OK, I Took the Crystal Ball Bait.

Say "Plan the Parade..." issued a challenge, and I'll answer. Probably not very well, mind you, but hey, the off-season was created so we could indulge in frivolous speculation, wasn't it? No? Oh. Well, too late. I've gone ahead and tried to guess what the Leafs' 2009-10 roster will look like, with my best guesses as to how much each player will cost. For the sake of this game, I've operated under the current salary cap of 56.7M. Also, I've only listed what each player's cap hit will be, since this is really the only number that matters in the Land of the Leafs, where MLSE owns the right to print money. Oh, and I should mention that at the moment that I am writing this, www.nhlscap.com is not working, and I've had to cobble together different sources for salary info. Some of what I've seen is conflicting.

To be honest with you, I don't see this being an off-season of big pickups. We'll probably be moving up (at least a little bit) at the deadline, and I rather anticipate that our dear friend Tomas Kaberle will be leaving us. Other notable departures will include Jeff Hamilton, Brad May, Mikhail Grabovski, and Martin Gerber (unless we can't sign the Monster). After that, I really doubt we'll make any big signings in the free agent market. J-Bo is going to get stupid money, and the Sedins just aren't what we're looking for. At least, I hope they're not what BB is looking for. So here is what I consider to be a modest projection of what our team will look like come October. 

FORWARDS:

Jason Blake - 4.0M: Let's face it, this contract ain't goin' nowhere. Ain't no how. On the bright side, he bounced back last season. On a slightly dimmer side, most of his points were while he was playing with a workhorse named Dominic Moore. 

Tyler Bozak - 4.0M: He may not actually see this money, but he can get up to 4M if he hits all his bonuses, plus, his cap hit is 4M no matter what happens. No, I have no idea what those bonuses are. TSN link here.

Lee Stempniak - 2.5M: I don't think there was a single player that disappointed more last season. He won't be moved anywhere, unless it's to the AHL, but then, I'll also be looking for a big rebound year from this kid.

Niklas Hagman - 3.0M: Hey! 'Member that time he scored that goal against Florida? I guess he's not the worst use of 3 million dollars I've ever seen (see: Stempniak, Lee). Good 2-way man. 

Brayden Schenn - 2.2M: This is one of the only players I'm going out on a limb to say will be playing for us next year, and it's not even that much of a stretch. Burke may not be able to deal for him directly (the Thrashers may well take him 4th), but perhaps after a deal with the Kings, we'll be in a position to do so. A 2.2M salary is close what his brother made last year (including bonuses), and they were drafted around the same spot.

Alexei Ponikarovsky - 2.1M: Pokahonsky, as his ultimate admirer Don Cherry calls him, can stick around. He's all right. And the fact that he played his best when Antropov was out of the picture is encouraging, because I really don't think that Burke wants to bring that guy back. 

Matt Stajan - 1.75M: Christian Hanson will replace this man in a year. But for now, I doubt he goes anywhere.

Nikolai Kulemin - 1.5M: Adjusting to a North American game, blah, blah, blah. Let's just hope to see an improvement for next year. Still lots of potential in this kid.

Christian Hanson - 1.5M: Barring a package deal to move up the the draft, I expect to see this kid be in the running for our 3rd or 4th line centre job. 

Jamal Mayers - 1.3M: Groan. He's the other former St. Louis Blue that could stand a kick in the ass. And to do some ass-kicking, himself.

Jiri Tlusty - 0.85M: Please, please, please, turn out to be a serviceable top-six forward! 

John Mitchell - 0.5M: This guy showed some flashes of offensive touch, but was too inconsistent.

Boyd Devereaux - 0.5M: If we're going to have a keep a veteran plug, this is probably the one. He's quick, well-liked in the dressing room, and comes cheap.

DEFENSE:

Pavel Kubina - 5.0M: Since his rough start with the Leafs, when 5M looked like a complete waste, he has improved his standing to being only a bit of a waste. But, I guess he's popular in the dressing room, and can hopefully be looked to for a bit of leadership. I doubt he'll go anywhere despite the lack of a no-trade clause. Unless Tampa really misses him. In that case, that'll be a 3rd overall pick, thank you very much. And then, with the money we'll save, we'll all buy ponies, and ride a rainbow to our new home planet Blisstonia.

François Beauchemin - 4.0M: You always overpay for free agents, but I wouldn't be upset or surprised to see this guy land back on Burke's team. As a side note, don't you find it a bit weird when a French Canadian plays for the Leafs? I mean, how can their hearts really be in it? 

Jeff Finger - 3.5M: OK, Jeff. Now do what you did last year, but better. Because we can't move this doofus contract.

Mike Van Ryn - 2.9M: His arm's off? It's only a flesh wound! If this guy could just stay healthy, we'd have one hell of a good defenseman for what we're paying him. Blocks shots, solid guy in the dressing room, plus some offensive upside. No one is going to trade for a guy who has played 47 games in the last two seasons.

Luke Schenn - 2.5M: Same as what I said to Jeff, minus the disdain in my voice. This man ain't moving. Also, note that his cap hit is higher due to bonuses. His base rookie salary is under 1M. 

Jonas Frogren - 1.0M: OK, pal. Your ass ain't going anywhere unless we can get more than a 4th rounder for you. You'd better be worth it.

Ian White - 0.85M: This is one of the few players I feel we're really getting a deal on. Let's hope that after this coming season, he'll re-sign for something reasonable. Then, we can focus on re-signing his mustache. That being said, I doubt we'll get much more for him than we would if we included him in a trade package now.

Anton Stralman - 0.67M: I think he just might stick this year.

GOALIES:

Vesa Toskala - 4.0M: He'll be better next year, promise. 

Jonas Gustavsson - 3.0M:  Hell YES we're going to sign him! I just have a good feeling about this one. He's going to push Toskala, too. Big time.

So that's it, really. That's 13 forwards, 8 defensemen, and 2 goalies, to the specifications of Say "Plan the Parade..." These contracts will come to a total of 54.87M, including the Tucker and Raycroft buyouts (1M and 0.75, respectively), and these rookie bonuses, which I sincerely hope there is another way of counting towards our books. Granted, this is a tight fit, but Burke did say that we would spend up to the cap next year. Furthermore, if we're being honest with ourselves, he is probably a lot better at this numbers game than any of us here, so let's hope he figures something out. Looking forward to seeing everyone else's ideas!