PHILADELPHIA – Restructuring the Toronto defence was primary in the objectives of Maple Leafs management as they strode into the busiest stage of a lengthy offseason. [url=http://www.soccerbelgiumfansshop.com/Leander-Dendoncker-UEFA-Europe an-Belgium-Jersey/]Leander Dendoncker Jersey[/url] . And on th

PHILADELPHIA – Restructuring the Toronto defence was primary in the objectives of Maple Leafs management as they strode into the busiest stage of a lengthy offseason. Leander Dendoncker Jersey . And on the final day of draft weekend, they took the first step toward doing just that. Carl Gunnarsson, selected with the 194th overall pick at the draft in Columbus seven years earlier, was dealt to St. Louis on Saturday morning for thick Czech defenceman and longtime Blue, Roman Polak. He is the first addition to a roster that promised to change following another late season meltdown. Adjustment to a mismatched and ineffective back-end was a must for the Leafs, who finished near the league basement defensively last season – yielding more shots against than any other club. Polak, while not an upgrade to the steady, but increasingly over-taxed Gunnarsson, does offer a different kind of presence to the Toronto defence, something brawnier and edgier for head coach Randy Carlyle, if not quite better. Gunnarsson, it was ultimately deemed, could be replaced on the top pairing with something similar internally. "We like our defence individually," general manager Dave Nonis said after the final round of the draft was completed on Saturday afternoon, "[but] we didnt necessarily like how they fit together last year. We wanted to move some pieces and change the look, rebuild it a little bit. I wouldnt say its a major overhaul by doing something like this, but it does give us a different element and its a player we didnt really have." Maybe more significant is how the trade promises to open up further opportunity for the clubs two top guns on defence: Morgan Rielly and Jake Gardiner. By removing Gunnarsson – who teamed with Dion Phaneuf on left side of the top pair – and adding the right-handed Polak, the Leafs opened up room for Rielly and Gardiner to become more prominent members of the defence. Rielly should move from a place on the bottom pair to something more substantial in the top-four. Gardiner, who led the team in even-strength ice-time, might be the one to replace Gunnarsson on the top pair. "Those guys are going to have to take steps forward," Nonis said of the promising duo. "It might be a lot to ask for Morgan a little bit in his second year, but he made some pretty big strides last year and we would expect that hell take some more next [year]. And I think Jake is a good possibility [of doing the same] as well." Left-handed shots, Rielly and Gardiner were both forced to play the right side often last season – nearly the entire season for the rookie – due to the rarity of right-handed defenders on the Toronto defence (Gardiner, specifically, struggled with the change and eventually had to move back to the left). The addition of the 6-foot-1, 227-pound Polak will ease that glut and allow more options for Carlyle. The Blues, who ranked third in the league defensively a year ago, employed Polak in shutdown capacities as well as on their second-ranked penalty kill. He was known in St. Louis as a fierce, physical competitor willing to play through injury. The 28-year-old, who has two years remaining on a five-year contract ($2.75 million cap hit), led the Blues defence in hits and finished second in blocked shots. "Hes a tough guy to play against," Nonis said of Polak, picked in the sixth round of 2004 Draft. "If you look at the minutes he plays he often plays against teams top players. He is very physical, hes very strong. I think theres a perception that because hes so big hes not mobile, I dont think thats true at all. We think that one of his strengths is his skating ability. Hes going to provide a little bit of edge." The fifth overall pick in 2012, Rielly had a fine first season in Toronto, demonstrating improvement with each passing month. He finished with 27 points in nearly 18 minutes of nightly work, emerging as one of the Leafs top possession players in 73 games. It remains to be seen whether he can climb another rung as a sophomore next season though the organization is certainly hopeful based on all that they saw a year ago. "We are hoping that he improves next year," said Nonis. "He may not. He might go through a year where hes not quite ready to go up the lineup, but were comfortable that hes going to get there and hes going to be an impact player and were going to give him an opportunity to do that." Gardiner, meanwhile, finished a rollercoaster third season on a high. He was easily the teams best defenceman down the stretch of another alarming late season collapse, totaling five goals and 14 points in the final 21 games. "Jakes going to have times where [the media] sitting below me in the press-box will hear me smacking on the wall, but the fact is hes got God-given ability that you just cant teach," Nonis said of the 23-year-old. "I think hes getting the other part of his game under control. The last half of the season the turnovers and some of the mistakes he was making earlier were decreasing … He did come a long way." Nonis expects the Leafs to be active at the outset of free agency on July 1st. He was inclined to add another defenceman to the mix, while stating his acceptance to the status quo if furthers upgrades were unavailable. Gunnarsson had mixed feelings after a five-year stay in Toronto. He received word of the trade shortly after 11 a.m. on Saturday morning and was "kind of shocked". "I didnt expect it," he told TSN.ca, still piecing together the emotions of his first trade in the NHL. "Sucks leaving Toronto…its been great." Blank Belgium Jersey . Ending a nine-game losing streak? That gave the Milwaukee Bucks veteran forward a reason to smile. Eden Hazard Jersey . - After three days of light, make that very light, workouts, Team Irvin and Team Carter are ready for tonights Pro Bowl. http://www.soccerbelgiumfansshop.com/Jan-Vertonghen-UEFA-European-Belgium-Jersey/ . - Robert Griffin III has a sprained throwing shoulder that limited him in practice Wednesday as the Washington Redskins prepared for their season finale against the Dallas Cowboys.MADRID, Spain -- In four days, Real Madrid has the chance to satisfy an obsession that has eluded them for 12 years. Madrid plays city rival Atletico Madrid in the Champions League final on Saturday, when a victory in Lisbon would provide the Spanish giant with its record 10th European Cup -- or "La Decima" as it is known in Spanish. Its been a long wait since Zinedine Zidane scored one of footballs iconic goals to lead Madrid to its ninth title, such that even Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti noted upon his arrival in the Spanish capital: "You could taste the desire to win La Decima in the air." "I remember that after we won the ninth (European Cup) that the next day we were already being asked about the 10th," said Madrid goalkeeper Iker Casillas, who is the only player on the team to have played in the Glasgow final, a 2-1 victory over Bayer Leverkusen. Madrid was doing its best to avoid terming its infatuation with perhaps the most important trophy in club football an obsessive affair, despite the very make-up of the club being shaped by it. "Its not an obsession, its a great motivation," Ancelotti said on Tuesday. "We have a great opportunity to get into the history books of this club. Its not an obsession but an opportunity." Madrids recent record in Europes top competition has only bred further impatience to increase its record trophy tally, which led FIFA to bestow it with the title of top club of the 20th century. Madrid won the European Cup six times between 1955 and 66, including a record five consecutive titles. Thibaut Courtois Belgium Jersey. It took 32 years to win the seventh in 1998, which not only provided liberation but led to returned success in the competition. But following the ninth cup win in 2002, Madrid went seven straight seasons without advancing from the first knockout stage despite president Florentino Perezs enormous spending on the likes of Brazil striker Ronaldo, David Beckham and Cristiano Ronaldo. The arrival of coach Jose Mourinho in 2010/11 reversed that trend with Madrid reaching the semifinals for three straight years. But never the final, until now. "In the last couple of years weve played well in this competition and we are always just one step away, so I think our fans deserve to experience this, reaching a final after 12 years," said Madrid defender Sergio Ramos. "To feel pressure would be a problem. You have to go out convinced that you can win it." Normally teams only produce T-shirts to commemorate final triumphs. Not Madrid, which felt such a release following the semifinal victory against Bayern that it had one ready for the players at the whistle reading "Now for the 10th!" Now, a first final between clubs from the same city stands in the way as Atletico comes off winning its first Spanish league for 18 years with an opportunity to win its first European Cup 40 years on from its lone appearance in a final. 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