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It's no secret Burke likes tough guys, and likes physical team philosophies. So it come as no surprise that he went out and signed the toughest guy, pound for pound, in the NHL today. Colton Orr inked a 4 year $4 million deal. At 6??? 3??? and 220lbs, Orr will bring a presence to the ice that has been missing for several years. The guy is a heavyweight, and considering he has but 11 points in his 245 game NHL career, easy to see what his role will be.

Meanwhile, 27 year old Mike Komisarek bailed on the Habs and signed on with the Leafs, making Pavel Kubina expendable. Both were 6??? 4??? and 240lbs. Komisarek is 5 years younger than Kubina, who got shipped off to Thrashers with Tim Stapleton in exchange for Garnet Exelbry and Colin Stuart. Exelby is a 28 year old defenceman who at 6??? 1??? and 210 lbs makes Toronto a little bigger on the D should Kaberle wind up getting shipped out.

Francois Beauchemin isn't the biggest or the fastest member of the Leafs' drastically retooled defence.

But he has something no one else does. A Stanley Cup ring.

After four seasons riding shotgun to the peerless Scott Niedermayer including a Stanley Cup winning tour of duty in 2007, the 29-year-old Beauchemin scored a three-year-contract with the Maple Leafs.

Beauchemin is the third new defenceman brought on to the club this summer. Leafs GM Brian Burke signed ferocious free agent Mike Komisarek and traded Pavel Kubina for the hard-hitting Garnet Exelby.

Beauchemin, a six-foot, 213-pounder said after four years in Anaheim, he is ready to step out of the shadows.  Burke, who had Beauchemin in Anaheim, is also no doubt mindful of his capabilities as a fighter. Beauchemin's  lefthanded pounding of Jarome Iginla has been pointed to as a coming of age moment for the Ducks in the 2006 playoffs and he devastated Tomas Kopecky of the Red Wings in another playoff fight this year.

Beauchemin's signing adds another body to a crowded blue line.

The Leafs are certain to return Jeff Finger, Ian White, Exelby, Komisarek, Mike Van Ryn and
of course Luke Schenn. Beauchemin is now on board while Tomas Kaberle, the team's longest serving player, is on the trading block.

The toughening of the blue line likely means more work for Ian White, probably the fastest defenceman and likely the one who will be asked to set up the power play should Kaberle be traded.

With the addition of another physical-first defenceman, the question about Kaberle's worth intensifies. The Leafs are plenty tough but they may face a deficit in moving the puck out of the defensive zone.  Do they have enough offensive expertise left to deal Tomas Kaberle?

Brian Burke has an apparent deal waiting in the wings with the Boston Bruins, one that would send Kaberle for the fiesty sniper Phil Kessel. It would undoubtly add punch to our top line with Jason Blake, but with Kessel comes quite the baggage. The only reason the Bruins are attempting to trade their young forward is because he is already demanding a bigger contract, that many around the league is undeserved. So with a largely talented free agent class coming up after next season, the Leafs may be better off to wait and see if they can't sign someone like Ilya Kovalchuck, Patrick Marleau, Oli Jokinen or go after help in net with Roberto Luongo  and Evgeni Nabokov.

Some GMs, like Burke, could be a position to sign the ones the other clubs can't afford. In a process that began last year, the Leafs are dumping their top earners in favour of draft picks and affordable, young talent.

The team currently has a cap hit of about US$48-million. With few big earners coming off the books this summer, that number is not expected to significantly decrease. But the following year, Toronto could save upwards of US$20-million if  Vesa Toskala and other free agents are not re-signed.

By that time, the Leafs should have two more top-five draft picks on a roster that should look like this: Justin Pogge as the starting goaltender; Luke Schenn, Tomas Kaberle, Jeff Finger, Ian White, Anton Stralman on defence; and Jason Blake, Niklas Hagman, Mikhail Grabovski, Nikolai Kulemin, John Mitchell and Hobey Baker candidate Viktor Stalberg at forward.

With money in the bank, Burke might be able to buy Marleau, Thornton and Volchenkov or another combination of stars that fit under the cap.

But the Leafs may not need to look for a goalie much longer with the signing of the monster today. Toronto has nabbed coveted Swedish free agent goalie Jonas Gustavsson with a one-year contract on Tuesday. Toronto has nabbed coveted Swedish free agent goalie Jonas Gustavsson with a one-year contract. The 24-year-old netminder, nicknamed "The Monster", was also heavily pursued by Dallas, San Jose and Colorado.

Gustavsson played for Farjestads in the Swedish Elite League last season, registering four shutouts with a league-leading 1.96 goals-against average and a .932 save percentage in 42 games.

The 6-foot-3 Gustavsson, expected to be the backup to Maple Leafs starting goalie Vesa Toskala, led Farjestads to the league championship after allowing just 14 goals in 13 playoff games with five shutouts.

It looks like Burke has Leafs well on their way to competing for a Stanley Cup sooner than most people thought. Expect the Leafs to be back on top of the Hockey world in the near future. A place where they should stay if Brian Burke continues to man the ship.

Thanks for reading. I look forward to your comments. Especially yours Bean.