Brian Burke, President and GM of the Maple Leafs, announced Monday that the club has signed defenceman Mark Fraser to a one-year contract. Fraser, 25, split the 2011-12 AHL season between the Marlies and Syracuse Crunch, former affiliate of the Ducks. The defenceman helped lead the Marlies to the 2012 Calder Cup Final, posting three assists and 31 penalty minutes in 17 playoff games. Fraser was acquired by the Maple Leafs from the Ducks on February 27, 2012 in exchange for Dale Mitchell.

Steve Staios, a veteran defenceman of 18 seasons in the NHL, announced his retirement as an active player on Wednesday. The Hamilton, Ontario native played in 1,001 career regular season games and 33 more in the NHL postseason from 1995 to 2012. He has accepted a position with the Maple Leafs as Player Development Advisor. "I am very excited about joining the Toronto Maple Leafs management team," said Staios. "I'm looking forward to doing everything I can to help the team have success. The time is right for me and my family to step away from the game that I love to play and move on to a new chapter in my life. I feel very fortunate to have the opportunity to work with Brian Burke and Dave Nonis and learn from their experience and knowledge."

Brian Burke, President and GM of the Maple Leafs, announced Tuesday that the club has signed forward Keith Aucoin and defenceman Simon Gysbers to one-year contracts, respectively. Aucoin, 33, spilt the 2011-12 season between the Washington Capitals and the AHL's Hershey Bears. The forward registered 11 points (three goals, eight assists) and a plus-four rating (+4) in 27 games with the Capitals. He also appeared in 14 playoff games for Washington, collecting two assists and two penalty minutes. Gysbers, 25, played 68 games for the AHL's Marlies in 2011-12, posting 29 points (five goals, 24 assists) with 20 penalty minutes and a plus-13 rating (+13). He ranked first among Marlies' defencemen in goals, assists and points in the regular season.

Brian Burke, President and GM of the Maple Leafs, announced on Friday that restricted free agent Nikolai Kulemin has agreed to terms on a new two-year contract. Kulemin, 26, has 68 goals and 84 assists for 152 points in four full seasons with Toronto. The forward has played in at least 70 games for the Maple Leafs in each of his first four NHL seasons. Kulemin is the team’s active leader in games played with 303. Kulemin was 'even or plus' in 57 games in 2011-12 and he missed the final 12 games of the season due to a finger injury. He was Toronto’s second choice, 44th overall, in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft.

It's going to be a December of firsts for outdoor hockey when the Hockeytown Winter Festival begins Dec. 15 in Detroit. That includes the annual Alumni Showdown, which will have a new look this time around. After receiving a great amount of interest from their alumni groups in playing at Comerica Park, the host Red Wings and Maple Leafs will play two alumni outdoor games Dec. 31, the first time that's been done in the event's brief history.

Brian Burke, President and GM of the Maple Leafs, announced Sunday that the club has signed forward Matt Frattin to a two-year contract, as well as forward Ryan Hamilton and goaltender Jussi Rynnas to one-year contracts, respectively. Frattin, 24, split the 2011-12 season between the Maple Leafs and the AHL's Marlies. The winger played 56 games for the Leafs, collecting 15 points (eight goals, seven assists) and 25 penalty minutes. Hamilton, 27, played two games with the Maple Leafs last season, making his NHL debut and collecting an assist March 23 at New Jersey. The forward also appeared in 74 games with Marlies, leading the team in goals (25) and powerplay goals (11), and finishing second in points (51). Rynnas, 25, spent time with the Maple Leafs, Marlies and ECHL's Reading Royals in 2011-12. He played in two games with the Leafs, including his NHL debut March 27 vs. Carolina and his first NHL start March 29 vs. Philadelphia.

Brian Burke, President and GM of the Maple Leafs, announced Sunday that the club has signed centre Jay McClement to a two-year contract and defenceman Mike Kostka to a one-year contract. McClement, 29, played 80 games for the Avalanche last season and registered 17 points on 10 goals and seven assists along with 31 penalty minutes. Kostka, 26, was a member of this season's AHL Calder Cup winning Norfolk Admirals. He split the 2011-12 regular season between Norfolk and San Antonio playing in 70 games and collecting 38 points (nine goals, 29 assists) with 57 penalty minutes.