Vancouver Canucks fans are anxiously awaiting news that their team will be bringing in some much needed offensive help via the free agent market.

So far Canucks GM Mike Gillis has made only one signing, inking RFA forward Kyle Wellwood to a one-year contract worth just under $1 million.

Gillis acquired Wellwood off waivers last week from the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Hang tough, Canucks fans, the UFA market only opened and Gillis has lots of time to make a major signing or two.

The Florida Panthers have announced placing center Jozef Stumpel on waivers in what could be a prelude to buying out the remainder of his contract.

Stumpel has one year at $2.25 million remaining on his current contract. He’d been a consistent 50-point player throughout this decade but last season struggled with injury posting his lowest offensive totals in a decade.

It’s possible he could play overseas next season but he might test this summer’s NHL UFA market where he could be an affordable depth.

The Vancouver Canucks have claimed center Kyle Wellwood off waivers from the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Not a bad move by the Canucks as this is an affordable way to bring some depth at center. Wellwood has the potential to be a second line scorer but the injury prone center must improve his conditioning to reach that potential.

The Ottawa Senators have parted ways with tough guy Brian McGratton, shipping him to the Phoenix Coyotes in exchange for a fifth round pick in 2009.

McGratton’s presence should make teams in the Western Conference think twice about taking liberties against the Coyotes best players. He’s a restricted free agent but the Coyotes shouldn’t have too much trouble getting one of the league’s best brawlers under contract.

Former NY Islanders goaltender Wade Dubieliewicz has reportedly signed a two-year contract with AK-Bars Kazan of the newly formed Kontinental Hockey League.

Dubielewicz rejected a contract offer from the Islanders and was eligible for UFA status in July.

Three more players hit the waiver wire on Tuesday.

The Toronto Maple Leafs placed goaltender Andrew Raycroft and forward Kyle Wellwood on waivers, while the Tampa Bay Lightning did the same with goaltender Marc Denis.

In the case of Raycroft and Denis, who both have one season remaining on their existing contract, it’s the first step for the Leafs and Lightning buying them out.

Raycroft was expected to be bought out this month, having lost his job as the Leafs starting goalie to Vesa Toskala after cracking under the pressure of playing in Toronto.

Denis’ status had been uncertain until the sale of the Lightning to OK Hockey was approved. He never turned into the starting goalie Lightning GM Jay Feaster was hoping for when he peddle winger Fredrik Modin to Columbus for Denis.

Raycroft has $2.2 million remaining on his contract, Denis $3 million. Their buyouts will be at two thirds the remaining value spread over the next two seasons. Should they clear waivers as expected by noon ET on Wednesday they'll become unrestricted free agents.

Wellwood however isn’t on an existing contract and is eligible for RFA status unless the Leafs decide not to qualify his rights, in which case he’d become an unrestricted free agent on July 1st.

It’s my understanding the Leafs didn’t qualify his rights so perhaps they’re hoping someone will take him off waivers and do so.

Regardless, it’s quite a fall for Wellwood, who was projected to be the Leafs second-line center heading into last season, but a combination of injuries and poor conditioning saw his stock plummet.  

It took weeks for the Toronto Maple Leafs ownership to finally fire general manager John Ferguson Jr but they finally took that step on January 22, 2008.

There’s no need to go over Ferguson’s record as the Leafs GM, as the Toronto media has that more than covered. What’s more important here is where the Leafs go from here.

The Toronto Maple Leafs are the NHL’s richest franchise, worth more than even the New York Rangers, yet since the lockout they’ve been one of the NHL’s weakest teams.

Of course the Leafs don’t have to worry about losing fan support in Toronto, southern Ontario and throughout Canada.

Whenever the “r” word – rebuilding – has been mentioned with the Leafs it’s been suggested their fans won’t wait for a winner, but that’s foolishness, given the club hasn’t won a Stanley Cup – hasn’t even been in a Cup final – since 1967.

No, Leafs fans are used to waiting, and they’ll wait again while the new full time general manager takes over and hopefully begins the “r” word process.

For now Cliff Fletcher, who was GM of the Leafs from 1991 to 1997, takes over on an interim basis. By the sound of things at the press conference announcing his hiring he’ll be making the big decisions at this year’s trade deadline, entry draft and the club’s potential pursuit of unrestricted free agents.

Whoever takes over the role full-time will have their hands full.

For starters, the Leafs have committed over $42 million committed to 19 players for next season. With the salary cap expected to rise to around $54 million for next season, that only leaves $10 million (assuming they leave themselves a $2 million cap cushion), which isn’t really much room.

The only expensive free agent the Leafs might re-sign is Sundin regardless of whether or not he waives his NTC, but re-signing him could cost almost as much as the $5.75 million he earned this season, perhaps more.

The only other free agents of note are UFA enforcer Wade Belak and restricted free agents Alexander Steen, Matt Stajan and Kyle Wellwood, but given the slow development of the latter three it’s doubtful any of them will get offers worth more than $2 million per, if that.

But if Sundin is re-signed, or if another big name UFA is signed, that won’t leave much space to re-sign those youngsters.

Cap space could be made available by trading some players, but unfortunately many of those eating up considerable cap space on the Leafs roster (Sundin, Tucker, McCabe, Kaberle and Kubina) have “no-trade” clauses and little willingness to waive them.

Kaberle’s clause has a loophole whereby the club can trade him this summer without his consent if the Leafs fail to make the playoffs, while Kubina has one that limits the Leafs by only allowing them to trade him to pre-specified teams.

Even if the Leafs could convince those players to waive their clauses, their expensive, long-term contracts make them almost impossible to move during the season.

It’s only a little less difficult to shop during the off-season, when they’d only have a window of a few weeks in July when teams have more available cap space.

Perhaps one of those players will be moved between now and the start of next season, but given the aforementioned factors Leafs fans shouldn’t hold their breath. Most if not all (except perhaps Sundin) could be back next season.

Jason Blake has popped up in trade rumors, but he’s got another four years remaining at $4 million per, is having his worst season in six years and is battling leukemia. Those factors don’t  make Blake enticing to rival GMs.

Forget the talk of trading Andrew Raycroft; nobody wants a $2 million goalie whose confidence is shot, not even in a backup capacity.

Buyouts are a possibility, but those are at two-thirds the remaining value spread over twice the original tenure of the contract. That’s why you don’t see too many of those nowadays.

Even if a salary dumping trade or two were possible, it’s the return of young players, prospects and/or draft picks that’ll be most important and what the new Leafs GM does with them.

The Leafs are a team that haven’t drafted very well over the last dozen years or so, and those few blue-chippers they do draft often ended up traded away for veterans in quick-fix deals. Ferguson wasn’t the only one to blame for that, as his predecessors – including Fletcher – were also guilty of shortsightedness.

Fletcher said the Leafs had to improve its drafting and development if the club has any hope of making significant improvement in the future. Easy to say but hard to do, and it requires a seasoned hand to carry that off.

It appears the Leafs hierarchy will be looking for someone with NHL experience (and preferably a Stanley Cup on their resume) to become the eventual full-time general manager, which see,s essential for this club if it is to improve its draft record.

But who could take over? The names of Anaheim’s Brian Burke, Detroit’s Ken Holland, Carolina’s Jim Rutherford, New Jersey’s Lou Lamoriello and Montreal’s Bob Gainey have been floated as potential candidates by the Toronto media, but hiring any of those guys could be wishful thinking.

Most are currently on contracts with their respective teams that stretch into next season and some beyond that. Besides, Holland is a Red Wing for life, Lamoreillo isn’t leaving the Devils, Gainey appears determined to rebuild the Canadiens, Burke just won a Stanley Cup in Anaheim and appears happy there, and Rutherford refuses to discuss leaving the Hurricanes.

As for Scotty Bowman, the Leafs ownership had their chance to hire him as team president last summer but blew it when they wouldn’t allow him autonomy to run the club his way.

Current head coach Paul Maurice will finish the season but it’s doubtful he’ll be returning next year. The new GM will have to find a head coach that can work well both with veterans and young players alike, which can be no easy feat in today’s NHL, even tougher in one of hockey’s most demanding markets.

Finally, whoever becomes the new Leafs GM has to be able to handle the heat of the spotlight of working in one of the NHL’s most demanding markets. Fans and media heavily scrutinize every word and action and are quick to find fault if things don’t work out quickly.

In the end, Leafs fans shouldn’t fool themselves into thinking that firing Ferguson and hiring Fletcher will magically turn everything around. This is merely one step in a long journey that could take years.

But of course, Leafs fans have been waiting for over four decades for a Stanley Cup champion, so waiting a few more years shouldn’t be that tough.