Burke drafts his plan for Leafs

As with any major construction project, it takes a while to see the results.

But, yesterday, as general manager Brian Burke continued the teardown of the Maple Leafs, he added some valuable bricks and mortar for the foundation of a squad that will eventually be more competitive, possibly as early as next season.

Burke didn't get the No.1 draft pick he coveted; an austere market didn't allow for that kind of home run. But, by moving out Dominic Moore and Nik Antropov, two players headed for unrestricted free agency, the GM bulked up his stock of draft picks.

He also didn't take on any additional contracts that carry into next season, so he should have about $17 million (all figures U.S.) to spend this summer even though he already has 16 players under contract. That should allow for some quick rebuilding either through free agency or the ability to trade for contracts.

"We're positioned well from a cap standpoint. I think you folks know I'm not big on doing nothing. We intend to be aggressive this summer on a lot of different fronts," Burke said.

The Leafs also shut down red-hot goaltender Vesa Toskala for the rest of the season so he could undergo hip and groin surgery. He'll be replaced by ineffective Senators netminder Martin Gerber, who was claimed on re-entry waivers as a stop-gap measure.

Toronto, then, has weakened itself considerably by removing two of its top four scorers and its No.1 goaltender.

That, despite Burke's protests that his team will strive to win every game, will make victories difficult down the stretch.

But it should lift the value of Toronto's No.1 pick, possibly giving the team a shot at top prospect John Tavares in the lottery.

Beyond that top pick, the draft will hold much intrigue for Leaf fans this year. Toronto went from having two picks in the first four rounds to having five, with the possibility of a sixth.

"This is an opportunity to put some draft picks back into the hopper. It was an important part of the rebuilding process here," Burke said.

He sent Moore to Buffalo for a second-round pick and Antropov to the New York Rangers, also for a second-rounder. There is the possibility of an additional fourth-round pick coming Toronto's way in the Antropov deal should the Rangers win two playoff rounds.

In one of the more creative deals of the day, Burke essentially traded cap space to Tampa for a fourth-round pick. The Leafs sent the Lightning minor-league defenceman Richard Petiot for three injured players with expiring contracts (goaltender Olaf Kolzig, Jamie Heward and Andy Rogers) plus a fourth-round pick. For covering off the remainder of those contracts, an amount in the area of $500,000, the Leafs get that additional pick.

"The trainer is not going to have to tape my wrists from doing cartwheels, but I'm pleased with what was done," Burke said.

In addition to claiming Gerber, who also has an expiring contract, the Leafs picked up hard-nosed defenceman Erik Reitz on re-entry waivers from the New York Rangers. The 26-year-old from Detroit played 42 games for Minnesota and New York this season, picking up a goal, an assist and 65 penalty minutes.

Reitz is currently wearing a walking cast after taking a shot off his ankle. He could be ready to play as early as this weekend, but his absence gives a temporary reprieve to Jonas Frogren who was going to be demoted yesterday. Reitz becomes a restricted free agent this summer and the Leafs will have a chance to evaluate him down the stretch.

The Leafs did send forward Tim Stapleton back to the Marlies yesterday.

The team also announced that defenceman Tomas Kaberle will be out 10 days to two weeks after suffering another injury in his right hand. He's just back from missing a month with a broken bone in that hand.

Leafs' prospect blossoms in NCAA

It is the great Canadian dream, to grow up to be an NHL star. But there are hockey dreamers in other countries, and Viktor Stalberg was one of them.

Little Viktor, and he was little back then, used to imagine leaving Sweden for a life in the National Hockey League. It was all he wanted to do. Kids, though, become teenagers. Expectations change. And Stalberg's dreams grew less grand as the years passed. Playing for Frolunda in Sweden's top junior league, his teammates and his opponents kept getting bigger while little Viktor stayed small.

"Until I was 16 years old, I was probably one of the better players in my region, if not in all of Sweden," Stalberg says. "But I just didn't grow. Guys I played with were all 6-foot-3 and 185 pounds, and I was 5-foot-7."

Size matters, even in Sweden, and so Frolunda cut the pint-sized forward loose. Stalberg downgraded his dreams from wanting to play in the best league in the world to hopefully, with some luck, landing a scholarship to an NCAA Division III school.

But while he was waiting for a U.S. college to call, little Viktor began to grow. Now, Viktor Stalberg is a 6foot-3, 200-pound Division I star at the University of Vermont, and a candidate for the Hobey Baker Award given to the top player in the U.S. college game. He is also dreaming again, about playing in the NHL.

"Do I think Viktor is ready to play in the NHL right now? Probably not," Vermont's head coach Kevin Sneddon says. "But the bottom line is, he is 6-foot-3 and the fastest skater in college hockey. He has a quick-release shot, and there are a lot of parts to his game that are already at the NHL level. I think the Leafs are going to be very happy to have him some day. I just hope that day isn't too soon."

The Toronto Maple Leafs picked the late blooming Swede in the sixth round of the 2006 NHL draft. Sixthround draft picks are not supposed to pan out. They are hockey's 100-1 shots. When the talking heads make declarations about the Leafs' cupboards being bare, the sixth-round picks are not even considered.

But maybe on the bottom shelf in the back corner of the Leafs' cupboards there is a big Swede waiting. Dallas Eakins, Toronto's director of player development, has made multiple visits to Vermont this season to watch Stalberg play.

"I think it was Viktor I went to see my very first weekend on the road," Eakins says. "What struck me was that you'd be sitting there, and Viktor would come out for his first shift and you'd be like, 'Oh man, this is a very good player at the college level.' And then you'd be sitting there and thinking, did I just miss three rounds of shifts, because you wouldn't see him. He would disappear, and then he would come back and give you another teaser shift."

Eakins told Stalberg to stop being a tease. He wanted him to be assertive, and to believe that he was the best player out there every shift - and not just every fourth shift - because he was the best player out there when he wanted to be.

It was the same message Stalberg kept hearing from his coach.

"They want me to keep using my speed as much as possible and to really focus on being a threat every time I step on the ice," says the 23year-old.

Stalberg has a 3.6 grade point average, and is majoring in business administration - not basket weaving - and so he took the instructions to heart. As soon as he did, the pucks started going in and Vermont began climbing in the NCAA polls. Stalberg currently leads the Hockey East Division with 20 goals and 36 points in 32 games.

"This is my first year here where I have had a player that is so dominant," Sneddon says.

The Leafs know about big, dominant Swedes. In fact, Mats Sundin is Stalberg's favourite player.

But big Viktor Stalberg, the late bloomer, may need a few more years to grow.

"He is a standout player on his team, and he is somebody if you went to a game you would notice him, and he is on the right track," says Eakins. "But development for these guys is like climbing a mountain. You don't just go straight up. You go up a little bit, and then you go down through a valley to get to the next rise. And he has had his ups and downs, but he continues to climb that mountain."

Gerber wins debut with Leafs

WASHINGTON - On a night when a rare no-show by Alexander Ovechkin should have been the main story, it was the appearance of a nondescript goalie that stole the show at the Verizon Center.

Despite missing the National Hockey League's top gunner with a bruised heel, the Washington Capitals were able to pepper the Toronto Maple Leafs with a bevy of prime scoring opportunities, but it took them almost the entire game to fool Martin Gerber, who had a memorable debut in blue and white.

The beleaguered goalie - buried in the minors when he was claimed off waivers from Ottawa at the NHL trade deadline Wednesday - stopped 37 shots in a 2-1 victory for the Leafs, and had a strong bid for a shutout ruined by Alexander Semin with just 38.6 seconds left on the clock.

"It would have been nice to finish off the shutout, but I'm very pleased with the victory on an emotional night," said Gerber, thrilled to get another chance in the NHL. "I was kind of nervous going into the game, but I settled down and the guys did a good job allowing me to see most of the shots. The win was very rewarding."

Gerber, the first Toronto goalie since Felix Potvin to wear jersey No. 29, looked poised and confident throughout the match, displaying what coach Ron Wilson described as his "Quebec" style.

"(Gerber) was unbelievable tonight, but I've seen him play plenty of games like that," said Wilson. "He's a butterfly goalie with a big upper body, and I'm just sad that he didn't get the shutout."

The Swiss netminder, who Wilson said will start Saturday's game against the Edmonton Oilers, made a variety of difficult stops to lead the way for the Leafs. He thwarted the Capitals' Tomas Fleischmann on a clear breakaway early in the middle frame, then began the third period by robbing David Steckel with a remarkable stick save, as the Washington forward only had to lift the puck over the sprawled netminder into a yawning cage.

Goals by forward Lee Stempniak and defenceman Pavel Kubina in a 3:42 span midway through the final period broke a scoreless deadlock and sent the Leafs to their fifth victory in six games. It was Toronto's first regulation-time result in eight starts, dating to Feb. 17.

Though the Capitals cleared Ovechkin to play after the morning skate, the 46-goal shooter felt he couldn't dress for the game, having blocked a shot with his foot in practice on Wednesday.

"I made the decision after the skate," he told a swarm of media in the press box during the first intermission. "It wasn't bad enough to have an X-ray or MRI and I hope to be able to play on Sunday (against Pittsburgh). But, it definitely needed a rest tonight."

Ovechkin had missed only one prior match with injury - in his rookie season, 2005-06 - and had feasted on the Maple Leafs, with 13 goals in 14 career meetings.

"It's hard to watch your teammates once every thousand games or something," Ovechkin cracked. "I just have to sit and cheer for them."

It didn't work.

"He's not their only talented player," Wilson scoffed at reporters. "They have a few other guys that can put the puck in the net, and we don't have anyone close to Ovechkin. So, don't use his absence as an excuse (for the Capitals losing)."

Stempniak broke the ice by sneaking a shot past Jose Theodore on the short side at 6:05 of the final frame. Kubina then one-timed John Mitchell's pass from behind the net to give the Leafs some insurance.

Gerber glad for shot as Leaf

WASHINGTON-A travel-weary Martin Gerber landed in the lobby of the glitzy Ritz Carlton hotel last night, the end of an all-day journey that began with the prospect of him finishing his season as a minor-leaguer and ended with him as the No. 1 goalie for the Maple Leafs.

"I didn't expect it," said Gerber. "This is a big opportunity for me. I'm really glad to be here. I'm happy someone decided to give me a shot."

Gerber - a failure in two-plus seasons in Ottawa - gets a shot at NHL redemption because the Leafs' top goalie, Vesa Toskala, is heading to an operating table in Vail, Colo.

Toskala will have hip surgery performed by specialist Dr. Marc Philippon that will shut him down for the duration of this season. That will be followed, at an unspecified time, by groin surgery.

Toskala should be ready to begin full workouts in mid-summer.

"The decision to have the surgery now is based on the recovery period, to maximize the possibility of recovering for next year," Leafs GM Brian Burke explained.

With his No. 1 netminder out of the picture until training camp, Burke claimed Gerber from the Ottawa Senators on re-entry waivers. Gerber is expected to start tonight, and get the bulk of the assignments the rest of the way as he tries to salvage his reputation as an NHL goalie. He faces unrestricted free agency July 1 after an unremarkable stint with the Senators.

Gerber struggled so badly with the Sens - he had a 4-9-1 record with a .899 save percentage - that he was banished to the AHL's Binghamton Senators. Gerber didn't want to talk about his time with Ottawa, a team that has had continued trouble settling on a goalie.

"There's no reason to talk about Ottawa, it's over; doesn't matter who was right or wrong," said the 34-year-old Gerber. "It hasn't been fun so far. I have to take this opportunity and give it a shot."

The Leafs also acquired netminder Olaf Kolzig from Tampa yesterday but, since Kolzig is out for the season with an injury and has an expiring contract, it was just a paper transaction that also brought Toronto a fourth-round draft pick. Gerber also has an expiring contract and the Leafs and Sens will split what is left on the $3.7 million (U.S.) he is owed this season.

Toskala, playing his best hockey in recent weeks, said the decision to go under the knife was made in concert with management with an eye towards next season.

"The recovery might take quite a long time," said Toskala. "It kind of makes sense in many ways so I don't have to rush back. I can get myself ready for the next season. It's a big year for me and hopefully for the Leafs and with the Olympics, so it just makes sense.

"I'm going to be 100 per cent next year. No excuses."

Burke and head coach Ron Wilson both publicly criticized Toskala for his poor practice habits earlier this year and yesterday Burke said he apologized to the netminder if it was indeed health issues that were holding him back.

"We are on the same page now so that's the only thing that matters," said the 31-year-old Toskala.

Both Burke and Wilson expressed confidence in Toskala as Toronto's No. 1 goaltender going forward.

"I'm still a big Vesa guy. He hasn't been healthy and he's still been playing great," said Wilson.

Burke said the Leafs could have just gone with prospect Justin Pogge for the rest of the season but they opted to get a proven NHL goaltender to keep the team more competitive.

"We don't want to pull Justin Pogge out of the minors and force him to play here," said Wilson. "It's very important to us that (Pogge) continues to develop with the Marlies and that he gets to play in the playoffs with the Marlies."

Mixed emotions for N.Y.-bound Antropov

TORONTO - Nik Antropov, the lanky Toronto Maple Leafs forward and a lifer with the team since that drafted him 10th overall in 1998, settled in Wednesday to watch TSN's coverage of the National Hockey League's annual trade deadline day swap meet just like he always does.

Antropov watched the names of the traded players popping up on his television set. There was Mikael Tellqvist, a former teammate, getting shipped from Phoenix to Buffalo, and Olli Jokinen leaving the desert, too, for Calgary.


And on it went. The deals kept rolling in, and Antropov was still watching until about 2:40 p.m. ET when the 29-year-old's afternoon was interrupted by a phone call from his boss, Leafs general manager Brian Burke.


"I was just treating it like another deadline that I have watched, like it was nothing special," Antropov said. "And then I see my name come up there on television. (Burke) called me about three minutes before they announced the trade on television. This is something that I have never been through. I can't really describe it."


It is a confusing thing, being traded. Especially for the first time, especially after nine seasons of loyal service to the only NHL team on his resume. Antropov knew the trade was coming. He had anticipated it for weeks.


Even so, one minute Antropov was a Toronto Maple Leaf and the next minute Burke was on the phone telling him he was a member of the New York Rangers, thanking him for his years of service and wishing him good luck.


Was Wednesday, then, a happy day or sad day?


"It is a little bit of both," Antropov said. "I have been here long enough to make this city my home, but then the organization decided to go in a different direction. So I am excited that somebody wanted me."


Antropov netted the Leafs a second-round draft pick and a conditional selection from New York. Glen Sather, the general manager that wanted him, called Antropov - who will jump to the top of the Rangers' stat sheet with 21 goals and 46 points without having played a game for them - 15 minutes after Burke. Sather welcomed his new addition and told Antropov he would see him later Thursday in Long Island where the ex-Leaf will make his Rangers debut against the New York Islanders.


"He's a gifted goal-scorer," Sather said on a conference call. "I think he will help us in the goal-scoring department, and he's a talented guy."


Antropov harboured mixed emotions about the trade. But his wife, Lena, had one: she was sad. The couple has two young children and the road trip Antropov was about to be going on to New York would be different than all the rest.


Antropov had not even started packing yet when a reporter reached him at home about an hour after the deal.


"My wife's pretty sad," he said. "But the March break is coming up soon, so my family will be coming to New York for a visit."


Antropov is an unrestricted free agent on July 1, so he is not sure how long the move to Broadway will be for. And beyond this season, who knows? He could sign anywhere. It is an exciting possibility, and scary, and definitely different. But no matter where the road leads for Antropov, who became a Canadian citizen during his time with the Leafs, he will always return to the city where he got his start.


"I love Toronto," he said. "It is a great place and it is always going to be home. It doesn't matter where I am playing. Toronto is where I will retire.


"Toronto is my home."