The rookie forward, who was sent down from the Toronto Maple Leafs last week, scored two goals and a pair of assists as the Toronto Marlies downed the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins 4-2 at Ricoh Coliseum.

Strong play by the forwards at both ends of the ice helped Toronto (5-3-1-1) win its second game in a row, and Stalberg was a big part of that.

“He’s come down in a great frame of mind and that’s important, it’s hard to do,” Toronto head coach Dallas Eakins said.

“You get sent down and sometimes guys think it’s going to be real easy and sometimes you’re sulking. He’s had neither in his game.”

Christian Hanson scored twice, including the game-winner, and Mike Zigomanis had three helpers as the top line put up nine points on the night.

“That’s why they’re the top line,” Eakins said. “There’s high expectations for all three of those young men and they certainly produced.”

Hanson, one of the Leafs’ last cuts in the pre-season, and Stalberg, with just one assist in eight NHL games, looked to prove a point in this contest.

“[Stalberg]’s not dumb,” Eakins said. “He looked up there tonight and saw [Leafs General Manager] Brian Burke sitting there and he wanted to send him a message.

“And that’s just what he did.”

James Reimer stopped 34 shots for the win in his first start since returning from the Leafs.

Tim Wallace and Ryan Bayda contributed offensively for the Penguins (5-3-1-1), who continue to have trouble scoring goals. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton has only managed five goals in its past four games.

Brad Thiessen, making his second start of the year, had 24 saves in defeat.

The game-winner, Hanson’s second of the night, came at 14:02 of third period.

After Stalberg carried the puck through the neutral zone and onto the left wing, his short pass was snapped home by the fellow first-year, putting Toronto ahead 3-2.

Stalberg would add an empty netter with two seconds remaining to seal the deal.

A busy second period saw Toronto lose and regain the lead before ending up tied 2-2 through 40 minutes.

Bayda and Stalberg scored almost identical partial breakaway goals from the right wing, and their tallies were preceded by Wallace’s marker for the Penguins, initially tying the game at one.

For Stalberg, it was his first career professional goal. Zigomanis assisted on the play, making it the fourth time in five games this year that he has had a multi-point game.

The Toronto native, who has played 189 career games including 22 for the Pittsburgh Penguins last season, has 10 assists in just four AHL games.

Toronto was outshot 12-6 in the opening period but led the game 1-0 thanks to Hanson’s power-play goal.

There were a pair of fights on the night, contested by Aaron Boogaard and Deryk Engelland of the Penguins squaring off against Toronto’s Phil Oreskovic and Robert Slaney.

NOTES: Tyler Bozak, Alex Foster, Darryl Boyce, Andre Deveaux and Richard Greenop were scratches for the Marlies. Bozak was sidelined for the second consecutive game with the flu … Between Reimer, Joey MacDonald, Adam Munro and Andrew Engelage, the Marlies had four different goaltenders see action in October … Following Sunday afternoon’s game, the Marlies head out on a six-game road trip that begins and ends in Cleveland against the Lake Erie Monsters. The reason for the lengthy trip is because the Royal Winter Fair will be running at the Ricoh Coliseum from Nov. 6-15.

That means the Boston Bruins would have a great chance of selecting first overall in the 2010 NHL entry draft, after acquiring the pick, as well as the Leafs 2011 first-rounder, for Phil Kessel.

When the trade was completed, Leafs GM Brian Burke argued that picking up Kessel was better than what he could get in the first round of the 2010 draft.

He’s right that Kessel is worth an opening-round choice, given that he’s only 22 years old and already has a 36-goal season under his belt.

However, he may not be equal to two top choices, especially if they become lottery selections.

Looking at the top five picks from each NHL draft from 1979 to 2004, a total of nine players have worked their way into the Hockey Hall of Fame, while others during that span are worthy and waiting to be honoured.

In the same time, 57 of those 125 skaters were named to an all-star team during their career and 89 played in 500 games or more. And every player drafted played at least one NHL game.

Thus, the consensus is there that, although not a guarantee, a top five draft choice is very important and, more often than not, provides a solid NHLer.

Looking ahead to the crop of players that could be in the top five for 2010, the Leafs could miss out on a handful of Canadian Hockey League stars.

Taylor Hall, a Kingston, Ont. native, is currently projected to go No. 1 overall thanks to his performance at the 2008 world under-18 championship and Ivan Hlinka International under-18 tournament.

Hall was also part of the 2009 Memorial Cup champion Windsor Spitfires and was named the MVP for that event. He has 11 goals and 16 assists in 14 games this season.

Joining him is Spitfires teammate Cam Fowler. He has two goals and 18 assists from the point and is also defensively responsible with a plus-10 rating.

Tyler Seguin of the Plymouth Whalers sits third, but that could change soon. He leads the OHL in goals and is only one point behind Hall for the league lead in that category.

A pair of Moncton Wildcats, Kirill Kabanov and Brandon Gormley, round out the top five. The Russian Kabanov has 10 points in only six games, while Gormley has 11 points as a defenceman.

It will be interesting to see if trading these picks will bite the Leafs in the backside like it has in the past.

In 1989, the Leafs traded their first-round selection in the 1991 draft to the New Jersey Devils for journeyman blueliner Tom Kurvers.

That pick was used by the Devils to take Scott Niedermayer third overall, a future Norris Trophy winner and four-time Stanley Cup champion.

Seven years later, the Leafs reacquired their only first overall selection ever, Wendel Clark, along with Mathieu Schneider and D.J. Smith, giving up a first-rounder that in 1997 that turned out to be Roberto Luongo.

Luongo, drafted fourth overall, has gone on to become one of the best goalies in the NHL today.

The Atlantic division leading Rangers (6-1-0) come into the Air Canada Centre off a 7-2 rout of Toronto (0-5-1) on Monday at Madison Square Garden.

Earlier this week the Maple Leafs head coach took a page out of a tyke coach’s playbook and allowed the players to play the kid’s game.

“We play a game, it’s supposed to be fun,” Wilson told reporters. “When you get a start like this, it’s not a lot of fun. We wanted guys to come to the rink, relax a bit, hit the reset button on the computer and away we go.”

Wilson’s aim was to help relieve some of the mounting pressure for the Maple Leafs, who are without a win in six games.

Defenceman Garnet Exelby is also glad Leafs GM Brian Burke came down to talk to the players.

“He said he believes in every one of us and to relax,” Exelby said. “Everybody was brought here for a reason, just do what you do best and everyone work together. Just relax and play your game.

“Whenever the big man comes down from upstairs, everybody listens. The message was loud and clear. Stay positive and work toward our goal.”

Toronto’s listless effort to his point can be blamed on slow starts and a lack of discipline. The Leafs have yet to score first in any game and allowed 10 power-play goals in 24 chances, with seven coming in the last three games.

A tale of two teams

While Toronto is struggling, the Rangers are thriving.

The Broadway blue shirts are riding a six-game winning streak heading into the Hockey Night in Canada matchup.

Gaborik gets 200

After toiling away in the Minnesota Wild’s defensive system for the past four years, forward Marian Gaborik has been one of New York’s top offensive players.

Going into Saturday’s game, he is tied for the team lead with 10 points and leads the club with six goals.

He notched his 200th career marker in a 4-2 victory over Los Angeles on Tuesday.

“(Gaborik’s) goal was just world class, and it came at the right time,” goaltender Henrik Lundqvist told the Rangers’ official website. “That’s what world-class players do. They step up at the right time.”

Valiquette between the posts

New York backup Stephen Valiquette could get the call to start given his recent success against the undisciplined Leafs, while Lundqvist has lost four of his last five to Toronto.

On Wednesday Toronto GM Brian Burke told the media that the reasoning behind the Leaf’s poor start lies with the players themselves and not the coaches.

“I can tell you this – there will be numerous, multiple player changes before the coaching staff would be even be looked at, let alone considered,” he said.

“The players are at fault here. We’re not getting it done. It’s not the coaching staff. It’s the players not executing.”

In fact, these players have been bad in every facet of the game since the start of the regular season.

“There’s plenty of blame to go around,” Burke said. “If we’re going to start pointing fingers, you have to point at every facet of our game right now. Our goaltending hasn’t been good enough, our defencemen are not playing aggressively enough in our own end, and they’re making bonehead plays and getting beat one-on-one. Our forwards are not sustaining a forecheck nor scoring goals, and our special teams have struggled.”

Coming off its 4-1 loss to the Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday night, Toronto has allowed a league-worst 28 goals in six games.

The team’s penalty-killing has been horrible at just 58.3 per cent, good for second-worst in the NHL, just ahead of the lowly Dallas Stars.

Burke is optimistic, however, that the team he assembled over the summer can find their way out of this conundrum.

“I believe in the group,” he said. “If I didn’t think this group could get the job done, I’d be more concerned.”

Firing Ron Wilson has not crossed the GM’s mind in the slightest, and he is surprised this topic has entered media conversation.

“Well, I think it’s absurd,” Burke said. “This guy has coached over 1,000 games in the NHL. [He did not] suddenly forget how to coach.”

If the Leafs fail to improve, fingers will point at Burke with regards to the trade he made to acquire Boston’s Phil Kessel. In return, Boston received a major haul in the form of draft picks, getting the Leaf’s first and second-rounders in 2010, and a first-round selection in 2011.

However, the outspoken Irishman still believes that he still holds the upper-hand in that deal.

“Well, if I had known we’d be 0-6, I still would have done that trade,” he said. “I can’t draft a player who is going have that kind of impact this year in this draft. This is about being better this year. But I’m not annoyed at any reaction from the fans. When you’re 0-6, you should be grateful they’re still coming to the games.”

Both teams will look to improve on last year’s earlier post-season exits.

Hamilton finished second in the Western Conference’s North Division with 102 points, while Toronto squeaked into the playoffs following a 90-point campaign.

The clubs have had plenty of time to think about the upcoming season as each squad was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs in 2009.

The game will mark Dallas Eakins’s head coaching debut in Toronto after spending time as assistant with both the NHL’s Leafs and Marlies.

For the former NHL defenceman, the purpose for this season is clear.

“We are trying to develop players for our NHL team and that’s our goal, first and foremost,” said Eakins. “The great thing is I see the game very much the same way [Leafs GM] Brian Burke sees it.

“Between [Leafs coach Ron Wilson] and I, we have a great, great relationship where, everything that the Leafs do, that’s what we’re going to be doing. We’re just going to integrate things; as Ron does things and as Ron changes things, then we will change it right away as well.”

The changes are abundant as Eakins’s squad will feature a number of new faces, including NCAA signings Tyler Bozak, Christian Hanson, along with 2007 third-round pick Dale Mitchell.

Joining them are veterans Jiri Tlusty, Ben Ondrus and Jonas Frogren, who have enjoyed extended stints with the big club in the past.

Joey MacDonald will start in net for the Marlies after appearing in 49 games last year for the New York Islanders. James Reimer, who made three starts for the Marlies in 2008-09, will be the backup.

On the Bulldogs’ side, Yanick Lehoux and David Desharnais, who had 60 and 58 points, respectively, return to lead the club.

The team’s biggest issue centres around disgruntled forward Sergei Kostitsyn. The Russian recently demanded a trade from the Canadiens rather than report to the Bulldogs after being sent down.

Kostitsyn has been suspended and will not appear in Hamilton’s lineup this weekend.

The Bulldogs defeated the Marlies 3-1 on Sept. 27 in Edinburgh, Scotland to capture the inaugural Gardiner Cup – a four-team exhibition tournament which also included the Belfast Giants and Edinburgh Capitals of the UK Elite League.

Simply put, he wanted a hard-nosed, tougher, grittier team.

In the off-season, Burke added defencemen Mike Komisarek, Francois Beauchemin and Garnet Exelby and forwards Wayne Primeau, Jay Rosehill and Colton Orr in an attempt to achieve this.

Despite a 4-3 overtime loss Thursday, the Leafs, by Merriam-Webster definition, were as advertised.

Pugnacity (Having a quarrelsome or combative nature).

Even the Leafs skilled players are buying into Burke’s game plan. The team’s first goal of the game was the result of a hard forecheck by Mikhail Grabovski and Niklas Hagman, finished off by Alexei Ponikarovsky.

Later, a tenacious power play led to Montreal going two men down. Continued pressure with the man advantage resulted in the Leafs second goal of the evening, from Matt Stajan.

Later, Stajan’s second goal came when the Leafs forwards refused to give up on the loose puck around Habs goalie Carey Price.

Through the second period, the Leafs had a 30-13 shot advantage, with the game finishing off with Toronto outshooting Montreal 46-27.

Testosterone (Qualities of brawn and aggressiveness usually associated with males).

Under two minutes into the contest, Orr dropped the gloves with Montreal tough guy Georges Laraque. The decision went to Laraque, but the first statement of the Leafs new era was made: We won’t be pushed around anymore.

At the midway point of the period, the second bout of the night took place as Rosehill dominated Travis Moen.

Truculent (Displaying ferocity; scathingly harsh; aggressively self-assertive).

Komisarek, an ex-Canadien, didn’t hesitate in taking a number of runs at his former teammates.

Similarly, the hard-hitting Exelby took his first run at the opposition just five minutes into the game.

Belligerence (Waging war; inclined to or exhibiting assertiveness, hostility, or combativeness).

In the third period, the Canadiens began running goalie Vesa Toskala. Both times, Komisarek quickly took that player – first Scott Gomez and second Moen – to task for their indiscretion.

After being run over by Moen, even Toskala was throwing punches at his attacker, landing three good shots from behind, while Komisarek took care of business on the front end.

The game finished with three fights, two line scrums and a number of body-jarring hits, much to the delight of the Leafs faithful who had the building buzzing throughout the game.

Don Cherry’s Coach’s Corner segment on the CBC highlighted the Leafs lack of toughness last season and how 18-year-old Luke Schenn had to stick up for himself, while his teammates were repeatedly steam-rolled in games against rivals like Ottawa and Montreal.

Under the new regime, it’s hoped this won’t happen anymore.

So let’s introduce the new Toronto Maple Leafs.

Goaltenders:

Jonas Gustavsson, 6-3, 192 pounds

Gustavsson was signed away from the Swedish Elite League and will push Vesa Toskala for the starting job in net. He will also try to emulate his stats from 2008-09: a goals-against average of 1.96 and save percentage of .932 in 42 starts.

Vesa Toskala, 5-10, 195 pounds

Toskala is coming off a disappointing season where he compiled a 22-17-11 record with a .891 save percentage and only one shutout. There’s already speculation that Toskala could be the Leafs back-up goalie by mid-season.

Forwards

Jason Blake, 5-10, 180 pounds

Blake led the blue and white with 25 goals in 2008-09 and will be relied upon to match and improve his output this season. Blake was once a 40-goal scorer, but that was back in 2006-07 with the New York Islanders.

Mikhail Grabovski, 5-11, 179 pounds

Grabovski was one of four 20-goal scorers last year and also added 28 assists. He needs to work on being a two-way player after a minus-eight rating. The Belarusian will play on a line with fellow Europeans Niklas Hagman and Alexei Ponikarovsky.

Niklas Hagman, 6-0, 205 pounds

Hagman also passed the 20-goal mark, scoring 22 – six of them coming on the power play. Three of his tallies were game-winners and he will be counted on to add secondary scoring.

Phil Kessel, 6-0, 180 pounds

The newest Leaf will be depended on to lead the team offensively. The former first-round pick had a breakout season last year with 36 goals, 24 assists and 60 points for Boston. He will miss the first month as he recovers from shoulder surgery.

Jamal Mayers, 6-1, 214 pounds

The Leafs incumbent scrapper will start the campaign on the disabled list. He accumulated 82 penalty minutes, while also adding seven goals and nine assists in a fourth-line role.

John Mitchell, 6-1, 182 pounds

Mitchell will start the season on the Leafs third line, but he can be plugged into other situations if needed. He scored 29 points, including two goals on the power play. A major fault, though, was his team-low minus-16 stat.

Colton Orr, 6-3, 222 pounds

Orr is in the Leafs lineup to do one thing: intimidate the opposition. Last season Orr ranked third in the NHL for penalty minutes with 193 with the Rangers. Don’t look for Orr to be a defensive gem as the rugged winger is minus-30 over his career.

Alexei Ponikarovsky, 6-4, 220 pounds

One of only two Leafs to play in all 82 games last year. In those contests, Ponikarovsky scored 23 goals and added 38 assists. He also had the second most shots on the team with 185, only eclipsed by Blake’s 302 attempts.

Wayne Primeau, 6-4, 225 pounds

Primeau is one of many off-season acquisitions brought in to add some sandpaper to the Leafs roster. He won’t play every night and even when he’s in the lineup, he’ll play limited minutes on the fourth line, but his veteran leadership should help.

Jay Rosehill, 6-3, 195 pounds

Rosehill is a minor-league journeyman, yet to play an NHL game. Although he may bounce between the AHL and the NHL, he’ll add a level of feistiness to whichever roster he plays on. He recorded 275 penalty minutes in the minors last season.

Matt Stajan, 6-1, 200 pounds

Stajan enjoyed his best NHL year in 2008-09, scoring 55 points. He will start the season on the team’s top line with Blake and Viktor Stalberg, but will be in a precarious position depending on how his teammates perform in the early going.

Viktor Stalberg, 6-3, 210 pounds

Playing college hockey last year, Stalberg had 46 points in 39 games and was named to the first all-star team. He is the only rookie to make the club’s opening night roster and will start the season on the top line.

Lee Stempniak, 6-0, 195 pounds

Stempniak was traded to the Leafs last season and failed to impress. In 14 games with St. Louis he had 13 points, but after being traded only had 31 points in 61 contests. This had pushed him down the depth chart to a third-line checker.

Rickard Wallin, 6-2, 185 pounds

Wallin, who hasn’t played in the NHL since 2003-04, joins Stempniak and Mitchell on the energy line. In 19 career NHL games, he has six goals, four assists and 14 penalty minutes.

Defencemen

Francois Beauchemin, 6-0, 207 pounds

Beauchemin comes over from Anaheim, where he won a Stanley Cup in 2007. He only dressed for 20 games last year before a torn ACL sidelined him until the playoffs. He will join Tomas Kaberle as the Leafs one-two punch on the power play.

Garnet Exelby, 6-1, 215 pounds

Simply put, Exelby makes the Leafs tougher to play against. He’s never been known for his offensive numbers, but he’s a hard-hitting, play-at-home defenceman who will drop his gloves with willing participants. He had 120 penalty minutes last year.

Jeff Finger, 6-1, 205 pounds

The Leafs big signing last off-season was minus-seven after two years with plus numbers in Colorado. Finger was criticized for his poor numbers after signing a four-year, $14 million US deal and will have to perform better to silence his critics.

Tomas Kaberle, 6-1, 198 pounds

Kaberle will be depended on to quarterback the Leafs power play and help get the team out of their own zone. Kaberle struggled through an injury-plagued 2008-09 campaign scoring 31 points, while being minus-eight.

Mike Komisarek, 6-4, 243 pounds

One of GM Brian Burke’s premier signings, Komisarek is a shutdown defenceman, who adds grit and size to the Leafs blue-line. He left the rival Montreal Canadiens for Toronto, where he registered 121 penalty minutes in last season.

Luke Schenn, 6-2, 216 pounds

Schenn solidifies the backend. Last season, as an 18-year-old rookie, he played 70 games, recording 14 points and 71 penalty minutes. Schenn will be looking to avoid the dreaded sophomore jinx and build on his freshmen numbers.

Mike Van Ryn, 6-1, 213 pounds

Over the last two seasons, Van Ryn has only managed to get into 47 games because of injuries. In fact he will start this year on injured reserve as well. When healthy, he can contribute with three goals and eight assists in 27 appearances in 2008-09.

Ian White, 5-10, 185 pounds

White can be an offensive threat for the Leafs, while also not being a defensive liability. He scored 10 goals and added 16 assists last year and also maintained a plus-six rating.

Toronto needs a player to represent the new era ushered in by general manager Brian Burke and head coach Ron Wilson. The Truculent Age, if you’d like.

Someone who can speak on behalf of an edition of the Maple Leafs meant to live by team founder Conn Smythe’s adage “If you can’t beat ‘em in the alley, you can’t beat ‘em on the ice.”

That spokesman? Look no further then Mike Komisarek.

Komisarek was one of Burke’s biggest acquisitions this past summer, and adds a great deal of toughness and skill to Toronto’s defensive corps.

Ask Jordan Staal, who had the misfortune of fighting Komisarek on Sept. 22, whether or not the 6-foot-4, 245 pound former Montreal Canadiens blue-liner can handle himself in hockey’s rougher elements.

Although he’s not a prolific scorer, Komisarek can be relied on to have a good plus-minus. His last three seasons with Montreal he was a total of plus-16.

He’ll undoubtedly get a lot of ice time too, as he will be invaluable on the Leafs’ penalty kill and will be responsible for shutting down the biggest offensive threats on Toronto’s opponents.

There are a few other names on the Leafs that could be considered for the captaincy. Certainly, Tomas Kaberle has spent the most time with the club and has long been a calming influence in the locker room.

But the Burke-era has been all about being brash on and off the ice. Although Kaberle will always be a leader, the soft-spoken Czech does not exemplify the Leafs’ new attitude.

Burke followed this sandpaper formula to great success in Anaheim. There Chris Pronger led the Ducks to a Stanley Cup championship, providing a combination of grit and defensive prowess.

Although Kaberle has the skills, he doesn’t have that same nasty attitude and outspoken demeanor. Komisarek, however, is like a younger Pronger.

Forward Matt Stajan, born and raised in the Toronto suburb of Mississauga, is always happy to answer the media’s questions. He’s also the team’s NHLPA representative and has been with the Leafs for eight seasons.

But with almost the entire roster new to the locker room in the Air Canada Centre, seniority doesn’t matter that much.

It’s only been one season since the departure of veteran centre Mats Sundin, and in that time, no one has worn a ‘C’ on their blue and white sweater.

Although it was only a year ago, the Leafs are an entirely different team from Sundin’s last game with Toronto.

It’s therefore fitting that some of the new blood shoulders assumes leadership on the team.

Komisarek is already the torch-bearer of this new era, it is high time that the Maple Leafs make it official by sewing the letter C on his jersey.

In eight exhibition games, the three Leafs amassed 17 points including six goals from Stalberg who impressed again Sunday with a two point effort, in a 7-6 exhibition loss to the Buffalo Sabres. 

While the 23 year-old Swede produced at an unforeseen rate coming out of training camp, Grabovski and Hagman are looking to improve on the 20-plus goal seasons they had last year.

As a line they showed great chemistry against the Sabres using their speed, good hockey sense, and overall creativity to produce open space and quality chances.

Wilson showed confidence in the unit by putting them out on the power play and in the dying minutes of the contest in an effort to tie up the game. 

Despite questions of Stalberg’s commitment to two-way play he showed that he has enough defensive responsibility thus far to stay in the big leagues.

“Stalberg will be in the lineup on opening night,” said Wilson in the team’s post-game media conference. “He seems to be a complete player without any holes right now.”

Combined with Hagman’s notoriety as a smart two-way winger and Grabovski’s constant tenacity and determination, the unit could be a successful component to the Leafs success this season.

Grabovski looked like a prototypical Brian Burke player on Sunday, netting a goal and getting physically involved while relentlessly pursuing the puck at both ends of the ice. 

Leaf goaltender Vesa Toskala, on the other hand, was probably looked upon less favourably by the Leaf’s GM after surrendering seven goals on just 24 shots. 

He did not look comfortable in the net, especially when he was beaten on a fairly routine wraparound attempt by Jochen Hecht and later on an innocent Matt Ellis backhander.

The performance does not bode well for the Finn’s role as this year’s starting netminder, especially after the excellent showing by Jonas “The Monster” Gustavsson in Saturday night’s 2-1 victory against Detroit.

But Wilson assured that Toskala will be the go-to-guy when the regular season gets underway for the Leafs this Thursday versus the Montreal Canadiens.

“I’m gonna say right now, Vesa will be starting on Thursday. So there is no controversy, no problem.”

At least not for now. 

Nazem Kadri

Nazem Kadri knows his chances of making this year’s edition of the Toronto Maple Leafs are slim.

He has certainly not made the decision-making process easy for team brass, however.

After Toronto’s 3-2 victory over a watered-down version of the Pittsburgh Penguins Tuesday night, Kadri pulled no punches when asked if he hopes his performance will buy him some more time with the big team.

“Hopefully, I’m making the decision hard,” Kadri said. “I appreciate [coach] Ron [Wilson] giving me the opportunity to go out there in some big situations. I think it’s really building my confidence.”

Kadri’s performances in four pre-season games to date have been solid, but the bench boss recently said that “Unless [Kadri] can make the top two lines, he’ll be in junior, and I don’t see much of a chance of that [making Leafs lineup] the way the other guys have played.

“We like the way Nazem’s played and in some situations, he might be ready,” Wilson said. “We’ll get him a couple more exhibition games, then make a decision.”

Ever since selecting Kadri with the seventh overall pick at the draft in June, team officials have made it known that the London, Ontario native was not in their plans for this season.

That has not held him back from impressing people, including himself.

“I didn’t really expect this,” Kadri said. “I thought I wouldn’t get as much as ice time.”

“Like I’ve been saying, I really appreciate the support and confidence that Ron is showing in me. I’m making the best of it.”

Ultimately, it is likely Kadri will be rejoining the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League.

Regardless, the Leafs organization will be watching him intently from a distance.

“If he goes back to junior, I’d be shocked if he didn’t get 100 points in the OHL,” Wilson said. “He’s very confident in a positive way. He really believes in himself.”

Kadri, along with rookie forwards Tyler Bozak, Christian Hanson, and Viktor Stalberg survived the initial wave of cuts at Leafs camp, but all remain on the bubble to make the final roster.

“We’ve got some young guys, I guess you could say they’ve earned jobs, but have they stolen anybody’s job? Not in my estimation,” Wilson said.

“They haven’t knocked out anybody. A lot of guys will have to start in the minors, bide their time and learn a few things about being consistent. If it was last year, different story.”

Knowing the chips are stacked against him being one of the 23 players to open the regular season at home against the visiting Montreal Canadiens a week from Thursday hasn’t broken his spirits though.

“Coming to camp has taught me a lot about myself.” Kadri said. “I tried to work my hardest every single shift and if I get sent down, I’ll keep my head high and take a crack at that world junior team.”

Wilson stated the strong play of Kadri has put him in a no-win situation with his critics.

“If I keep Kadri, you guys will say it’s a stupid decision,” he said. “If I send Kadri down, you guys will say it’s a stupid decision. I can live with that. I’ll make a stupid decision and we’ll move on.”

Hypothetically, the Leafs could start the season with Kadri and send him back to junior before the 10-game mark without altering his contract status.

“I’d like to play nine regular-season games because I know there’s a big difference between exhibition games and regular-season games,” Kadri said.

In Vancouver, a similar development has been witnessed this pre-season with Cody Hodgson.

The young centreman has gone from someone who was destined to earn a spot with the Canucks to a player who is now in limbo.

Canuck coach Alain Vigneault acknowledged Hodgson isn’t the first outstanding junior player to struggle with attempting to break into the NHL.

“This is a tough league to make,” Vigneault said. “It takes adjustments, whether you are coming out of junior or coming out of the American league.”

It is a tougher, more physical look.

Hired as GM in late November, 2008, Burke famously said that his version of the Buds would play with equal parts “pugnacity, testosterone, truculence and belligerence.”

After four preseason games it is clear that the future has arrived.

Including Saturday night’s game, the Leafs have had 16 fights. And counting.

Saturday’s 5-4 win over the Philadelphia Flyers highlighted Toronto’s new mean streak. The physical match-up saw several scrums and out-right brawls on the ice.

However the Leafs, who acquired sniper Phil Kessel Friday night, are still getting used to their new mission statement.

“I still think we’re adjusting to [physical play],” said head coach Ron Wilson after the game. “We have to get some of our guys who haven’t been in a rough-house, mayhem type atmosphere to settle down and be comfortable.”

It only took two-and-a-half minutes for newly acquired Colton Orr to start fighting with Riley Cote. Both were assessed fighting majors, but the Flyer took an extra two minutes for roughing.

On the ensuing power play Leafs mainstay Matt Stajan broke out between two defenders and scored his first goal of the pre-season.

But scoring was not the issue for the Leafs of yesteryear. Tied with the Buffalo Sabres for 10^th most goals scored in 2008, Toronto put the puck in the net 250 times.

Defence was the problem, as the Buds let in a league worst 293 goals in 2008-2009.

Erasing that disparity was Burke’s goal this off-season, acquiring defenders Francois Beauchemin and Mike Komisarek. Back-up goaltender Curtis Joseph was cut and Swede Jonas Gustavsson was signed as his replacement.

Drafted seventh overall, rookie forward Nazem Kadri is more typical of Burke’s philosophy. Shortly after picking the native of London, Ont., the GM described his new player as “a mean little bastard.”

Burke also added noted brawlers like Orr and Garnet Exelby.

This doesn’t mean that the Leafs’ old guard are off the hook.

“Some of our guys are going to have to realize that they’re still responsible for protecting themselves and handling their duties,” Wilson said.

These truculent Leafs are designed to wear down the other team. They will tire them on the fore check, and dog them on the back check.

Teams visiting the Air Canada Centre will have to pay a physical toll to earn their shots on net.

It remains to be seen if this strategy will result in wins, but, at the very least, these rough and tumble Leafs are getting under their opponents skin.

Ten minutes after the Orr-Cote bout, three fights broke out simultaneously with a trio from each team reporting to the penalty box.  

Ian Lapierre, Daniel Carcillo and Darroll Powe represented the Flyers in the bad bin, while Exelby and the normally placid Lee Stempniak and Jason Allison did time for Toronto.

After he was released from the penalty box, Lapierre went back at Exelby, earning both of them five minute majors.

Despite this more emotional style of hockey, the Leafs need to stay professional, the coach believes.

“You still have to make plays, you still have to finish you checks, you still have to take a hit and make a play,” Wilson said.

All told, the Philadelphia-Toronto tilt had 36 penalties for a total of 104 minutes.

Although they might like fighting, it’s the win and Toronto’s three straight preseason wins that gets Leafs fans excited.

Multiple media sources reported Friday night the Leafs and Boston Bruins made a deal that sent the 21-year-old forward, who is currently injured, north of the border in exchange for two first-round draft picks (one in 2010 and another in 2011) and a second round draft pick in 2010.

The Leafs then signed Kessel to a five-year contract worth $27 million (US).

“Phil is a dynamic player and a solid kid,” said Leafs general manager Brian Burke. “It’s a very important day for the Leafs and we’re very pleased that Phil Kessel’s coming to Toronto tomorrow.”

Speculation of a trade for the U.S.-born sniper began before the 2009 National Hockey League draft when Kessel was rumoured to be on the way to Toronto in exchange for defenceman Tomas Kaberle and a draft pick.

The deal didn’t go through because of a miscommunication over the pick. Boston was unable to sign the young star in the off- season.

New York Rangers and Nashville Predators were also said to have shown interest in Kessel, who scored 36 goals last season.

“It’s taken a long time [to get him] and a lot of effort, but I think it’s worth it.” Burke said. “This is a statement to our players that we intend to be competitive right away and he gives us a dimension we need.”

Kessel will be sidelined until at least November as he is recovering from rotator cuff surgery.

“We want our fans to understand that he is recovering from shoulder surgery and we don’t expect to see him for a while,” Burke said.

“He is skating but can’t take any contact or shoot so it will be a while before our fans see him but he brings tremendous foot speed and scoring ability.”

The native of Madison, Wisconsin was drafted fifth overall by the Bruins in 2006.

But it was former Leaf defenceman Andy Wozniewski who had the last laugh.

Wozniewski scored the winning goal at 7:01 of the third period to break the tie and give the Boston Bruins a 3-2 victory over the Leafs on Wednesday night.

After taking a pass in the slot from Patrice Bergeron, the Illinois native walked in off the point and wristed it past new Leaf acquisition Joey McDonald.

NCAA college products Tyler Bozak and Viktor Stalberg each had a goal for Toronto, while former Anaheim Duck Francois Beauchemin added two helpers.

The 29-year old Beauchemin, who wore an ‘A’ on his sweater, had a strong game patrolling the Leafs blue-line, making smart outlet passes while controlling the game offensively in the Bruins’ zone.

A motivated Air Canada Centre crowd of 16,872 got a taste of this year’s tougher version of the Maple Leafs

Former New York Ranger Colton Orr quickly showed the physical presence he’ll bring to this team laying out Bruins defenceman Adam McQuaid early in the first period.

Soon after that Andre Deveaux dropped the gloves with former Montreal Canadiens pest Steve Begin.

Then it was Leaf rookie Jay Rosehill, who following in Orr’s footsteps, duked it out with Byron Bitz and won the fight by a large margin.

With the Leafs playing shorthanded in the first period Bozak split the Bruins’ defence, made a nifty deke on goaltender Danny Sabourin and went top-shelf to give the Leaf’s a 1-0 lead.

The Bruins tied the game early in the second on a power play goal by Begin.

After Bozak nearly missed scoring on another shorthanded opportunity, the Bruins quickly came back the other way and the ex-Hab shoveled the puck past Vesa Toskala from the side of the net.

Toskala played the first half of the game and stopped 14 of 15 shots while McDonald entered and conceded two goals on the 11 shots he faced.

With the Bruins on the power play for the second time in the period Brad Marchand took a pass from Patrice Bergeron from behind the net and wristed it past McDonald to give the Bruins a 2-1 advantage.

For the Leafs, Stalberg notched the game at two on a power play, slipping the puck through the legs of Sabourin from the side of the net, after taking a pass from seventh overall selection Nazem Kadri.

Despite letting up the lone goal in the third to hand the game to the Bruins, the physical play continued with Phil Oreskovic dropping the mitts against Bitz.

Jason Allison, attempting a comeback in a Leaf uniform was not a significant factor in the contest likely due to the fact that he hasn’t seen NHL action in three years.

“[Allison] looked like he pooped out in the second half of the game,” said Leaf coach Ron Wilson in his post-game media conference. “He’s a project going forward.

“I’m going to give him every opportunity, you have to respect what he’s done in his career.”

Wilson wants to give the veteran forward a fair shake.

“We will give him the right people to play with and see if he can get the job done,” he said. “He won’t leave here saying he wasn’t given a fair chance.”

The Leafs next pre-season matchup is this Thursday against the Philadelphia Flyers in London, Ont.

Gustavsson was riding the stationary bike at training camp on Saturday when he became dizzy and was taken to hospital in an ambulance with what the Leafs initially thought was a case of dehydration.

Further examination showed the electrical flow into the 24-year-old’s heart was being blocked, creating a short circuit that bothered his normal heart rhythms.

While considered only a minor problem, team doctors opted to perform a cardiac ablation – a non-invasive procedure – by inserting a catheter into a blood vessel in Gustavsson’s groin, and then sent the tubing into his heart to help alleviate the problem.

“It’s a simple procedure that’s actually fairly common with athletes,” Leafs head coach Ron Wilson told reporters. “Our doctor said he’ll do 10 NHL players in a summer if they’re ever shown this [problem].”

Luckily for the team, the 6-foot-4 Swede will be cleared to play once the small incision has completely healed.

“We don’t expect him to miss more than 48 hours,” Wilson said. “You don’t want him to put his gear on until he’s comfortable and there’s no risk of infection [at the site of the incision].”

Gustavsson is currently battling for the backup position behind starter Vesa Toskala,

The Swede had a 1.96 goals-against average with Farjestads of the Swedish Elite League last season and was a highly touted signing by the Leafs earlier this summer.

Joey Macdonald of Pictou, N.S., who played 49 NHL games for the New York Islanders last season, is also in the hunt as Toskala’s backup.

“Joey MacDonald has looked really good in the scrimmages so he’ll take up a couple of the periods [in exhibitions] Jonas would have played,” Wilson said.

After facing the Bruins, the Leafs will play Thursday in London against Philadelphia, Friday in Pittsburgh and back home Saturday against the Flyers.

NOTE: On Tuesday, Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment announced the new Atrium concession stand at the Air Canada Centre would be named “Burkie’s Dog House” after Brian Burke, the Maple Leafs fiery general manager.