Good thing the Jays are better this year...

In case you haven't noticed, Toronto was eliminated from playoff contention for the first time since Pat Quinn arrived, and the questions are swirling as they head to the golf course. Will Quinn stay, or will GM John Ferguson Jr. bring Paul Maurice to fill his spot? Will JFJ even be back next year? And which players will be re-signed? Which ones will be let go? Will the Leafs stick with Tellqvist and Aubin in goal? Will there be any big trades or free-agent signings?

After the way Aubin has played in his 10 games with the big club (8-0-2, 2.14 GAA, .926 SV%), he was awarded a one-year, one-way contract for next year. On one hand, it would be good to give him a shot at the full-time starter's job, but on the other, Toronto might be safer to pick up a free agent goaltender like Curtis Joseph. One strategy would be to try Aubin and Tellqvist in net for the start of the year, and if it doesn't work out, a swap could be made; this would mean giving up a pick or a player, but there would also be more goalies available for this type of transaction.

As for skaters, Toronto looked solid to end the year, but a few upgrades could stand to be made. A winger for Sundin should be at the top of the shopping list; Patrick Elias would be a viable-but-expensive option (though Toronto should have plenty of cap room), and Sergei Samsonov or Maxim Afinogenov would work nicely as well. If Brad Richards decides to test the waters of free agency, Toronto could also make a play for him. The rest of the forwards are more-or-less in place, with a few tweaks to be made. Tie Domi, love him though Leafs fans might, has very little impact at this stage of his career, and should step away from the game gracefully this summer. Jeff O'Neill is still under contract for another year, and should be given a chance to turn things around next season; 19 goals and 38 points isn't a bad year, but he has to be much more effective - if not, he's trade bait. Nik Antropov also finished the season strong; Toronto should re-sign him, but should also be prepared to jettison him if he doesn't meet expectations. Clarke Wilm, a capable penalty killer and defensive forward, could be re-signed for the league minimum, but kept as a spare. Eric Lindros - get ready, because you might not hear this a lot - should be re-signed if the price is right. His injury was not concussion-related, which means he should be good to go next year, and if Toronto can get him for around $1 million, they would be wise to seriously consider it. The rest of the forwards should stay status quo; the kids are all right, and they're ready to keep on impressing - Stajan, Wellwood and Steen all had impressive years, Ben Ondrus was a sparkplug, and several other youngsters could be ready to make the jump including Alex Foster, Aleksander Suglobov, Robbie Earl, Jeremy Williams and Johnny Pohl.

Back on defence, things look bright for the future. A slew of capable youngsters have all been impressive this season, with 6 - count 'em, 6 - suiting up for the big boys at some point. Kaberle has signed a 4-year deal, which was a smart move on the Leafs' part. McCabe might be determined to try out free agency, and if he asks for too much, Toronto should let him do it and turn their focus elsewhere - loads of defencemen could be available, including Zdeno Chara, Wade Redden, Ed Jovanovski, Pavel Kubina and Filip Kuba. Richardson played well too, much better than Ken Klee, and should be rewarded with a contract (for somewhat less than the $2.09 million he makes now). When all is said and done, Toronto should use two or three of their youngsters, plus Kaberle and Richardson, with the remaining spot or two filled by McCabe and/or free agents; they should also think about dealing one of their surplus sophomores-to-be to get some return, instead of letting that talent stagnate within the organization. ...What? I didn't mention Berg or Belak? Whoops! Well, Belak is under contract next season, and actually wasn't awful on his own; he works as a seventh defenceman. Berg, on the other hand, should have been traded after his silver medal at the Olympics, when his return value could have been higher; now, Toronto should just stay away from re-signing him. He never lived up to his potential in Toronto, and has just become a running joke among Leafs fans.

Now, if John Ferguson Jr. just reads this and is convinced, then we're set...or best-case scenario, the MLSE could read it, like what they see, and I'm the new GM, which would work out just fine; I always wondered what the ACC offices were like.