by Sports Xchange

Unable to revive his old connections with the Sedin Twins or defenseman Mattias Ohlund -- despite a personal mission to Sweden -- Toronto general manager Brian Burke used the first day of NHL free agency to make the Leafs tougher.

He signed defenseman Mike Komisarek from the rival Montreal Canadiens, enforcer forward Colton Orr from the New York Rangers and traded skill defenseman Pavel Kubina along with minor league forward Tim Stapleton to the Atlanta Thrashers for defenseman Garnet Exelby and minor-leaguer Colin Stuart.

Komisarek, Orr and Exelby represent more than 400 penalty minutes last season alone. Komisarek is the key, with 58 points last year as well as a commanding presence on the blueline to go with rookie Luke Schenn. Komisarek signed for $22.5 million over five years.

Keep in mind, however, it's scoring and goaltending that the Leafs need and yet another attempt to beef up the Leafs to pacify fans might be a hard sell in the long run and does little for this year's playoff hopes.

In respect to offense, Burke was beaten to the punch by one of his successors as Vancouver Canucks GM, Mike Gillis, who was also in Sweden to retrieve the Sedins, while Ohlund ended up in Tampa. Burke was also thwarted in a shopping foray for forward Mike Cammalleri and had been interested in taking a second tough competitor from a Northeast Division foe, Ottawa winger Chris Neil.

But with their prime targets at forward gone, assistant general manager Dave Nonis said the Leafs weren't going to use a lot of cap space on second-tier free agents.

"Signing marginal forwards to huge deals to score a few more goals, but not really help us long term... it's not very intelligent," Nonis said.

The Leafs might keep an estimated $7 million in cap space to upgrade in goal or use on a rainy day.

--Brian Burke's bluster couldn't budge his rivals in Montreal.

In his first draft as Maple Leafs general manager, Burke had served notice it was his intention to try and get the John Tavares pick away from the New York Islanders, moving up from seventh to let the hometown boy be the Leafs' savior.

Right up until the first pick was made, Burke was holding out hope for a deal on the draft floor as he had pulled off in Vancouver a decade ago.

Burke's back-up plan was to trade into the four or five hole, where he would have a chance at Brayden Schenn, younger brother of Leaf defenseman Luke Schenn. A two-way center, Brayden was seen as perhaps the only other junior outside of top three Taveras, Victor Hedman and Matt Duchene capable of playing in the coming season.

If the Islanders really wanted to talk to the Leafs, Luke Schenn would've been part of the deal, but Burke had already labeled him untouchable.

"This kid is going to be our captain one day," Burke said of Schenn.

So Burke got nowhere, but made the safe pick of London Knights center Nazem Kadri when the Leafs' turn came up.

Kadri is a 6-foot, 175-pound center who had 78 points in 56 games last year, playing on the same team and rooming with Tavares. Though he won't be joining the Leafs for at least a year, he had a league-leading 10 short-handed goals last season, music to the ears of the NHL's 30th place penalty killing unit.

"He's got good offensive skills and he has a bit of feistiness, too," Burke said.

Size is a key for the Leafs, as Burke ignored the European market and went for almost all big North Americans.