If the Toronto Maple Leafs are deep at any position, it's certainly on defense. With the additions of Dion Phaneuf, Mike Komisarek, and Francois Beauchemin at various points last season, they'll start next season with a strong core of both offensive minded defenders and stay at home guys as well.
That includes two young studs in Luke Schenn and Carl Gunnarsson, and the biggest question of all in Tomas Kaberle; who by all accounts could be long gone by the time next year rolls around.
They also have Jeff Finger, a constant healthy scratch this season, and a tough player to get rid of simply for his menacing contract of $3.5 million per season for the next two years. Its widespread knowledge that the likelihood is he'll be sent down to the minors, thus lifting his salary from the Leafs cap, but he's a problem Burke would rather not have to deal with.
Then there's Keith Aulie, the towering 6'6", 210-pound blue liner who came over to the Leafs with Phaneuf last season. He's only 21 and has no NHL experience, but hi ...
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Article written by Jon Neely