The Maple Leafs Forever (NHL 10 Be A GM)

[Lightbringer719]

Leafs trade Kaberle to Columbus for 4th overall pick, Brassard
Friday, June 25th, 2010

LOS ANGELES -- Maple Leafs GM Brian Burke rectified the team's lack of a key first rounder with a huge trade that sees established defenseman Tomas Kaberle traded in exchange for the Columbus Blue Jackets' 4th overall pick and promising young forward Derick Brassard.

Kaberle had been the subject of many trade rumours in the weeks leading up to tonight's NHL draft, and Columbus had the perfect deal set in place that would benefit both teams. The Leafs are expected to pick either defenseman Cam Fowler, or promising young forward Christopher Forte with their pick. Stay with TSN and TSN.ca for more NHL Draft coverage.

Final Top 10 Draft Rankings

1. Taylor Hall, LW, Windsor
2. Tyler Seguin, C, Plymouth
3. Erik Gudbranson, D, Kingston
4. Cam Fowler, D, Windsor
5. Ryan Johansen, C, Portland
6. Christopher Forte, LW, Oshawa
7. Brandon Gormley, D, Moncton
8. Martin Holt, LW, Brandon
9. Nino Niederreiter, LW, Portland
10. Brett Connolly, RW, Prince George

[Lightbringer719]

1st Round Draft Results: Oilers take Hall, Bruins draft Seguin, Leafs nab Forte

1st overall - EDM drafts Taylor Hall
To no one's surprise, the Oilers picked the Windsor Spitfires' superstar forward with the first overall pick. The 18-year old had a memorable season with the Spits, leading them to a 2nd straight OHL President's Cup victory and a consecutive Memorial Cup win. Hall also picked up tournament MVP for his stellar performance.

2nd overall - BOS (acquired from TOR) drafts Tyler Seguin
With the 2nd overall pick acquired from the Maple Leafs, the Bruins drafted a talented centre, who has the hands to set up scoring plays. Seguin is expected to make an immediate jump right into the NHL.

3rd overall - FLA drafts Cam Fowler
He played a major role in America's World Junior victory back in January, as well as at the Memorial Cup, and this offensive defenseman looks to help bolster Florida's power play. He may do well under the tutelage of the Panthers' defense corps.

4th overall - TOR (acquired from CLB) drafts Christopher Forte
After the Leafs traded Tomas Kaberle to the Blue Jackets for their 4th overall pick, as well as Derick Brassard, Toronto made a huge splash, drafting the 18-year old winger, who flourished within an underacheiving Oshawa Generals team. Forte, described by scouts as a high-scoring forward who's not afraid to drive to the net, will probably have a tough time making it to the Leafs roster, and may pretty well end up with the Toronto Marlies for most of the season.

[Lightbringer719]

Leafs trade Grabovski, Beauchemin to Blues for Backes

The Toronto Maple Leafs made another huge trade prior to the second round of the draft, this time, sending Mikhail Grabovski & Francois Beauchemin to the St. Louis Blues in exchange for David Backes.

Both Grabovski & Beauchemin had disappointing seasons for the Leafs, and combined with Grabovski's request for a trade as the Leafs' season worsened, made the choice quite easy for GM Brian Burke.

"I feel that St. Louis are getting two good players that can help them in the long run, and we are excited to add a forward in David Backes, who exemplifies the type of effort that the Toronto Maple Leafs need."

[Lightbringer719]

Leafs Draft Picks 2010

1st Round - C. Forte, LW, Oshawa
3rd Round - P. Kostitsyn, D, KHL
3rd Round - J. Connolly, C, Quebec
4th Round - G. Schneider, RW, Kelowna
5th Round - T. Leclaire, D, Rimouski

Trades

To TOR - D. Backes, 3rd Round Pick
To STL - M. Grabovski, F. Beauchemin

To TOR - D. Brassard, 1st Round Pick
To - CLB - T. Kaberle

[hockeyplaya2724]

Really nice pair of trades there, looking good

[Lightbringer719]

Free Agency - Day 1
Leafs sign Higgins, Hornqvist

Rather than go for the big names on the first day of free agency, the Leafs decided to make some minor moves, signing Christopher Higgins and Patric Hornqvist to seperate contracts.

Higgins agreed to a 3-year 2.5 million dollar contract. The 27-year old played last year for the Rangers & Flames, and had somewhat of a disappointing year with both.

Hornqvist played well for the Predators this past season, but wasn't that adamant in resigning with Nashville, looking for other career options.

[Lightbringer719]

2010 Season Preview: Toronto Maple Leafs
Leafs GM Burke hoping busy off-season equals playoff success

"We're not going to be satisfied until we bring Stanley home."
-- Leafs Captain Dion Phaneuf

What started with a "desperate" trade involving Tomas Kaberle at the 2010 NHL Draft has ended with a dramatically different Maple Leafs team heading in to their October 7th season opener against Montreal.

With a dramatically younger roster, and a new captain in Dion Phaneuf, the historic franchise look to end what is now the longest Stanley Cup drought in the NHL.

Notable Acquisitions: 4th overall pick in 2010 draft (C. Forte), David Backes, Kyle Chipchura, Justin Azevedo, Alex Sulzer, Chris Higgins, Patric Hornqvist

Notable Departures: Tomas Kaberle, Francois Beauchemin, Mikhail Grabovski, Garnet Exelby, Dale Mitchell, John Mitchell

Expect Something From: Phil Kessel. The 22-year old posted a 30-goal effort in a season shortened by injury. Now that he's slated to play the full 82 games, watch for him to venture into the 40 goal territory, maybe even creep into 50.

Improvements?: It's no secret that coveted defenseman Luke Schenn faltered for the first half of last season, though his improved play (coincidentally, peaking with the arrival of Dion Phaneuf) has everyone expecting big things from the 20-year old.

Rookie Watch: Nazem Kadri is expected to be in the starting line-up for October 7th, as is 4th overall draft pick Christopher Forte. Kadri had a one-game try out last season against San Jose, and could be ready for the challenge the NHL brings forth. Forte, on the other hand, impressed Leaf brass in the pre-season, enough to the point where he has made the team. The question is now, can Forte keep up the effort?

Goalies: With Jonas Gustavsson & J.S. Giguere set-up as the goaltending tandem for the Leafs, Jussi Rynnas & James Reimer are expected to man the nets for the Toronto Marlies.

Season Projection: 36-26-20 (qualify for playoffs)

[hockeyplaya2724]

36-26-20? Sounds reasonable except for the 20 Over time Losses, otherwise this is looking good I can't wait for the regular season to start. Good job getting Higgins and Hornqvist.