There's a big difference between a wish list and a promise.

Heading into the NHL draft, Leafs GM Brian Burke expressed a keen desire to move up in the lottery to take a shot at either John Tavares or Brayden Schenn. In the end, Toronto couldn't find any dance partners and Tavares ended up in Long Island while Schenn was picked by Los Angeles.

But while his draft dreams went up in smoke, Burke has more than lived up to his pledge to make the Leafs more pugnacious.

Mike Komisarek, Garnet Exelby and Francois Beauchemin provide Toronto with a trio of tough blueliners and when you dabble with potential pairings, it's clear that this is a playoff calibre defence.

Mike Komisarek - Luke Schenn
(The former Habs' giant is being touted as the perfect role model for Schenn, a young man who Burke has already identified as the Leafs future captain.)

Francois Beauchemin - Mike Van Ryn
(Known primarily for his grit, Beauchemin is more talented than people realize. Van Ryn is injury prone but when he was in the lineup last year, the ex-Panther was often the Leafs best all-around defender.)

Garnet Exelby - Jeff Finger
(A former Atlanta Thrasher who's pumped about playing in a real hockey market, and a second year Leaf still motivated to show he's worth the huge free agent bucks handed to him last season.)

Conspicuous by his absence, of course, is Tomas Kaberle. The Leafs have until August 15th to deal the veteran before the no-trade clause in his contract kicks back in. Burke was reportedly close to shipping Kaberle to Boston for sniper Phil Kessel before the two teams got their wires crossed on what exactly was on the table. But Burke should still be able to parlay Kaberle, who could use a change of scenery, into a top six forward the Leafs so desperately lack.

Beauchemin is a Bulldog

Beauchemin was originally drafted by the Montreal Canadiens in the third round of the 1998 draft. Unfortunately, he was buried in the AHL with the Hamilton Bulldogs and despite helping them advance to the Calder Cup final in 2003, Beauchemin played just one game in a Habs uniform.

"Mike Komisarek and Ron Hainsey were in front of me on the depth chart," he explained. "So, when the Canadiens called somebody up, they got the first shot."

In the end, things have worked out for all three players. After years of failing to fulfill his vast potential, Hainsey has put together three solid NHL seasons in a row and registered a career-high 39 points in Atlanta last year. Komisarek and Beauchemin, meanwhile, can now re-live their Bulldog days together in Toronto and maybe Mike will get a chance to see the Stanley Cup ring Francois won with the 2007 Anaheim Ducks.

But that's not the only souvenir Beauchemin picked up from that championship season.

"I promised that I'd give myself a little treat if we won the Cup and I went out that summer and bought a Porsche, which has always been the car of my dreams."

Despite inking a deal with Toronto that will pay him over $11 million for the next three years, Beauchemin says he has no plans for an immediate spending splurge and promises that Leaf fans don't have to worry about money taking away his motivation.

"It's not about the money," explained Beauchemin. "We play to win the Stanley Cup and if that's not your focus, the other stuff that goes with the game doesn't mean much."

The "good guy" club

With all their injury woes, who knows how good the Toronto Blue Jays really are?

But there's plenty of evidence that the ball club is filled with "good guys".

Talk to anyone in the media who covers the Jays and they'll tell you that this is the easiest bunch to deal with in the history of the franchise, and Toronto slugger Adam Lind believes there's a good reason for that.

"Most of our players are family guys who spend time talking about their wife and kids," said Lind. "They're not on the road painting up the town and that has a big influence on the young guys."

Lind is one of those young guys, turning 26 on July 17th, and he also has a "good guy" reputation.

"I like to think I'm a nice guy," laughed Lind. "As long as people are being reasonable, I'll talk to anybody. That's just the way I was raised by my mom and dad."

And being a polite power hitter is obviously paying off with the fans. Lind is one of five players competing for the final spot on the squad that will represent the American League at the July 14 All-Star Game in St. Louis. It all comes down to an internet vote and a number of Lind lovers have been stuffing the electronic ballot box as many times as possible.

"I appreciate all the support," said Lind. "I can't see myself ever taking the all-star game for granted because, you never know - this might be the only chance I get."