The effect of the salary cap has come home to roost for the 75 unrestricted free agents remaining on the open market.

Here are some of the top free agents available this summer.

On July 7, they signed unrestricted free agent Brett Lebda from the Detroit Red Wings, giving them six NHL-proven players on the blue line should Kaberle be traded.

And the longest-serving Leaf is almost certain to be dealt for a forward before the Aug. 15 window in his no-trade deal closes. Kaberle told a website in his native Czech Republic that he expects to be moved after years of rumors and last minute cancellations of other deals. He said there were no regrets about his 12 years as a Leaf, only that he would miss living in Toronto. He hoped he would end up with a Stanley Cup contender.

Leafs GM Brian Burke, meanwhile, played up Lebda's long playoff record and Stanley Cup...]]> http://www.leafsnews.com/2010/07/29/maple-leafs-team-report-yahoo-sports-2/feed/ 0 http://www.thestar.com/sports/hockey/article/841313--leafs-mike-komisarek-says-his-shoulder-is-healed#utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=leafsae%25e2%2584%25a2-mike-komisarek-says-his-shoulder-is-healed http://www.thestar.com/sports/hockey/article/841313--leafs-mike-komisarek-says-his-shoulder-is-healed#comments Wed, 28 Jul 2010 20:07:00 +0000 Kevin McGran http://www.thestar.com/article/841313

At Leafs promotional events this week, Mike Komisarek says he’s ready for training camp, Kris Versteeg reveals his on-line Stanley Cup rap song and Colby Armstrong discusses Ilya Kovalchuk.

Kris Versteeg and Colby Armstrong got a taste of what it means to be Maple Leafs Tuesday night.

Ilya Kovalchuk’s record-setting 17-year, $102 million contract is officially rejected by the NHL. The next move is up to the players’ union.

The structure of NHL contracts began to change when someone figured out that if you add low dollar figures at the end of a deal, it reduces the average salary.

A source has told the Star that the NHL has rejected Ilya Kovalchuk's 17-year, $102 million contract with the New Jersey Devils "on the grounds that it constitutes a circumvention of the salary cap."

Leaf GM Brian Burke has gone fishing with some buddies, leaving assistant GM Dave Poulin in charge of the club.

The Toronto Maple Leafs boosted their depth Thursday by signing free-agent forwards Mike Zigomanis and Joey Crabb, and defenceman Danny Richmond.

Brian Burke lands free agent Marcel Mueller, a 6-3, 220-pound winger, and says the German Olympian could crack the Leafs’ top six.