Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Brian Burke continued to add beef to the blueline corps today, signing former Anaheim Ducks defenseman Francois Beauchemin to a three-year, $11.4 million contract, or $3.8 million per season against the Leafs salary cap. 

It's the second time in his career Beauchemin will be playing for a team with Burke as the general manager. It was Burke who brought him to the Ducks in the fall of 2005 as part of a trade which also shipped Sergei Fedorov to the Columbus Blue Jackets. 

Beauchemin isn't particularly big for a defenseman (6, 215) but quickly earned a reputation as a physical defenseman, as well as one of the league's most respected scrappers. 

Burke last week added big physical defenseman Mike Komisarek via free agency last week as well as Garnet Exelby as part of a trade with the Atlanta Thrashers. Beachemin will only make it tougher for opposing teams to score goals next season. 

His addition also creates a logjam on the blueline. The Leafs now have nine defensemen under contract (Beauchemin, Komisarek, Exelby, Jeff Finger, Ian White, Luke Schenn, Mike Van Ryn, Jonas Frogren and Tomas Kaberle), which is likely to add fuel to the rumor fires over a possible trade of Kaberle.