Now that the Leafs season is over and all my complaints about how they should of tried harder to have the worst record to get the No. 1 draft pick have been expressed, the inevitable question to be asked is "what do they do now"? The Leafs have the 7th pick in the upcoming draft, a roster still strewn with the remnants and mistakes of the John Ferguson era, a few youngsters who show promise and a couple valuable veteran defensemen mixed in.

Brian Burke started to put his stamp on this team by trading Nik Antropov and Dominic Moore at the trade deadline, signed college free agents Christian Hanson and Tyler Bozak before the end of the season and is pursuing other free agents, like Swedish goaltender Jonas Gustaffson. But these moves are the equivalent of cosmetic changes. The decisions that will have a real impact on the direction of the team going forward will be made this summer and in the season to follow. The aspect that is most concerning is that in the pursuit of getting back into the playoffs next season(which should not be the most important concern) that Burke makes a bold, costly move in free agency. The free agents available this year are not conducive to the Maple Leafs needs and an overreach for a player now will cost them cap space for more valuable free agents like Rick Nash or Ilya Kovalchuk after next season.

Jay Bouwmeester is the cream of the crop, at 25 years old with his ability to eat up minutes and lug the puck, he will create a bidding war that will probably get him a contract of 6 or 7 years, making more than last year's free agent defensive prize, Brian Campbell did. Mike Komisarek is a tough 26 year old defensive defenseman, who will be looking for at least a five-year contract and if the prices of free agent defensemen stay consistent he will probably make in the $4 million to $4.5 million a year range. With Kaberle, Kubina, Van Ryn and Finger all making over $3 Million, another high priced defenseman does not make any sense.

Mike Cammalleri is attempting proposition, since he is a Toronto area boy, who netted a career-best 39 goals this season with Calgary. At 26 years old, he is young enough to be in his prime when the Leafs are ready to contend in two or three years. The concerns are consistency, size and the ability to mesh with Ron Wilson's defensive oriented system.

But the free agent(or should I say free agent(s)) that could be the most enticing are the Sedin twins, Henrik and Daniel, players that Burke himself drafted with consecutive top 5 picks in 1999. At 28 years old, they are in their prime and more than likely, will be coming off a successful playoff campaign with the Canucks, who could very easily be the Western Conference representative in the Stanley Cup Finals. The concern here is that the Sedins will be in a position to garner top free-agent dollar, the speculated cost for them will be upwards of $12 Million a season($6 Million each). The Sedins are very good NHL players, undoubtedly top 6 forwards, but they lack the star quality and determination that the Leafs need from their top players. There were some fans that lobbed criticism at Mats Sundin for being a "tin man", someone who lacked the heart and leadership skills to lead the Leafs to the promised land. If Brian Burke goes out and signs the Sedins, they will undoubtedly be expected by Leaf fans to take on a similar leadership role and may be subject to even more scrutiny.

From the desk of Mike "In Buffalo" Augello.

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