BOSTON – With each win the Boston Bruins add to their Stanley Cup playoff run, Dave Nonis recognizes how much it flatters his own team’s gritty opening-round performance.
But that doesn’t mean the Maple Leafs general manager isn’t looking to upgrade anywhere and everywhere in the rapidly approaching off season.
“My position hasn’t changed,” Nonis said following Wednesday’s annual general manager’s meeting when asked specifically if the Leafs are kicking the tires on Los Angeles Kings goaltender Jonathan Bernier. “We’re going to look to upgrade at every position. That doesn’t mean that we are unhappy with the people we have at centre at wing or in net, but I think it’s incumbent upon every team to look at what’s available.
“I think our goaltending was solid last year. It’s not a situation where we feel compelled to do something, but if there’s an opportunity to improve, we’ll look to do it.”
Among the business decisions looming will be whether he re-signs centre Tyler Bozak and how much he spends on restricted free agent Nazem Kadri. There’s also the matter of potential compliance buyouts and as he heads into his first summer as Leafs GM, Nonis acknowledged that he would consider a compliance buyout is “a distinct possibility.” Though he wouldn’t name a specific player, don’t be surprised if the name that comes up is Mike Komisarek.
Nonis is confident, meanwhile, that the experience his young team went through in the dramatic seven-game loss to the Bruins – including the spectacular blown three-goal lead in the third period of Game 7 – will make them stronger going forward.
And yes, he’s been watching the Bruins and their impressive ride, which prior to Game 4 of the final had included just two losses since they fell to Toronto in Game 6.
“I think that although we were playing a very good Boston team, the team that went on after that has been exceptional,” Nonis said. “We probably kicked the bear a little bit.
“I’ve watched every game they’ve played, right through to the end. I think if you are going to lose to anybody you want it to be a team that’s going to the end.”
Nonis, who planned to attend Game 4 at the Garden on Wednesday night, anticipated a busy few weeks with the entry draft and free agency rapidly approaching.
So far, there is no news on his own pending free agents, including Bozak who will be seeking a big raise. If the team’s de facto first-line centre seeks a contract in the $5 million range, you can expect the Leafs to back away from the table but if Bozak decides the opportunity to play alongside Phil Kessel is worth less salary, he’s likely to return.
“We haven’t moved along very far with any of our UFA or restricteds but we’ll probably pick up some dialogue in terms of frequency in the next week or so,” Nonis said. “We have to evaluate what we might have and what might become available.
“We have to be mindful of how much we are committing and we have to make sure we have the ability to take advantage of the opportunities that come your way and if you don’t have the cap space, you’re locked in to players that may be eating up too much of that cap space and you can put yourself in a difficult situation.”
As for improving via trade, Nonis is keeping all options open. Former general manager Brian Burke made a splash on draft day last year when he sent defenceman Luke Schenn to Philadelphia for winger James van Riemsdyk.
“The trade talks are heating up now, it’s just finding pieces that fit,” Nonis said. “There are a lot of teams that want to do something and there’s more discussion than there was a week ago, there’s no doubt about that.
“We’ve talked about a number of players that are available in free agency that we think could help us. How our team looks after the draft will (determine the direction).”
rob.longley@sunmedia.ca
twitter.com/longleysunsport

PITTSBURGH — The Maple Leafs still hold a special place in Claude Julien’s heart.
In a backhanded sort of way, mind you.
Three weeks have passed since the Boston Bruins staged a stunning comeback in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinal to eliminate the Leafs, but for the Bruins coach, the manner in which the Bruins disposed of Toronto resonates.
“The way we won Game 7, there’s no doubt in my mind there was a real big turning point,” Julien said on Monday. “It does play a big role.
“At the same time I think the adversity you go through during the season helps you overcome some tough times, and I think that’s what helped us get through Game 7, is that we’ve been there before. We scored a couple of goals late in games, and we knew we could.”
Not that a reminder necessarily is in order, but here it is anyway: On May 13, the Leafs held a 4-1 lead in the third period at the TD Garden and less than 11 minutes were left in regulation when Nathan Horton scored. That goal was followed by one from Milan Lucic at 18:38, and the tying goal at 19:09 on a floater from the point by Patrice Bergeron.
Bergeron won the game at 6:05 of overtime when he slipped the puck past a sprawling James Reimer, this after Jake Gardiner accidentally put the puck on Bergeron’s tape.
The Leafs had won Games 5 and 6 after the Bruins took a 3-1 series lead.
“I don’t know if I want to use the word momentum more than the confidence that it brings to your hockey club, and we’re seeing the same thing with Chicago, what they overcame against Detroit and the way they’ve played the first two games against Los Angeles (in the Western Conference final),” Julien said. “It does a lot for your team.
“It makes you feel good. It makes you excited, gives you the energy that you need to continue.”
The Bruins ousted the New York Rangers in five games in the conference semifinal and hold a 1-0 lead over the Pittsburgh Penguins in the conference final.
terry.koshan@sunmedia.ca
twitter.com/koshtorontosun

PITTSBURGH — The Maple Leafs are off to London.
Well, only the rookies, and just down the 401 to Budweiser Gardens.
The Leafs announced Monday their rookies will participate in a tournament with freshmen representing the Ottawa Senators, Pittsburgh Penguins and Chicago Blackhawks Sept. 5-8.
“The Maple Leafs are thrilled to return to a great hockey city like London for the annual rookie tournament,” Leafs general manager David Nonis said in a statement. “It’s a great opportunity for us to evaluate the players in our system against their peers from other NHL clubs.”
The annual tournament, which has been held in different locations, was cancelled last year because of the lockout.
Rosters will be announced at a later date.
Tickets go on sale on Saturday at 10 a.m. Tickets can be purchased at the Budweiser Gardens box office, by phone at 1-866-455-2849 or online at www.budweisergardens.com.
The schedule for the tournament follows. All games are at Budweiser Gardens, home of the Ontario Hockey League champion London Knights:
Thurs., Sept. 5
Pittsburgh vs. Ottawa, 2 p.m.
Chicago vs. Toronto, 7 p.m.
Fri., Sept. 6
Practices TBA
Sat., Sept. 7
Ottawa vs. Chicago, 2 p.m.
Toronto vs. Pittsburgh, 7 p.m.
Sun., Sept. 8
Chicago vs. Pittsburgh, 2 p.m.
Toronto vs. Ottawa, 7 p.m.

Tyler Bozak won’t require surgery on his injured biceps.
The Maple Leafs centre suffered the injury on a faceoff late in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinal against the Boston Bruins, Leafs vice-president of hockey operations Dave Poulin told the Toronto Sun on Wednesday afternoon.
“(The coaching staff) thought potentially he could go in Game 6, but they did not know right until game time (that Bozak could not),” Poulin said. “The fact that he tried was pretty valiant. He was willing to take it to the nth degree.”
Bozak participated in the pre-game warmup on Sunday but did not play that night. He also sat out the deciding Game 7 on Monday. The Leafs held a 4-1 lead in the third period in Boston but lost 5-4 in overtime on a goal by Patrice Bergeron, ending thier season.
Bozak’s spot on the roster was taken by Joe Colborne.
The injury was not related to the one that Bozak suffered against the Tampa Bay Lightning on April 24, causing him to miss the final two games of the regular season, Poulin said.
Bozak faces a recovery period of up to four weeks.
Bozak is headed for unrestricted free agency in July. The Leafs and his agent, Wade Arnott, agreed to put contract talks on the shelf until the season ended.
It’s expected that talks could re-open soon.
The Leafs will gather at the Air Canada Centre on Thursday to clean out their lockers before dispersing for the summer.

Even though it had all the appeal of a car crash for Leafs fans, Monday’ dramatic Game 7 conclusion to the Eastern Conference quarter-final vs. the Boston Bruins set record audience numbers for CBC’s Hockey Night In Canada.

According to a CBC press release, the game attracted a whopping 5.1 million viewers, destroying previous records for any opening-round game and for any Leafs playoff game ever. Monday’s game eclipsed the previous record of 4.5 million, set just one day earlier when the two teams met in Game 5 in Toronto.

Prior to this year, the record for an opening-round game was 3.9 millionfor Game 6 of the Leafs-vs. Senators on April 18, 2004.  The largest audience for any Leafs playoff game was the infamous Game 7 of the Toronto vs. Los Angeles Kings Western Conference final back on May 29, 1993.

The numbers cited above are overall average.The audience peaked at the zenith of interest as 8.2 million were watching at 10:04 p.m. when Patrice Bergeron scored the overtime winner to complete the incredible Bruins comeback and the 5-4 victory.

The audience for the game peaked at nearly 8.2 million viewers at 10:04 p.m. ET when Boston’s Patrice Bergeron scored the series-winning goal in overtime.