff Fletcher, adding that 15 teams had called the Islanders trying to move up.

Schenn is six-foot-two and a solid 220 pounds. The 18-year-old spent the past two seasons with the Western Hockey League's Kelowna Rockets and has drawn comparisons to Adam Foote because of his hard-nosed play.

Fletcher saw Schenn play a game during a scouting trip in March and came away impressed.

"What became evident is that he has leadership skills," said Fletcher. "You won't see him do too many end-to-end rushes but he's a very good shutdown guy, very physical, makes a great first pass and has a good shot."He won't be expected to jump right into the team's lineup, but he'll do his best to accomplish that as soon as possible. "

I'm going to have a good summer," said Schenn. "We'll see when September comes." It's been a great year for him.

He played for Canada during the eight-game Super Series against Russia in August and was part of the world junior team that won gold in January. Those experiences really helped his development.

"Those two events were definitely big," said Schenn. "You get great exposure playing with the best players in your country and the top players from around the world."He wore a wide smile while talking to reporters in his brand new Maple Leafs jersey.

Schenn couldn't help but marvel at how far he'd come since first playing minor hockey in his hometown of Saskatoon. "To say I'd be in this position, I never could never have predicted that," he said. "It's indescribable right now."

Leafs let Habs talk to Sundin

OTTAWA - It looks like the Mats Sundin era with the Toronto Maple Leafs might be about to end.The Maple Leafs have given the rival Montreal Canadiens permission to speak with their captain, who is set to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1.

"We gave Montreal permission to talk to Mats," GM Cliff Fletcher told The Canadian Press on Friday. "We have no other comment at this time."Sundin has been with the Maple Leafs since being acquired in a trade from Quebec at the 1994 draft. He is the franchise leader in points and goals.

Leafs acquire Mayers for third-rounder

The Toronto Maple Leafs got off to an early start on the usual dealing that accompanies the NHL draft, acquiring forward Jamal Mayers from the St. Louis Blues.

The Blues get Toronto’s third-round pick, 70th overall, in the 2008 draft, which starts Friday and runs through Saturday. The Maple Leafs originally acquired the pick from the Florida Panthers in exchange for Chad Kilger on Feb. 26.
Mayers, a six-foot-one, 214 pound Toronto native, has played parts of 10 NHL seasons, all with the Blues. He had 12 goals, 15 assists and 91 penalty minutes in 80 games with the St. Louis last season. Overall he has 51 goals, 58 assists and 576 penalty minutes in 435 games.

The Blues originally selected Mayers in the fourth round, 89th overall in the 1993 draft.

He most recently played on Canada’s silver-medal team at the 2008 IIHF World hockey championship. The 33-year-old scored two goals and added three assists, along with a plus-six rating,in nine games. Mayers was also a member of Canada’s gold-medal team at the 2007 championships.

“I want to thank Jamal for everything he has done for the Blues and the city of St. Louis,” said Blues president John Davidson in a statement.

“We wish Jamal and his family nothing but the best in his hometown of Toronto.”

Draft gives Fletcher chance to revamp Leafs

For the Maple Leaf general manager - let's drop the interim tag, shall we? - to demonstrate he has a true sense of vision beyond finding a way just to get the club back into the playoffs, he needs to do something other than contradicting himself and hiring old friends.

So how about coming away from this weekend's draft in Ottawa with not one, but two quality first-round picks?

This isn't to suggest the club should chase down Tampa GM Jay Feaster and twist his arm into giving up the first pick overall so the Leafs could draft Steve Stamkos.

Geez, that kind of aggressive imagination from the Leafs would give the Leaf Nation a collective heart attack.

The Leafs have the No.7 pick, which probably gives them a 50-50 shot at landing an athlete who can play 15 years in the NHL. They need to improve those odds, and one way to do it is by getting another top 10 pick.

Vancouver GM Mike Gillis already says he willing to trade the No.10 pick for a "top six" forward. Columbus, which failed in its attempt to get early negotiation rights for Pittsburgh's Ryan Malone, could be looking at moving the No.6 pick or the No.19 selection as that franchise tries to make the post-season for the first time ever.

Imagine if the Leafs could draft twice in the top 10?

Instead of Luke Schenn, maybe they could end up with Schenn and his Kelowna defence partner, Tyler Myers.

There's your Twin Towers defence of the future.

Or maybe the Leafs could take a gamble with Russian forward Nikita Filatov, then go for something more dependable like Boston University centre Colin Wilson.

The point is, names aside, this would send a strong message to the club's fan base that there is a real intent here to rebuild in a gradual, intelligent way.

But is it do-able? Do the Leafs have the wherewithal to land the sixth pick, or even the 10th?
That's the tricky part.

Nik Antropov, coming off his best NHL season, is the best chip the Leafs have to play. The Muskoka Five - or is it really now just four, with Mats Sundin in a new category? - remain untouchable for now.

After that, they're into the likes of Alex Steen, Matt Stajan, Alexei Ponikarovsky and Jason Blake. None of those players are likely to fetch a top 10 pick, and Steen and Stajan are young players who appear to be part of Toronto's future.

So it's Antropov. At 28 years of age, coming off a career-high 26-goal season, the argument has been made here before that this is the time to move the towering Kazakh. He's every bit as good a player as Malone (28 years old, coming off a career-best 27 goal season), and the soon-to-be-ex-Penguin is a hot commodity.

Even better, Antropov is scheduled to earn only $2.15 million next season, while Malone is looking for upwards of $5 million as a free agent. Yes, you can get Malone without trading players or prospects, but the salary cap hit will be big.

Fletcher, however, didn't want to move Antropov at the trade deadline - Montreal was interested - and it's not clear he'd be willing to make that kind of bold move now.

After all, trading Antropov won't make it easier to lure Sundin back, and the Leafs seem oddly motivated to do whatever it takes to make that happen. As well, the new coach, Ron Wilson, has already said he thinks the team can be "knocking on the door in two years," and if that's the goal, Antropov is more likely to help than two kids who might not even be in the league by then.

But if Fletcher really wants to show he's serious about shedding his "draft schmaft" rep and proving this won't be a Phoenix-like, quickie patch job, landing another top 10 pick this weekend is the way to go.

These, quite clearly, are the kinds of moves you have to make to build a club capable of doing more than offering the occasional spurt of competitiveness before sinking once more into mediocrity.

Fletch sharpens his knife

OTTAWA -- If often-criticized defenceman Bryan McCabe is a potential victim of the imminent Maple Leafs housecleaning as is expected, it likely will not come via the buyout route.

That was the word yesterday from Maple Leafs general manager Cliff Fletcher, who is aware that McCabe's average salary of $5.75 million US translates to a hefty cap hit (almost $3-million per season for six years) in the event the Leafs attempted to buy him out.

The more logical way to go is to trade the veteran defenceman, the belief being that McCabe might waive the no-movement clause in his contract in order to go to a preferable destination such as the New York Islanders. The McCabes spend their off-seasons on Long Island, where Bryan's wife, Roberta, grew up.

One theory making the rounds here leading up to tomorrow's 2008 entry draft was that the Leafs might attempt to include McCabe and their No. 7 overall pick to the Islanders for a package that includes the No. 5 selection. By moving up two spots, the Leafs likely would land either Niagara defenceman Alex Pietrangelo or Russian forward Nikita Filatov, two players they covet.

But rather than make a knee-jerk reaction deal, the Leafs are thinking that it might be more prudent to wait until August when McCabe's value on the market could swell slighty. With only two blue-chip free-agent blue liners -- Brian Campbell and Wade Redden -- available in free agency, McCabe, who has struggled the past couple of seasons, might fetch more interest by teams desperate to augment their back end.

TUCKERED OUT?

While Fletcher will not make decisions on potential buyouts until late next week, it appears more likely by the day that Darcy Tucker could find himself in that very situation.

During a break between meetings with his staff about the coming draft, Fletcher yesterday hinted the $1 million US per season cap hit the Leafs would absorb would not be a big blow.

The Leafs GM ideally would like to deal Tucker, but the player's agent, Carlos Sosa, is on record as saying his client would not waive his no-trade clause under such a scenario.

As for goalie Andrew Raycroft, another player mentioned in speculation as a possible candidate to be bought out, the Leafs believe they might be able to trade him.

SPECIAL K?

Pavel Kubina's stock certainly has risen.

Not so long ago, the Leafs -- not to mention their disgruntled fans -- would have loved to see the team move the beleaguered defenceman and his annual $5-million US salary. But his play in the second half of the 2007-08 season caused him to rocket past McCabe on the depth chart -- at least in the minds of the Toronto brass anyway.

Having watched Kubina scuttle a trade-deadline deal in February to San Jose when he refused to waive his no-trade clause, Fletcher now has an opportunity to deal him. Because the Leafs missed the playoffs, the no-trade clause becomes moot from the draft this weekend to August 15, a seven-week window in which the Leafs could ship him out without Kubina having any say.

Yet listening to Fletcher yesterday, a team will have to blow away Trader Cliff with an offer in order to obtain the services of the towering Czech.

"If anyone approaches us on Kubina, it would have to bring substantial return," Fletcher said.

SUNDIN'S SAGA

Fletcher does not expect a decision from Mats Sundin concerning his future until the beginning of next week, at the earliest.

"I've been talking to (Sundin's agent) J.P. Barry on a daily basis and he's going to be arriving in Ottawa (today)," he said. "Mats is over in Europe enjoying Euro 2008 and I don't think (J.P.) has talked to him (recently)."

ASSISTANTS CLOSE

Incoming coach Ron Wilson said he hopes to officially name his assistant coaches in the next couple of weeks.

"I have an idea who I want," Wilson said last night during the Scotiabank Dinner Behind The Bench, a gala in honour of the NHL Coaches' Association that featured a video tribute to the late Roger Neilson.

While there has been much speculation that Wilson could opt for Tim Hunter, his assistant in San Jose who played during Fletcher's regime with the Calgary Flames, a Sharks official said he would not be surprised to see Rob Zettler join the Leafs staff. Zettler, whose contract with the Sharks runs out this summer, was an assistant to Wilson in San Jose.

DRAFT DODGERS

Fletcher expects trade talk to heat up in the next 24 hours, but cautioned that the Leafs might very well keep their No. 7 pick.

"The chances are better than 50% that we'll keep the seventh pick, but they certainly are not 100%," he said, adding that "for every 100 balloons you float out there, maybe only one comes back."

Among the prospects interviewed by the Leafs yesterday was Kitchener Rangers forward Mikkel Boedker, who is ranked seventh by TSN.

"I saw that on TSN and when it worked out that the Leafs are picking seventh, it was kind of neat," the Danish-born Boedker said.

Boedker attended one Leafs game this year, a 7-2 loss to Alex Ovechkin's Washington Capitals at the Air Canada Centre.

"There were a lot of suits in the crowd," chuckled Boedker, who admits seeing "some of myself" in Minnesota Wild star Marian Gaborik, his hockey idol.

Kelowna Rockets defenceman Luke Schenn, another player who might be around at seven, said he would love to play for the Leafs.

"Are you kidding? Who wouldn't want to be on Hockey Night In Canada every night?"

IN CLOSING

The rumour that just won't go away: Joe Nieuwendyk officially hired by the Leafs for the front office in the first week of July.

With draft days away, Leafs brass weighs options what to do with pick

Three days before the Tampa Bay Lightning is expected to take Unionville native Steve Stamkos to kick off the 2008 entry draft, Cliff Fletcher and the rest of the Maple Leafs braintrust already were in Ottawa yesterday preparing for what looks to be a busy week for the Toronto brass.

The Fletcher-led Leafs hold 10 picks in the seven-round event including the No. 7 selection, the highest slot Toronto has held in the pecking order since 1989. That was the year the Leafs took forward Scott Thornton third overall, the first of three Belleville Bulls selected by Toronto.

The Leafs have not held the No. 7 pick since 1987 when they used the spot to select Luke Richardson, a rugged stay-at-home defenceman who has woven together a career that has endured two decades.

Many mock drafts have another stay-at-home defenceman, Luke Schenn of the Kelowna Rockets, falling to the Leafs at seven, although there is a belief he might be snapped up early than that, either at No. 4 to the St. Louis Blues or No. 6 to the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Schenn and his Rockets defence partner, 6-foot-7 Tyler Myers, were among the prospects scouted by Fletcher in person back in March. The Leafs have done their homework on both players in this defenceman-rich draft, which also includes prospective top-10 picks Drew Doughty, Alex Pietrangelo and Zach Bogosian.

Fletcher is quick to point out the Leafs will not draft by position, however, opting to go with the "best player available" philosophy.

"Why would you limit yourself to a position?" Fletcher said. "Sure, you might have needs at a certain position right now. But who's to say that will be your same need a couple of years down the road when the guy you drafted probably is more poised to make an impact for your team?"

Besides, given his past wheeling and dealing tendencies during draft weeks, expect Trader Cliff to be kicking a lot of tires for potential deals to shake up his roster, which seems to be Fletcher's mandate this summer.

Fletcher admits discussions already have been held about possibly moving up or down in the order. And with reports out of Ottawa suggesting the San Jose Sharks' Patrick Marleau and the Florida Panthers' Olli Jokinen might be available on the trade market, there will be no shortage of rumours swirling around Bytown in the coming days.

DRAFT SPLASH

"We have things we'd like to do," Fletcher said. "If they don't pan out, we are happy at No. 7 because we know we'll get a blue chipper."

Fletcher's biggest draft-week splash as Leafs' GM came in 1994 when he shocked Leafs fans by dealing popular captain Wendel Clark, steady defenceman Sylvain Lefebvre, rookie Landon Wilson and a first-round pick for young Swedish centre Mats Sundin, Garth Butcher, Todd Warriner and a first-round pick.

Other draft week trades made by Fletcher during his previous tenure as Leafs GM landed him forward Mike Ridley (1994); forwards Benoit Hogue and Paul DiPietro (1995); and saw him ship out forwards Dave Gagner and Mike Gartner in 1996.

---

ABOUT THE DRAFT

WHAT: 2008 NHL Entry Draft.

WHERE: Scotiabank Place, Ottawa.

WHEN: First round, Friday, 7 p.m.; second through seventh rounds, Saturday, 10 a.m.

LEAF PICKS: 10 picks over seven rounds including No. 7, 60, 68, 70, 98, 128, 129, 130, 158, 188

Leafs add Coates to front office

The Toronto Maple Leafs have dipped into the Anaheim Ducks' front office, hiring Al Coates as the team's director of player personnel.

Coates, who has worked in professional hockey for the past 37 years, has spent the past six seasons with the Ducks. The past three years, he has been the National Hockey League club's senior advisor to general manager Brian Burke.
Rumours have persisted that Burke will become the Leafs' new general manager when his contract with the Ducks expires.

"We look forward to Al becoming a valuable part of the Maple Leafs management team," said general manager Cliff Fletcher. "He brings a wealth of managerial and scouting expertise to our hockey club, which will be important as we look to strengthen the organization's depth in the coming seasons."

Coates previously worked with Fletcher in Calgary, where he was the team's director of public relations after the franchise moved from Atlanta. He held several roles during his years in Calgary, including assistant to the president (1982-89), director of hockey administration (1989-91), assistant to the general manager (1991-95) and executive vice-president, general manager and alternate governor from 1995-2000.

The native of Listowel, Ont., who began his front-office career with the Detroit Red Wings' organization from 1971-80, was with the New York Rangers organization from 2000-2003, handling the operations of the Rangers' American Hockey League affiliate in Hartford.

Coates has been a part of two Stanley Cup victories during his career - 1989 in Calgary and 2007 in Anaheim.

Leafs weighing draft options

Amateur scouting director Dave Morrison will run the Maple Leafs' draft table this weekend, but his actions depend largely on teams such as Los Angeles, Atlanta and St. Louis.

In a nutshell, if any of the five clubs picking between No. 1 Tampa Bay and the No. 7 Toronto takes top-ranked European forward Nikita Filatov, then the Leafs would get one of five highly rated North American defencemen, projected to go behind top choice Steve Stamkos (Tampa Bay).

"From all reports, Filatov is coming over, so we're excited at picking so high," Morrison said yesterday. "The closer we get to Friday, the better idea we'll have what other teams are doing. We're looking at any and all information we can find out (through the media, from general manager Cliff Fletcher or league gossip), but we'll be ready for anything."

Fletcher went on a Western Canadian scouting trip in March to see defenceman Luke Schenn and forward Kyle Beach and also has personally scouted defencemen Alex Pietrangelo and Zach Bogosian in the OHL.

The other two defencemen of note are Drew Doughty (Guelph, OHL) and Tyler Myers (Kelowna, WHL). A persistent rumour is the Leafs want Schenn, a 6-foot-2, 216 pounder from Kelowna, but if he's a potential Dion Phaneuf as some suggest, it's hard to see him still there at seventh.

Fletcher is leaving the last word on Toronto's highest pick in 16 years to Morrison.

"A GM sees 10 junior games a year, a scout sees a thousand," Fletcher said. "The first seven picks could play out a hundred different ways, but we'll end up with a good player."

Morrison and his staff, including George Armstrong, Mike Palmateer, Garth Malarchuk, Clint McConnachie, Allan Power and John Lilley, all received a vote of confidence from Fletcher last week. Fletcher said the constant trading of high picks -- leaving no first rounders in three of the past five drafts, no first or seconds in two of the past four -- made it hard on the staff to prove themselves.

"It's all we can ask for, but now we have to get to work," Morrison said.

"As of today, we have 10 picks in seven rounds (four choices in the first three, at seventh, 60th, 68th and 70th). I'll also be relying on Cliff's expertise at the table and (former player personnel director) Mike Penny, who has been in the game 40 years."

Let the housecleaning begin

With the new coach in place and Cliff Fletcher entrenched as the full-time general manager -- at least until Brian Burke arrives, according to the popular belief floating around town -- the curtain has been raised for the official housecleaning of the Maple Leafs roster.

"If you are going to do something, now is the time," Fletcher said yesterday from Arizona. "A lot of trade discussions have already taken place."

A month from now, the likes of Darcy Tucker, Bryan McCabe and even Mats Sundin -- the team's veteran core dating back to the Pat Quinn era -- all could be wearing different NHL jerseys. There are rumblings that McCabe would be willing to waive his no-trade clause in order to go to the New York Islanders on Long Island, the site of his off-season home.

"Hopefully, our team is going to look substantially different," Fletcher said. "If we can bring in at least five or six players, new faces, that would be good."

According to Fletcher, one of the spots reserved for newcomers already is occupied by promising young forward Nikolai Kulemin, who has been playing in the Russian elite league. Pittsburgh Penguins forward Evgeni Malkin, Kulemin's one-time line- mate in Russia, predicts a bright NHL future for the Leafs prospect.

With tomorrow marking the beginning of the window in which teams can buy out players, Fletcher expects the franchise will receive a significant facelift the next four weeks as he tackles several relevant issues.

THE SUNDIN SAGA

Nicklas Lidstom would love to see Sundin in Detroit. Recent articles out of Montreal suggest the Leafs captain is a legitimate candidate to land with the Canadiens, with one story saying that his various business interests in Canada would make Montreal a better fit than Motown.

Where will Sundin land? Even his agent, J.P. Barry, said yesterday he does not know what the big Swede's plans are.

As one person close to Sundin said yesterday: "Mats is a good poker player. He is hard to read."

Fletcher wants to re-sign Mats and is willing to give him a no-trade deal before he becomes an unrestricted free agent July 1. To do that, the Leafs likely would need to up his 2007-08 salary of $5.5 million US.

"I've been exchanging calls with J.P.," Fletcher said. "We're on top of this. The rest is up to Mats."

Said Red Wings star Henrik Zetterberg of his fellow Swede: "My gut says he'll be back with the Leafs."

BUYOUT BLITZ?

If Tucker and goaltender Andrew Raycroft are among the targets for buyouts, it will not happen until after the entry draft next weekend.

"It will probably be June 27 or 28," Fletcher said, refusing to identify any candidates and adding that he will attempt to move players before buying them out. Tucker's agent, Carlos Sosa, said his client will not waive his no-trade clause under such a scenario.

FREE AGENT FRENZY

Buying 30-something free agents is not part of the plan.

"We are not interested in older free agents, guys in the 32, 33 or older range," said Fletcher, eyeing the beginning of the free agent period July 1.

Fletcher said the market will dictate who might be out of the Leafs' reach.

"There are two blue-chip defencemen out there, Brian Campbell and Wade Redden, and 29 teams looking at them. Is that realistic?" he said, adding he would like to strengthen the team at centre but noting "there are no real blue-chippers."

DRAFT DODGERS

Going into the June 20-21 entry draft in Ottawa, Fletcher already has been in discussions about moving both up and down from their No. 7 slot.

"We'll explore all options," Fletcher said. "If we really like a guy and can move up to get him, we'll look at it."

The top of the draft is heavy on defencemen, but league sources say the Leafs are intrigued by Nikita Filatov, the skilled winger who led Russia in scoring with nine points in seven games at the world junior championship.

Either way, Fletcher said the Leafs will pick the best available player as opposed to addressing a specific position.

"If we stay put, that's fine because we will get a blue- chipper at seven," he said. "A lot of years, you can't say that."

It's officially Cliff's show

Richard Peddie snipped off Cliff Fletcher's interim general manager tag yesterday, saying the Maple Leafs had begun shifting their search for a new hockey boss to "the robust free-agent class" of executives in the summer of 2009.

Prominent in that latter group is Brian Burke of the Anaheim Ducks, though, coincidentally, names such as Darcy Regier will be available next year, as well.

Peddie, the president and CEO of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment Ltd., one half of the GM search committee with sports lawyer Gord Kirke, was asked if their task was now on the back burner, with Fletcher making every key decision pertaining to the 2008-09 NHL season during the next three weeks.

"Gord and I did the due diligence, did analysis, spoke to a number of people and a trend developed that the best people are already signed," Peddie told Sun Media. "There have been reports that we've contacted other teams seeking permission (to talk) ... we've said all along that we'd be patient.

"At this stage, it definitely looks like it will take longer, maybe until next spring."

The name most linked with the job is Burke, who has been unable to wiggle out of the last year of his contract with the Ducks.

"Much like free agency with players, there is a robust free-agent class of executives (in 2009)," Peddie said.

That would include Burke and Regier, but not the firmly rooted Ken Holland and Jim Nill, the two men at the top of the Detroit Red Wings, which Peddie and Kirke call the model franchise for the Leafs.

Peddie agreed that the rush to bring someone in for this season has passed. Fletcher has hired a top coach in Ron Wilson and, within three weeks, the junior draft, contract buyouts and the best free-agent buys all will be settled.

"I don't go around addressing Cliff as interim GM and I wouldn't put that title on his business card," Peddie said with a laugh. "There was no guarantee we could get the person we wanted and that's the luxury of having Cliff here (on a 19-month contract expiring next summer).

"I read that Cliff is supposedly campaigning for the full-time job, but he has told me he plans to be touring Italy by next summer."

The 72-year-old Fletcher certainly was in command mode this week, hiring Wilson, announcing he wants a new player personnel director to replace Mike Penny, and another hockey executive to join Jeff Jackson and Doug Gilmour. The Wings' current operation features Jim Devellano as senior vice-president, Holland as VP/GM, Steve Yzerman as VP and Nill as assistant GM.

Peddie defended himself against charges of back-tracking on big talk that his hockey guru would have autonomy in all hirings.

"In business, a new president will often come in and inherit the vice-president and those under him," Peddie said. "A good example might be getting Ron Wilson, who has impeccable credentials and would be (valued) by anyone coming in."

Fletcher says it is business as usual for him.

"My contract is as a GM or consultant," he said. "When (he and Peddie) were discussing the possibility I said: 'Look, I'll run the team until such time as you find your guy'. But as you can tell by recent developments, I'm running it the only way I know how."

Losing no longer an option: Wilson

Ron Wilson, as colourful and quotable as ever, was introduced as the Maple Leafs' head coach yesterday, declaring that he's "not the Antichrist" he's been painted to be in some circles.

But as he prepares for his first season in the Vatican, as his pal Brian Burke called hockey's epicentre, he made comments that some of his players might find heretical.

Wilson declared that the culture of the Leafs' room needed to change, that the players required an improved defensive system and that one of the long-time fan favourites, Darcy Tucker, was starting to "wear down."

Even when it came to Toronto's young talent, something with which the Leaf hierarchy is trying to create some optimism, he conceded the cupboard is "a little bare."

Long-time Leaf observers would be hard-pressed to argue any of his points, but that kind of public honesty is rarely displayed by someone just signing on to the team boasting "the passion that unites us all."

It's a dramatic and refreshing contrast to the assertion of his predecessor, Paul Maurice, who last September, on the eve of a third consecutive season of missing the playoffs, promised that the Leafs would compete for the Stanley Cup.

"Maybe I'm the guy who can take a look at the team the way it should be looked at and bring a perspective from outside the organization," Wilson said. "Clearly, I'm not so desperate to coach a hockey team that I would lie my way in, saying things people want to hear so I can get a job and laugh my way to the bank. I want to win the Stanley Cup and it has to be done a certain way."

At the root of that, apart from his well-earned reputation for developing young talent, Wilson wants to change the collective mindset of a team that critics say has been too accepting of defeat. That may also mean major changes in personnel.

"There comes a point where you have to decide if the core has to change," said Wilson. "That can happen on a team and people need fresh starts somewhere else and a team needs leadership brought in, not a core that's gotten used to being mediocre. That's no longer acceptable. Making the playoffs is not our goal. Our goal is to win the Stanley Cup. Period.

"That's going to be clear from day one. I can't guarantee we're going to make the playoffs this year. I don't even know what type of team (we're going to have). The only thing I can guarantee is this team will not accept defeat. If they go down, they'll go down swinging. They'll compete hard every night. That (mentality) is what we have to create in this whole organization."

Wilson was quick to point out it will be Cliff Fletcher making any player moves, but that he would offer advice. For example, he plans a sit-down with Mark Bell, a player he coached in San Jose, to determine if he still might be effective after some tough times off the ice.

Wilson also wants to go over tape of Tucker's play to get a better sense of where he might fit in. Tucker's name comes up often in speculation on who Toronto might buy out.

"Darcy Tucker for years was one of my favourite hockey players, but ... he's starting to wear down. His role on the team, I'm not really sure. I want to spend some time over the next two weeks, watch some film closely, not as a fan but as a coach, and give Cliff my input. That's all I ask from Cliff, is a little bit of input."

Fletcher said he openly welcomes Wilson's suggestions.

"I've always worked closely with the coach. He'll definitely have input," he said. "If a coach wants a player, why wouldn't you let the coach have him, and if a coach really doesn't want a player on his team, it doesn't make an awful lot of sense to say, 'You've got to keep him.' "

On the ice, Wilson said one of his goals is to upgrade the Leafs' defensive play to augment a "great goaltender" in Vesa Toskala, who he used to coach in San Jose.

"What I think from watching the Leafs is this team needs a little bit more structure defensively; it needs to do a better job killing penalties," said Wilson, whose Sharks were one of the best defensive teams in the league.

"Little things like that, I think I can help make a difference here."

NOTES: Fletcher said he expects captain Mats Sundin to tell him what his plans are before he becomes an unrestricted free agent July 1. Fletcher said he'd be willing to give Sundin another one-year deal with a no-trade clause if that's what it takes to sign him. ... The Leafs have fired pro scout Shawn Simpson and replaced him with Pat Conacher. Fletcher said the team will also have a new director of player personnel in place for the draft.

The Toronto Star

Fletcher to remain as Leafs GM

Richard Peddie all but removed Cliff Fletcher’s "interim" general manager tag today, saying the Maple Leafs had begun shifting their search for a new hockey executive to “the robust free agent class” of executives in the summer of 2009.

Peddie, the president and CEO of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment Ltd., and one half of the GM search committee with sports lawyer Gord Kirke, was asked if their task was now on the back burner, with Fletcher set to make every key decision pertaining to the 2008-'09 NHL season.

“Gord and I did the due diligence, did analysis, spoke to a number of people and a trend developed that the best people are already signed,” Peddie told Sun Media. “There have been reports that we’ve contacted people seeking permission ... We’ve said all along that we’d be patient.

“At this stage, it definitely looks like it will take longer, maybe until next spring.”
The name most associated with the job of course is Anaheim Ducks’ general manager Brian Burke, who has been unable to wiggle out of the last year of his contract.

“Much like free agency with players, there is a robust free agent class of executives (in 2009),” Peddie said.

That would include Burke, but not Ken Holland and Jim Nill, the two men at the top of the Detroit Red Wings, which Peddie and Kirke call the model franchise for the Leafs.

Without mentioning Burke, Peddie said the Leafs have abided by league rules on tampering with execs under contract.

“From the moment we started the search, Gord met with (NHL commissioner) Gary Bettman and (deputy) Bill Daly,” Peddie said. “We’re the Leafs, of course they’re going to look at what we do. But we’ve been (careful).”

Peddie agreed the rush to bring someone in for this season has passed. Fletcher has hired an A-list coach in Ron Wilson and within three weeks, the junior draft, contract buyouts and the best free agents will all be settled.

“I don’t go around addressing Cliff as interim GM and I wouldn’t put that title on his business card,” Peddie said with a laugh. “There was no guarantee we could get the person we wanted and that’s the luxury of having Cliff here (on a 19-month contract expiring next summer).

“I read that Cliff’s supposedly campaigning for the full-time job, but he’s told me he plans to be touring Italy by next summer.”

Fletcher was certainly in command mode this week, hiring Wilson, announcing he wants a new player personnel director to replace Mike Penny and another hockey executive to join Jeff Jackson and Doug Gilmour. The Wings’ current operation features Jim Devellano as senior vice-president, Holland as VP and GM, Steve Yzerman as VP and Jim Nill as assistant GM.

Fletcher, hardly a novice at running a hockey team, has insisted he can’t let hockey business idle while the search committee is tied up and Peddie defended himself against charges of back-tracking on big talk that his hockey guru would have autonomy in all hirings.

“In business, a new president will often come in and inherit the vice-president and those under him,” Peddie said. “A good example might be Ron Wilson, who has impeccable credentials and would be (valued) by anyone coming in.”

Seeking the promised land

Ron Wilson "lived and died" with the Maple Leafs as a young fan in the 1960s and thrived on four Stanley Cups.

But as their new coach, saddled with a bare-bones' roster, nine players under 25 and a 41-year Cup drought, he'll need all of his famous humour, bravado and hockey smarts to survive the next few seasons.

Wilson officially came aboard yesterday, four years at $6.5 million US, the highest salary for a Leafs coach and one he'll no doubt have to earn. His mandate is clear, to change the losing culture, even if it means taking a step backward with a green lineup.

"You can't build Rome in a day, but you can peel it back and decide who stays and who goes," Wilson said. "Your players have to be given the right amount of sunshine and you've got to get rid of the weeds."

Best case scenario, the Leafs take a page from the Philadelphia Flyers, who went from last in the NHL two years ago to 95 points.

"I won't say in two years that it will be 1967 again. But you want to put yourself in position where you're knocking on the door. Then we'll be in position to knock it down."

Wilson goes from a Cup contender in San Jose to a team that has missed the playoff boat three straight years. That was under the watch of two coaches, Pat Quinn and Paul Maurice, whom Wilson greatly admired, which underlines just how tough his task will be.

"Maybe I'm the guy who can bring a new perspective," Wilson said. "I get pleasure out of helping young guys reach their potential. I'll go down swinging, making sure young guys will buy what I'm selling.

"You look at where I came from, every year we were putting three and four (rookies) into the lineup."

But this team carries an additional burden, decades of failure in the world's most heavily scrutinized hockey city. Wilson, who joked that his move to the United States in '67 was the root of the Cup hex, will have to steel his team's psyche for the years ahead.

"I don't worry about curses," Wilson said. "The New York Rangers buried their curse (54 years ending in 1994). The New York Yankees are my team and one of the worst days of my life was when the Red Sox came back from 3-0 and that Babe Ruth curse went out the window.

"Everyone seems to think the Leafs have sucked for 41 years. But a couple of times, they were a bounce away here and there. (In the late '70s when he played), they had a great team that was dismantled. You have to be patient. If the Red Wings don't win a Cup next year, they won't fire Mike Babcock and trade six guys."

Interim general manager Cliff Fletcher, beaming like a proud papa yesterday, firmly believes he has got the right man at the right time, just as he did with Pat Burns in 1992.

"Where Ron has really done well is putting young players in a situation where they'll have success, and that's critical," Fletcher said. "Look at the way he introduced Milan Michalek and Jonathan Cheechoo into the lineup and those young defencemen, Matthew Carle and Marc-Edouard Vlasic.

"None of those (nine young Leafs) may be 'A' players right now, but hopefully under Ron's coaching, we can develop some of them. I recall back in Calgary when we brought Bob Johnson in, he made Al MacInnis into a hockey player and he became a hall of famer."

Wilson agrees to take Maple Leafs job

The Toronto Maple Leafs appear to have filled their void behind the bench as Ron Wilson has reached an agreement in principle to become the team’s new head coach, Sportsnet has learned.

Wilson and Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment had been in negotiations over the weekend after the former coach of the San Jose Sharks received an initial offer to come to Toronto.

Wilson is believed to have agreed to a four-year deal that will put him among the five highest paid coaches in the league, this after the Leafs coming up significantly from their original offer.

"We have a verbal agreement but nothing's on paper yet," Leafs interim GM Cliff Fetcher told The Canadian Press on Sunday. "It isn't a contract until it's signed by the parties. And that won't happen for a couple of days.

"Wilson would succeed Paul Maurice, who was fired May 7 after missing the playoffs in back-to-back seasons. The 53-year-old was fired last month by San Jose after his team lost in the second round to the Dallas Stars. It was the fourth straight season Wilson had led the Sharks to the playoffs in his five seasons there.

Wilson, who grew up in Fort Erie, Ont., holds the Sharks coaching records for wins (206), winning percentage (.535) and post-season games coached (52). In 2004, he coached the Sharks to the Western Conference final. He has a 518-446-127 career record during stints with the Anaheim Ducks, Washington Capitals and the Sharks. Wilson also coached the U.S. to the 1996 World Cup of Hockey title, beating Canada in the final, and also led the Caps to the 1998 Stanley Cup final.

Fletcher says Wilson would be OK with T.O. media

Local TV stations have been running clips of Ron Wilson snapping at the media to underline the thorny side of the projected new coach of the Maple Leafs.

Wilson has coached more than 1,000 games, all in what can be termed non-traditional hockey markets: Anaheim, Washington and San Jose. Sensitive to being second-guessed, even for an NHL coach, Wilson never has faced four newspapers and four all-sports electronic outlets on a daily basis -- and that would be just daily practices.

But Cliff Fletcher, who hopes to have Wilson under contract by Monday, is confident his man won't burn in the atmosphere of the alleged centre of the hockey universe. The Leafs' interim general manager said that media and public relations weren't a significant part of the interview process earlier this week.

"You're talking about a guy who has coached in the Stanley Cup final, in the World Cup and the Olympics," Fletcher said. "I don't think there's a concern. And if you remember, he played here with the Leafs (in the late 1970s). He's well aware that things are different in Toronto with media coverage."

Fletcher said he could hear from Wilson by today about whether he's accepting the multi-year offer, which could be four years and worth close to $5-million US. A Monday deadline is in place for Wilson to accept.

GROUP 2S AN OPTION

It's believed that more NHL teams will break the supposed taboo on signing Group 2 free agents to offer sheets next month and Fletcher is certainly examining the possibility.

"In our case, we can't give up all the first-round draft picks for a high-profile player," Fletcher said. "But we might look at someone making (between $1.3 million and $2.6 million). That's not the same class, but it would only cost us a second rounder."

The top end Group 2s include Pittsburgh goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury, defencemen Jay Bouwmeester (Florida), Mike Green (Washington) and forwards Valtteri Filppula (Detroit), Corey Perry (Anaheim) and Jeff Carter (Philadelphia).

SCORING STAPLE

The Leafs hope good things come in small packages, signing Tim Stapleton to a two-way contract yesterday.

The 5-foot-9 forward played for ex-St. John's farm team coach Doug Shedden for the Finnish club Jokerit the past two years, recording a team-high 29 goals this past season and was fifth in Finnish Elite League points. Though born in the Chicago area and roughly the same size as Pat and Mike Stapleton, he is no relation to the famous NHL family.

Tim Stapleton had a prolific career at the University of Minnesota-Duluth from 2002 to 2006, with 152 points in 162 games.

"He's small, but prototypical NHL small, with tremendous speed," Fletcher said. "He'll get a legitimate chance at camp with the Leafs."

Russian prospect has 'good future' with Maple Leafs

Russian prospect Nikolai Kulemin could become the centrepiece of a Toronto Maple Leafs team that aims to put the focus on its youth next season.

The 21-year-old winger, who tied for fifth in Russian Super League scoring this season with 21 goals in 57 games, was house hunting in Toronto with his wife and his brother this week. According to interim general manager Cliff Fletcher, Kulemin will soon be given every opportunity to find a home with the Leafs.

"We feel that he has a good future and he's part of the way we want to go," said interim general manager Cliff Fletcher. "Very definitely [he will be in the NHL], based on his level of play to date."

Fletcher's plan is for the Leafs to rely more on their youngsters next season.

Ron Wilson, who is in negotiations to assume the head-coaching job in Toronto, has been picked more for his ability to develop youth than his winning record. The 53-year-old had 12 players aged 25 or younger when he took over the San Jose Sharks in 2002-03.

Next season, the Leafs figure to have at least 10.

"He'll be a good fit, because of his history in San Jose," Fletcher said of Wilson. "San Jose was one of the youngest teams in the league and he had a great record of integrating young players into his lineup and playing them with good players to accelerate their development."

The difference is that San Jose had a core group comprised of 23-year-old Scott Hannan, Patrick Marleau (22) and Brad Stuart (22) when Wilson was hired. The Leafs, by contrast, mostly have average youngsters with limited potential.

From Kyle Wellwood to Matt Stajan to Alex Steen, Toronto has plenty of homegrown talent in its system. But, so far, the team has failed to develop any of its draft picks into stars.

Kulemin, who was selected 44th overall by the Leafs in 2006, may be the exception.
The 6-foot-1, 183-pounder was named top rookie in his first season with Magnitogorsk Metallurg. He finished third with 27 goals a year later. And he was recently one of three finalists for the 2008 playoff MVP.

After signing Kulemin to a three-year, entry-level contract in May 2007, the Leafs expect to see him at next month's prospects camp in Toronto. After that, the team is hopeful that he will be one of many up-and-coming players to build upon for the future.

It is a familiar wish.

For years, the Leafs have been expecting great things from their draft choices. But, so far, few have developed into players worth building around.

Last season, Wellwood (25) and Stajan and Steen (both 24) combined for just 39 goals and 96 points. The only bright spot may have been puck-moving rookie defenceman Anton Stralman, who went on to represent Sweden in the world championships.

Still, Fletcher seems intent on going young -- regardless of whether it leads to a fourth missed playoff appearance.

"When you're in our situation," said Fletcher, "obviously we're going to have a lot of young players. The issue there is we have to bring their game to a higher level along with doing other things."