Leafs settle for 7th

It had started out as a day full of optimism and intrigue. But as the hours wore on, it quickly transformed into disappointment.

The Toronto Maple Leafs did not land John Tavares. They did not trade up for the second straight year to allow top prospect Brayden Schenn to join his brother in the Leafs lineup. And they failed to acquire an extra first-round draft choice or potential 40-goal scorer by moving Tomas Kaberle out of the city.

But general manager Brian Burke, who selected forward Nazem Kadri of London, Ont., with the seventh-overall selection at last night's NHL Draft, does not believe he failed -- even if the sold-out Bell Centre serenaded him with a chorus of boos.

"Could we have moved up? Easily," Burke said. "We could have done it on the floor and we could have done it two weeks ago if we put Luke Schenn in the deal. And, to me, that's a step backwards for our franchise. My ego is not that big where I have to get up there with the first two picks."

Burke said the New York Islanders, who drafted Tavares with the first overall selection, did not entertain any offers for their No. 1 pick. He added that any talks to acquire Tampa Bay's No. 2 pick involved giving up Schenn, who was named to the NHL's All-Rookie Team last season.

"I think for the Toronto Maple Leafs we made a prudent decision to keep a kid who I think we'll be our captain in a couple of years," Burke said of Schenn, "and added another kid [Kadri] who is going to be an important part to our team down the road."

Though a deal fell through to trade Kaberle, the puck-moving defenceman will likely not be in Toronto by the end of the summer.

The exact details of the transaction were unclear. But the Boston Bruins had reportedly offered forward Phil Kessel as part of a package for Kaberle, which involved also involved draft picks.

While Burke refused to divulge what prevented the trade from happening, he repeated that he is in no rush to part ways with Kaberle, whose trade value should escalate after the July 1 free-agency period begins.

"I will only trade Tomas Kaberle reluctantly," he said. "I think he is a good player and a good person and he's at a good cap number. That being said, my job is to improve our team by turning over every stone.

"The sequence, in my opinion, is that now that [Chris] Pronger has moved, the next move will be [Jay] Bouwmeester and then my phone will ring off the hook."

For now, Burke is focused on the player he selected last night and the rest of today's draft. Barring any trades, the Leafs will have two picks in the second round (50th and 58th) and one each in the third, fifth, sixth and seventh rounds.

In Kadri, Toronto adds a 5-foot-11, 175-pound playmaking forward with speed to burn and a nose for the net.

The 18-year-old was believed to be ranked among the top three a year ago when he scored 25 goals and 65 points and helped the Kitchener Rangers reach the Memorial Cup final. But after breaking his jaw with the London Knights earlier this season, he was criticized for his lack of consistency.