Ben Ondrus News

Evan McGrath scored twice to lead the visiting Grand Rapids Griffins to a 6-3 victory over the Toronto Marlies in American Hockey League action Saturday.

Ben Ondrus is feeling a little older than he'd like to. The Toronto Marlies captain is still only 27 but, surrounded by so many young teammates, he can't help but feel like the years are starting to blur.

The kid sure is stubborn. Maple Leafs rookie Nazem Kadri tied the game late in the third before scoring the shootout winner Tuesday as Toronto beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 3-2. Even though coach Ron Wilson has made it clear the first-rounder is a longshot to crack his roster this season, Kadri continues to do everything he can to impress.

The Maple Leafs roster is taking shape, before the finished product heads to a Northern Ontario retreat prior to the start of the regular season.

Last night started my coverage of the 2009/2010 NHL season. Why last night, you ask, when the preseason has already been going on for a few days? Well the answer to that is easy.

Kadri sends message in Leafs' win Ben Ondrus and Joey MacDonald of the Toronto Maple Leafs watch an incoming shot while Ondrus tries to hold up James Van Reimsdyk of the Philadelphia Flyers in a preseason game on September 17, 2009, at the John Labatt Centre in London, Ontario.

Leafs coach Ron Wilson at the Leafs Training Camp. After close to six months away from the bench, Ron Wilson shouldn't have been grousing yesterday about too many exhibition games in September.

The Ottawa Senators began to make over their offence, while the Toronto Maple Leafs continued to revamp their defence as a slew of NHL free agents found new teams on Monday.

The Toronto Maple Leafs signed unrestricted free-agent defenceman Fran?ois Beauchemin yesterday, increasing the likelihood the NHL club will trade defenceman later this summer.

Fresh off his breakup with the Montreal Canadiens, Alex Kovalev landed on his skates yesterday by signing a $10-million US, two-year deal with rival Ottawa Senators .

The Toronto Maple Leafs announced Monday that the hockey club has re-signed forwards Ben Ondrus and Ryan Hamilton to one-year contracts.

Leafs land Beauchemin Ottawa Senators right wing Patrick Eaves, left, mixes it up with Anaheim Ducks defenceman Francois Beauchemin during the first period of Game 1 of the NHL Stanley Cup Final on May 28, 2007, in Anaheim.