Leafs' Stralman stars for Sweden - faceoff.com

QUEBEC CITY-Anton Stralman, brimming with confidence from his experience here, may go from skating for Team Sweden to playing for the Toronto Marlies in the AHL playoffs.

The slick skating defenceman intially declined the Maple Leafs wishes to join its farm team for the playoffs and asked, instead, to accept Sweden's invitation to play at the world championship. Toronto relented when it was assured that Stralman would play a significant role here with the Swedes.

He certainly has.

Stralman was named player of the game for Sweden yesterday. Though he struggled with some of Canada's big forwards at times - who hasn't in this tournament? - he played a strong 22 minutes and scored two goals on excellent shots.

Stralman has averaged more about 17 minutes a game, seen action on the power play and been a contributor offensively with four goals and three assists in seven games in this tournament. He's also a plus 7 and even got in a fight with Russia's Ilya Kovalchuk in an earlier game. Stralman is convinced he made the right choice to come here.

"This is a better way to develop as a player," he said. "Every game is against the best in the world, Canada is probably the best team I've ever played against and probably will play against for a while. They have so many stars, such good stars."

Stralman said his time here has been a huge "boost of confidence" after struggling at times during his rookie campaign with the Leafs.

"It was kind of tough in Toronto at first, when you don't play that much and you don't feel that confident about yourself. It's hard to play your game," he said.

"It's obviously a great experience to come here and get some more ice time and get the opportunity to play my game to gain some confidence for next year and try to have the guts to play my game when I get to training camp."

Stralman said he has been following the Marlies' playoff drive on the internet and on the radio. He said it would "be kind of fun" to join the team now. The Marlies opened their AHL semifinal against the Wolves at Chicago last night.

The 21-year-old is, however, also wary of parachuting in and bumping a player from the lineup who has already been part of the team's playoff success. After declining to join the team initially, he's unsure how that would be perceived.

Stralman said he will return to Toronto after today's bronze medal match, sit down with interim GM Cliff Fletcher and discuss what the team thinks would be best for him."

The Leafs' 'calm before the storm'

The holiday weekend was short-lived for Maple Leafs brass and some of its front-office staff.
Interim general manager Cliff Fletcher will gather his pro scouts tonight in Toronto to begin several days of meetings, which will include looking ahead to the free-agency period beginning July 1 and evaluating the Leafs' roster as it stands today.

"It's about discussing where we need to go as a team and hashing out the months ahead," Fletcher said. "We're at the point where it's the calm before the storm, and we know a big storm is coming."

It's possible the club will identify which players will be bought out in June. Among those who the Leafs could pay to give them their freedom include forwards Darcy Tucker and Mark Bell and goaltender Andrew Raycroft.

Fletcher and assistant GM Jeff Jackson will try to get a handle on which free agents should be pursued in July. It's a tough spot for the pair, because if a new GM is hired prior to July 1, different decisions could be made. But Fletcher and Jackson have no choice but to assume they will be in charge for the coming weeks.

The crop of free agents this summer is not overly deep, but the Leafs should have a good idea of what they will be looking for. Goaltending won't be an issue as Vesa Toskala has a two-year, $8-million US contract that kicks in next season, though the Leafs will need a backup if Raycroft is set adrift. The Leafs need plenty of help at forward and the defence corps doesn't exactly have opposing teams cowering in their skates.

Bigger names available to the highest bidder in six weeks include Marian Hossa, Wade Redden, Brian Campbell, Daymond Langkow, Sean Avery and Mark Streit.

The consensus is the Leafs need years of rebuilding before they can be competitive again, so a Paul Holmgren-like quick fix won't be coming in the following months. One bonus is that when the Leafs pick at No. 7 in the entry draft next month in Ottawa, they will have a shot at a blue-chip prospect.

Coach Gilmour? Could be

The Maple Leafs' next coaching staff could be killer.

While it might be a long shot, Doug Gilmour made it clear yesterday he is ready to move closer to the action.

For the past two seasons, Gilmour has been the Leafs' player development adviser and has spent most of the club's home games watching from the press box. But the 44-year-old, whose last NHL game as a player was in 2003 with Toronto, wants to take his hockey knowledge behind the bench and become a coach. A role as an assistant coach is Gilmour's aspiration.

"I think the time is right," Gilmour said yesterday from his cottage near Kingston. "I've been five years out of the game (as a player) and you need that. But I want to get back into it.

"I'm not looking for a head coaching job. It's all baby steps, like it has been with working in management. At the same time, I know where I want to go, whether it is in the pros or the minors.

"It's hard to say right now what will happen and I won't really know until a new general manager and coach are hired."

There's no telling yet what the Leafs coaching staff will look like when camp opens in September, other than it will include Keith Acton, who was retained when Paul Maurice and Randy Ladouceur were fired last week. Another assistant, Dallas Eakins, has been asked to work in another capacity in the organization, and interim general manager Cliff Fletcher said yesterday he plans to talk to Eakins next week.

Once a new GM is hired, the next step will be to bring in a coach. Gilmour will be looking for an interview.

"We've talked about it and we know Doug would like to get into coaching," Fletcher said. "We would arrange for him to meet with the (new GM and/or coach)."

The Leafs' search for a GM, meanwhile, is on hiatus for the holiday weekend.

It won't be a snap for Leafs search team

Just as the Maple Leafs couldn't buy their way to happiness in the salary cap era, they've found they can't snap their fingers and put together an all-star front office.

Almost all of the best personnel is happily employed elsewhere, and those who are available have a few other options this year with up to 10 teams looking for general managers or coaches:

DEFINITE OPENINGS

- Maple Leafs (coach and GM) -- The Leafs have been turned down so far in attempts to talk to big names such as Brian Burke, Doug Wilson and Ken Holland. Jim Rutherford has the green light if asked. They have interviewed Dave Nonis for some kind of special assistant's role as a possible bridge to Burke and there is no shortage of willing candidates, such as Doug Armstrong, with Colin Campbell and others in the shadows.

The latest rumour is that if Burke is lured here, he will bring ex-Sharks' coach Ron Wilson with him, even though Joel Quenneville or Craig Hartsburg would be better suited for this media market.

It is believed the Leafs search team will not conduct interviews over the long weekend.

Blake would rather stay

The agent for Maple Leafs winger Jason Blake disputed a published report last week that his client is unhappy and wouldn't object to a trade.

"Jason called me after that story came out and assured he wants to win in Toronto," Minneapolis-based Neil Sheehy said. "He didn't say anything in the story that (general manager) Cliff Fletcher hasn't said before, that the Leafs could be looking to make changes and I've spoken to Cliff to (underline) that."

But Blake was a disappointment in the first of a five-year, $20-million US contract, scoring just 15 times. That deal makes it almost impossible to move him (the Leafs tried unsuccessfully last season) or buy him out.

Blake, who is a finalist for the Bill Masterton Trophy after his season-long bout with a treatable form of leukemia, continues to lead a near-normal life with medication in pill form.

Nonis meets with Peddie as Leafs' GM search rolls on

Now that the Maple Leafs know that Wayne Gretzky is not interested in the job as general manager, perhaps everyone can get on with their lives.

TSN reported yesterday that Gretzky is not interested in leaving the Phoenix Coyotes, where he is coach and part owner, to come to Toronto. Not that there has been much of an indication the Leafs were of the mind to bring Gretzky in for an interview.

Gretzky, who likes coaching the Coyotes, appears to have fallen into that category of big names who have so much as held a hockey stick in the NHL must have a connection to the Leafs' GM position.

Instead, Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment Ltd. president Richard Peddie met with Dave Nonis yesterday, and there's a theory making the rounds that Toronto would like to hire the former GM of the Vancouver Canucks to be by the side of interim GM Cliff Fletcher through the important summer months that include the entry draft and the free agency period.

But sources in Vancouver have indicated Nonis has no interest in becoming an associate or assistant GM -- he wants the same title and role he had in Vancouver. If the Leafs want him to be something else, they might not get anywhere with Nonis. He reportedly also has interest from the Atlanta Thrashers and St. Louis Blues.

The idea that Nonis would be a bridge to the hiring of Brian Burke next summer won't go away.
There remains the thought in some quarters that the Burke-to-Toronto move is not as dead as it is being made out to be, and some refuse to say it won't happen this summer.

Two other men who have been linked to the Leafs vacancy -- NHL senior executive and director of hockey operations Colin Campbell and Neil Smith, who was interviewed in Toronto when John Ferguson got the job nearly five years ago -- were contacted yesterday by Sun Media, but neither was in a talkative mood.

"I haven't heard from them at all," Smith said.

NO WORD

Campbell, who has had the support of NHL commissioner Gary Bettman for the job, was asked whether the Leafs had been in contact with him and if so, would he be interested.

Via e-mail, Campbell said it "would not be proper to comment."

Peddie has remained concrete in his claim that the club won't rush into a decision and eventually will hire a proven winner. But many of the men Peddie and Gord Kirke had in mind -- from Ken Holland to Doug Wilson to Lou Lamoriello to Bob Gainey and others -- won't be in Toronto for any reason next season other than to watch their current teams play.

Nonis is not a proven winner, and has more in common with Ferguson than he does with any of the higher-profile people who won't be hired.

Peddie, Nonis and Kirke did not return phone calls yesterday.

Leafs Fire Maurice

When Cliff Fletcher took over the GM responsibilities from John Ferguson Jr., he promised there would be changes to the organization. Those changes began today.

The Toronto Maple Leafs have fired coach Paul Maurice and sources tell TSN that the team has approached the Vancouver Canucks asking for permission to speak with recently fired GM Dave Nonis.

Nonis would be brought in to handle the Leafs' managing duties through next season, with speculation suggesting the Maple Leafs would then approach Brian Burke at the conclusion of the season, with designs on Burke overseeing the entire hockey operation with Nonis continuing to occupy a management role as well.

"My objective is to create the best environment possible for the next Leafs general manager to bring in his own staff and to create a new culture around the team," Fletcher said in a statement regarding the Maurice-firing.

"Since the season ended we've spent considerable time evaluating our organization and how best to move it forward. Paul has been in a difficult position for several months. Making this decision now also provides the best opportunity for Paul to pursue all options potentially open to him."

The move didn't come as a surprise to Maurice, who sensed that his job could be in jeopardy after after another disappointing season that saw the Maple Leafs miss the playoffs for the second straight season.

"You know the way the season ended up and the changes that are going to take place on the team," Maurice told The Canadian Press from his Toronto home. "So I was very aware that it was a possibility.

"I can't say that I was surprised."