ST. PAUL, MINN.—Having spent the last two days augmenting the Maple Leafs’ future at the NHL entry draft, general manager Brian Burke now turns his focus back to improving the team for next season.

Burke said he will continue knocking on doors for potential trades, and the team’s front-office staff — bolstered by the addition of Rick Dudley on Friday — will finalize plans on how to best use the almost $19 million he has under the salary cap when free agency begins on July 1.

Some of that money, of course, will go toward signing restricted free agents Luke Schenn, Tyler Bozak, Matt Lashoff and, depending on what happens in arbitration, Clarke MacArthur.

But there will be funds to pursue free agents and until he signs somewhere, the name that will remain front and centre with Leafs’ fans is Brad Richards, the top-line pivot who will be the biggest name on the market this summer. While the UFA pool isn’t as deep as some years, intriguing names include the likes of Brooks Laich, Kevin Bieksa, Christian Ehrhoff and Michael Ryder.

“We’re going to be active on July 1st,” Burke vowed on Saturday. “We have to see who gets there first; some of these guys are going to sign. We make no secret about it. We have two drafts. One draft now and we have a draft on July 1st. We’ve been active each year and we intend to be again.”

The draft yielded Toronto nine prospects on Friday and Saturday, some picks riskier than others. But the Leafs were more able to take some chances on Saturday, in rounds two through seven, after getting what they hope are two blue chippers in power forward Tyler Biggs and defenceman Stuart Percy in the first round on Friday.

Toronto has also stockpiled some other young talent, such as Joe Colborne, Jake Gardiner and Matt Frattin — a forward Burke believes might be able to jump directly from the University of North Dakota to the big club this season — which allowed them to not simply fall back on the safe pick.

“We may take a guy that might be a higher risk, but there may just be a higher reward at the end of the day,” said head amateur scout Dave Morrison.

One of those surprising picks was Josh Leivo, a skinny 6-foot-1, 173-pound winger out of Sudbury, who the Leafs picked up in the third round, 86th overall. Leivo’s game took off this season when he scored 11 goals in the Wolves’ final 34 games after potting two in the first 30. He then had 13 points, including six goals, in eight playoff games.

“I would say, in terms of upside, he’s got as much upside as anybody in this draft. I should explain that a little better. We just feel his potential is really untapped,” said Morrison.

“He’s a skinny kid, which to me, is an upside. He’s got a lot of room to fill out and get stronger. We’re excited about him.”

The Leafs also added more toughness in Mississauga’s David Broll, a sixth-round pick out of Sault Ste. Marie.

“With two picks this year, we took some guys with predisposition to belligerent play and this kid is one of them,” said Burke. “He’s a thick kid, he’s a game kid . . . a hard-nosed kid, our kind of player.”

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Burke, who also acquired veteran defenceman John-Michael Liles from Colorado on Friday, said his team put an emphasis on “character players” in making its nine draft choices.

“They’re your best chance to win,” he said. “I’m convinced you cannot win a championship in this league unless you have character people in the room.”