With yesterday’s acquisition of Clarke MacArthurs to a one year contract worth 1.1 million the Leafs salary cap hit currently sits at 58.7 million dollars leaving them with roughly 2 million dollars in cap space for the 2011 campaign. Examining the Leafs roster in greater detail it would appear on opening night their roster would include, 2 goaltenders, 9 defensemen and 12 forwards for a grand total of 23 players with the big club.  With promising forward prospects such as Kadri, Mueller, Hanson and D’Amigo not included in the 23 man roster in grows the speculation that Burke and management will need to shorten their list of defensemen.

With the trade speculation quieting down regarding Kaberle, the thoughts have to be focusing on what to do with Jeff Finger and his 3.5 million dollar salary. It would be great (but almost impossible) if the Leafs could trade him away for anything even if it was to a division rival. The most likely case for Finger seems to be he will be placed on waivers and sent down to the Marlies.  Finger will not be the happiest camper about this but at least he will then be in the Marlies line up every night, still able to live in Toronto and not have to re-locate his family. Lashoff can also start the season down in the AHL and receive big time minutes there while also keeping the Leafs defensemen on their toes.  Expect for opening night the Leafs defence to be: Kaberle, Phaneuf, Komisarek, Beauchemin, Schenn and Gunnarsson with Lebda being the healthy scratch.  With the crazy depth at defence their will be great inner competition for NHL spots which could lead this year’s Leafs defence core to be one of the strongest in the league.

With Finger being sent down, this will also help create great competition for a rookie to make the opening day roster up front. Early odds would give this opportunity to Kadri who is a highly skilled centre man who played most of his junior career with the London Knights. It is highly known that the centre ice position is the leafs greatest weakness and Kadri should be able to improve this problem. Whether or not he can be a first or second line centre already is the million dollar question asked around Leaf nation.  For opening night as of right now you can expect to see a roster looking as follows:

Versteeg        Bozak            Kessel
MacAarthur        Kadri            Kulemin
Caputi            Grabovski        Armstrong
Brown            Mitchell        Orr          (spare Sjostrom)

This is a respectable forward crop that has some young talent but will be hard pressed to fill the net on a consistent base this year.  If the Leafs could somehow swing one more deal to find a true number one centre that would be the ideal scenario. By getting a true number one centre it would relieve pressure on Kadri, and give Kessel a true playmaker to relieve the pressure on himself too.  The Leafs should consider parting with Kaberlee, Grabovski and even Bozak if needed. Although Bozak is a young and promising player he could be deemed expendable if the Leafs could have an all-star calibre centre men and Kadri for years to come.  If the Leafs are unable to lock down a number one centre it will make the task of making the playoffs that much tougher and by no means a guarantee.

Overall though the Eastern conference has arguably four “guarantee” playoff teams being:  Washington, Pittsburgh, Boston and Philadelphia.  The Devils should make the playoffs but they are no guarantee with a new head coach in place and the major roster changes that may still need to take place there if Kovalchuck finally signs. Tampa Bay and Buffalo are two teams the Leafs will need to win the season series against and those two teams are favourites of most to make the playoffs for obvious reasons. Therefore breaking this down there are: 4 guarantees, 3 good odd teams to make the playoffs and the Leafs would fall right behind in the eight spot. The scary thing though is this does not take into consideration Carolina who was one of the hottest teams post Olympics last year, or the Montreal Canadiens, New York Rangers and Ottawa Senators who will all be determined to make the playoffs this year as well.

In summary the Leafs will make the playoffs for sure if:

a.)They acquire a first line centre ( even at the expense of Kaberle or Bozak)
b.)They win the season series against teams such as the Lightning, Devils and Sabres
c.)Teams such as Carolina, Ottawa and Montreal don’t play above their heads
d.)The defence core has healthy competition
e.)Young forward prospers compete for open roster spots
f.)Finger gets sent down to open up needed cap space

Toronto Maple Leaf Odds for 2010 – 2011

Toronto Maple Leafs Stanley Cup Odds = +6000
Toronto Maple Leafs Eastern Conference Champ Odds =+2500

You can bet on it at Sportsbook.com where you will get $250 Free… Click here to learn more

Full 2010 – 2011 Stanley Cup Odds

The clause in Kaberle’s contract allowed Maple Leafs GM Brian Burke to deal Kaberle up until August 15th at midnight, but if he was not traded by midnight then the no-trade clause would kick in again.

Brian Burke was a busy man leading up to the August 15th Tomas Kaberle deadline, as he talked to many teams around the NHL who were interested in receiving the services of Kaberle.  Burke announced on Monday that Kaberle would remain a Toronto Maple Leaf, stating that many teams made offers to trade for Tomas, but non of them reflected the talent level of Kaberle.

Kaberle has been in Toronto his whole NHL career as he was an eighth round pick for the Leafs in the 1996 NHL Entry Draft.  In his 820 games played he has scored 80 goals and chipped in with 402 assists for a total of 482 points.  Kaberle had a bit of an “off” season offensively last year as he only netted 7 goals and 49 points in his 82 games played.  Tomas remained healthy all season playing in all 82 games for his sixth time in his 11 NHL seasons.

The Leafs want to compete for a playoff spot this year, and if Kaberle remains a Leaf for the duration of the season it will definitely help them rather than hurt the team.  Kaberle will most likely see powerplay time beside Dion Phaneuf who was acquired by the Leafs near the deadline last season.  The Leafs are listed at +6000 or 60/1 longshots for winning the Stanley Cup this year, but are definitely going to be in the hunt for a playoff spot with Brian Burke doing a solid job in the early years of this Maple Leaf rebuild.  You can bet on the Maple Leafs to win the Stanley Cup or make wagers on NHL games online at Sportsbook.com!

Now, without further ado, here are picks #6-#10 in the Everything Hockey Mock Draft 09:

#6 overall – Phoenix Coyotes select: Centre – Brayden Schenn – Brandon Wheat Kings

Schenn will be added to the quickly growing crop of young stars in Phoenix. With ownership stability up in the air, and a couple rebuilding years looming, Phoenix will be looking to add the best player available. Schenn is as much of a sure bet as they come. I’m not sure if he’ll make as quick of an impact as his brother Luke did, but we’ll see. With many scouts comparing him to the Flyers’ Mike Richards, you can expect him to turn out to be a gritty, 2-way, hard working forward. Phoenix would probably like to add a legit goaltending prospect, especially with rumours of Ilya Bryzgalov being traded, but like I said before, this year’s crop is way to weak to justify a top ten pick.

#7 overall – Toronto Maple Leafs select: Centre – Evander Kane – Vancouver Giants

The Leafs would be thrilled to see Kane drop to #7 and would gladly “settle for him.” Even if the reports of an attitude problem are true, GM Brian Burke would be sure to set him straight. The Leafs are not an organization that takes a lot of crap from people (except on the ice, of course). If the Leafs do end up setting him straight, they will have made a great selection at pick #7. This is assuming, of course, that Burke fails in his attempt to move up. If he reaches his potential, he could easily carry an entire team’s offense. Brian Burke has also stated that he does not look at position when drafting, it’s all about who the best player available is.

#8 overall – Dallas Stars select: Defenceman – Oliver Ekman-Larsson – Leksands IF

Dallas needs help in a lot of places. Their list of bona fide prospects isn’t all that big, most of them are on the team already. They’ll be happy to take anyone, really. I think Ekman-Larsson just fits in nicely with the Stars’ system. A big stud on defence may help turn the tide for them. The season was very up and down for the Stars, and some solid defence may add some stability to their lineup.

#9 overall – Ottawa Senators select: Centre – Nazem Kadri – London Knights

The Ottawa Senators have a ton of firepower. Heatley, Spezza, Alfredsson and the gang sure know how to put the puck in the back of the net, but generating scoring chances was a problem for them this season. A big playmaking Centre like Kadri would be a welcome addition to their offence, and if he’s still around at #9, they’ll definitely take him. When I say “big playmaking centre” I don’t mean it in a physical sense, at 5’11 – 175 he certainly won’t be intimidating many players. I say it in a game-breaking sense. Kadri’s speed and grit can generate a ton of offense for a team.

#10 overall – Edmonton Oilers select: Centre – Jacob Josefson – Djurgardens IF

Jacob Josefson didn’t impress very many scouts at the World Juniors, but in his defense, he was very sick. He was held pointless, and was a minus 1 in the tournament. He speed is something to behold, and he put up very solid numbers in the Swedish league, especially since he was playing on the fourth line, and against grown men. He’s a bit of a project pick, but he certainly has a bright future. he is sometimes described as a “typical Swedish forward,”  and you can expect him to develop in Sweden for a few more years before heading over to North America.

That concludes the top ten picks in the Everything Hockey mock draft. Here is #1-5 in detail, and here it all is in list form:

1. NYI – John Tavares
2. TB – Victor Hedman
3. COL – Matt Duchene
4. ATL – Jared Cowan
5. LA – Magnus Paajarvi-Svensson
6. PHX – Brayden Schenn
7. TOR – Evander Kane
8. DAL – Oliver Ekman-Larsson
9. OTT – Nazem Kadri
10. EDM – Jacob Josefson

I hope you have enjoyed my preview so far. Once the Stanley Cup final has concluded I will put up the rest of the results. Let me know what you think, if you agree or disagree with one of my picks. Drop a comment and see you next time!