FanHouse Mike Komisarek

OK, so maybe it's not all Vesa Toskala's fault in Toronto. I don't mean to pile on the Maple Leafs here, but man, this team can't catch a break.

With its 4-1 loss to the Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday, Toronto fell to 0-5-1 on the season, dropping its fifth straight game in regulation.

The description on TV (video after the jump) following Colorado's fourth goal of the game seems to sum up the Leafs' season through the first three weeks: "when it rains, it pours."

The Montreal Canadiens managed to escape Thursday's season opener in Toronto with a 4-3 overtime win -- despite being outshot by a 46-27 margin -- thanks to a game-winning tally from Josh Gorges with 10 seconds to play in the extra period.

While Montreal won the game, it proved to be a very, very costly win as two-time All-Star defenseman Andrei Markov left in the third period after awkwardly colliding with goaltender Carey Price.

Multiple Canadian media outlets, including TSN, Sportsnet and RDS, reported that Markov could miss anywhere between two-to-four months early Friday, and the Canadiens confirmed Friday afternoon that the defenseman will be on the shelf for the next four months after undergoing surgery for a lacerated tendon in his ankle.

Brian Burke was a busy man this offseason for the Toronto Maple Leafs, upgrading his defense with Mike Komisarek and Francois Beauchemin, finally acquiring Phil Kessel from the Boston Bruins -- a move that should surely improve an offense that was already in the top-10 in goals scored -- and snagging Swedish goaltending prospect Jonas Gustavsson.

Despite the wheeling and dealing, the oddsmakers in sin city -- specifically the Las Vegas Hilton -- are betting on a fifth consecutive non-playoff season for the boys in blue and white, according to Jeff Haney's article for the Las Vegas Sun, which has the over/under point totals for every team in the league.

After months of rumors and speculation the Boston Bruins finally made a move regarding 21-year-old restricted free agent Phil Kessel, trading the former No. 5 overall pick to the Toronto Maple Leafs for a pile of draft picks, including first and second-round selections in 2010 as well as a first-round pick in 2011.

The Toronto Maple Leafs didn't get what they wanted (John Tavares) during the NHL Draft. They also didn't get the forwards (the Sedins) that were likely their top target in free agency.

None of this, however, has stopped general manager Brian Burke from being a very busy guy since the Stanley Cup Finals ended. The Leafs have made a notable trade, signed two big defensemen (Mike Komisarek and Francois Beauchemin), and have now picked up a "Monster" to help them out in goal.

Late last week, Maple Leafs general manager Brian Burke made it clear that his team would not be pushed around this upcoming season. Based on his first moves this offseason, he wasn't kidding. After signing tough-guy Colton Orr to a four-year, $4 million deal earlier on Wednesday, the Leafs sent defenseman Pavel Kubina, and the rights to Tim Stapleton, to the Atlanta Thrashers for Garnet Exelby and Colin Stuart.

On the surface, it's a woefully lopsided trade in favor of Atlanta, and nothing more than a salary dump for Toronto.

The plus side? Just moments after the deal was made, word surfaced that defenseman Mike Komisarek had signed with the Maple Leafs.

Various media outlets are reporting this afternoon that the Montreal Canadiens have been sold to the Molson family, pending league approval (which, according to TSN, could take until mid-summer). The price tag for the NHL's most storied franchise? Depending on which report you listen to, it's somewhere between $500 million and $550 million ... or more.

How are Canadiens fans reacting to the news?

It's officially the offseason, meaning the time is right to look into the future. We begin our division-by-division preview of the potential wheeling and dealing with the Northeast Division.

Brian Burke begins his rebuild of the Toronto Maple Leafs, Dany Heatley wants out of Ottawa and just what is Boston going to do with Phil Kessel and a limited amount of salary cap space?

After serving as the Florida Panthers general manager for the past four seasons (and head coach for three of those seasons) Jacques Martin will be named the new head coach of the Montreal Canadiens on Monday. During his four-year stint in charge of the Panthers, the team failed to make the playoffs each season, while he brings 14 years of head coaching experience to the Canadiens.

After a brief two-year tenure with the St. Louis Blues in the late 1980s, Martin took over the Ottawa Senators in 1995, leading the team to the playoffs eight times in nine years, while also winning three division titles and the Jack Adams award as coach of the year in 1999.