Maple Leafs: Burke Makes Nonis An Offer As Leafs Prepare For Coyotes

The honeymoon is over and Brian Burke is quickly starting to put his stamp on this Toronto Maple Leafs organization.

While it is unlikely he will move any bodies before the new year, Burke has made an attempt to strengthen what is already a strong stable of hockey minds in the franchises front office.

Sources say Burke and the Maple Leafs have made an offer to one of Burke's former assistants, Dave Nonis.

The offer was actually made last night and it is believed that Nonis would be brought to Toronto under the label of senior adviser of hockey operations, a title he currently holds in Anaheim.

Nonis was talked about earlier this year as a potential candidate to fill the Maple Leafs GM vacancy, however the Leafs decided to wait their options at that time.

Adding Nonis will help the continued process of rebuilding the front office.  In the past year the Maple Leafs have added Cliff Fletcher, Brian Burke, Joe Nieuwendyk, and Al Coates.

The Leafs, meanwhile, will be on the ice tonight in the desert battling Shane Doan and the Phoenix Coyotes.

It looks like Vesa Toskala will get the start to finish out the Western road swing for the Maple Leafs, while a familiar face will be in goal for the Phoenix Coyotes.

Mikael Tellqvist is enjoying a bit of a rebirth with the Coyotes so far and is 4-2-1 with a stingy 2.03 GAA.

The biggest news out of practice for the Leafs, and perhaps the most inviting as well, is the demotion of Alex Ponikarovsky off of the teams top line.

Lee Stempniak will take his place alongside Matt Stajan and Nik Antropov.  Here are tonight's lines for the Leafs as they battle the Coyotes.

Forwards:
Stempniak -- Stajan -- Antropov
Hagman -- Grabovski -- Kulemin
Ponikarovski -- Moore -- Blake
Deveaux -- Mitchell -- Hollweg

Defence:
Finger -- Kubina
White -- Stralman
Kaberle -- Schenn

Goaltender:
Toskala