By HOWARD BERGER
LOS ANGELES (July 23) – In his quest to improve the Maple Leafs, Brian Burke has acquired youth and experience over the past four months without yielding either prospects or key personnel. Through free agency, the draft, and one trade, Burke has ostensibly provided the Leafs an eight-for-one exchange: Christian Hanson, Tyler Bozak, Nazem Kadri, Colton Orr, Michael Komisarek, Garnet Exelby, Francois Beauchemin and Jonas Gustavsson for Pavel Kubina and his $5 million contract. By any objective standard, that is impressive work, and it enables the hockey club to embark on the 2009-10 season – at the very least – with a fresh outlook.
Now, the Maple Leafs’ GM has 23 days to prevent himself from negating much of the process.
That’s the amount of time remaining until Tomas Kaberle’s limited no-movement clause goes back into effect through all of next season. And, though Burke continues to posture by “insisting” Kaberle will be in the Leafs’ opening-night line up, Oct. 1st, he must also understand there is hardly any rationale in retaining the veteran defenseman beyond this summer. In fact, it says here that only a bout of stubbornness – fueled by over-valuing the Czech-born blue-liner – can preclude Burke from pulling off a trade essential to the Maple Leafs’ development by the Aug. 15th contractual deadline. And, what a waste of an opportunity that would be for the hockey club.
Let’s take a closer look at the two-sided Kaberle factor.
While he is unquestionably the Leafs’ best defenseman, Kaberle is not, nor has he ever been, in the upper echelon among NHL stars. He is an above-average performer some nights; middling and ineffective on many others, with an enviable ability to head-man the puck. His repertoire does not include even a shred of physical aptitude, which would seem to disqualify him as a Burke protégé. Though some may invoke Kaberle’s “many contributions to the Maple Leafs”, the club could just as easily have missed the playoffs the past four years without him. Fact is, Kaberle hasn’t appeared in a post-season game in more than half-a-decade, and we can easily count, on one hand, the number of playoff encounters he influenced prior to 2004. Given he is approaching his advanced hockey years [32 next March]; that he’s grown stale in a Toronto jersey, and is coming off a season in which his performance went into marked decline, Kaberle is no longer among the key components of a club undergoing such a vast renovation.
Conversely, the laws of supply, demand, economics and opportunity are squarely in Burke’s corner. Though it might be a stretch to consider him the final piece of a Stanley Cup puzzle, Kaberle is, without question, the most accomplished blue-liner available for trade in the NHL this summer. He plays the skating position that GMs find most difficult to assemble quality personnel. His hockey smarts and puck-moving skill – coupled with a desperately-required change of scenery – could provide a contending team an important, missing element, or serve to enhance a top club’s existing strength. He is, as Burke accurately contends, a low-maintenance, high-quality teammate; certainly among the classiest players I’ve been associated with in nearly 20 years on the Leafs beat. And, most attractively, Tomas carries with him an understated salary [and cap hit], with two years left at $4.25 million per season. That contractual allurement is no longer of benefit to the Maple Leafs, who will almost surely be in a structuring mode beyond its remaining term. But, it could be an economic and strategic God-send for a club at an advanced stage of development.
That’s why it is almost impossible to conceive that Burke will not be presented an adequate trade proposal before Aug. 15th. Though the GM contends he will only move Kaberle if his “socks” are blown off, he knows he isn’t bartering Zdeno Chara, Nicklas Lidstrom, Dion Phaneuf, Dan Boyle, or any front-of-the-pack NHL defenseman. Kaberle is in the upper-middle echelon of blue-liners, but his value on the supply-and-demand market is likely never to be higher than right now. As such, Burke should attract at least one disproportionate offer for his services.
If the Leaf boss waits it out another season [Kaberle can, and likely again will, strictly limit overtures at the trade deadline next March], the benefits of acquiring the veteran diminish. He’ll be another year older, with only one season remaining on his enticing pact. The risk of injury increases with age, and there is no guarantee – at the moment – that Kaberle’s huge backward step in 2008-09 was a mirage, though it’s reasonable to assume he’d find new life in an improved environment.
Most of all is the sheer futility of a restructuring outfit like the Maple Leafs hanging on to such a delectable trade nugget. As mentioned earlier, mismanagement of that order would invalidate much of what Burke has accomplished since acquiring Hanson in late-March. But, double-B hasn’t attained his lofty status by making many bad calls in key situations, or by shying away from high-stakes maneuvering.
Therefore, I continue to believe it is a foregone conclusion that Kaberle has played his final game in a Toronto jersey, and that the Leafs’ future will be further enhanced before the middle of next month.
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I agree that Kabs must be moved but I think Burke has already let a good opportunity slip away with Kessel. Like it or not to get a top calabre forward Burke will have to give more than just Kaberle but the Leafs can afford to loose an additional piece for this much needed player . How much truth is there in aquiring B. Schenn from L.A.? Would be a good move but in any deal Poni White or Finger will have to be included.
- BKHI tink that Kaberle has earned the chance to play on this team now that he would have a little muscle and grit around him for a change. Burke has addressed the goaltending and the back end. Lets play the season with the young forwards, likely get another high pick next summer, and work on the front end from there.
- steveHoward, may I make a confession? I have never been especially impressed with Tomas Kaberle. His refusal to hit anyone - with his body or his stick - and his reluctance to shoot on the power play have been frustrating to watch. When No. 24 was here - on the other point - Tomas was always looking to pass to McCabe, which the opposition anticipated and defended against. My favourite Kaberle moment was/is the Todd Fedoruk play in the 2003-04 playoffs (remember it?). Todd got the puck along the boards - behind and just to the right of - the Leafs’ net, and brought it in front of the net without No. 15 so much as touching Fedoruk with his stick. Tomas looked as pathetic as Stanfield dropping the football.
Ideally, I would like to see a trade which sees Kaberle leaving and Scott Hartnell arriving. Since the Flyers need to shed dollars, there cannot be a straight Kaberle for Hartnell trade. A third team - presumably - would have to be involved. My fingers are crossed.
- Joseph DurocherAny team would pay a handsome price to be able to sign Kaberle for 2 years/$8.5 mil which is exactly what they would be getting. Yes, Kaberle is a nice guy to have around but you’ve got to move him because the next 2 years of Tomas Kaberle won’t elevate the Leafs to the playoffs. In 2011 he’ll be a 33 year old UFA. 2 years of a good player at a good price should in theory be worth twice as much as one year, so lets not wait that extra year to move him.
- JohnWhat to do with Kaberle has nothing to do with what is best for Thomas and what he deserves. Whether you trade him or not should be based strictly on whether or not doing so improves the team for today or in the futur and I supect he could bring an important piece going forward.
- PaulBMy 2cents.
Bottom line is, Burke gets what he want he trades him if not he stays.
- WillyI agree with Steve - with more muscle & grit, he should find it easier to rediscover his form as he would have more room on the ice. That, plus the fact we have no other defenceman like him, means, as BB had said, the Leafs would end up looking for a similar type defenceman. One of Kaberle or Kubina had to go - both would be a big step back.
- dj eastsideTrade him and get what you can while you can. Like many Leafs players, his “value” was enhanced by the lack of something to compare him against. By the end of the season Schenn was making outlet passes that looked an awful lot like Kaberle’s and he had learned to slow the play down and relax things like him as well. The kid has learned all he can from him, let him go for more pieces of the rebuild puzzle. (if for nothing else than to purge the team of the last remaining elements of the previous years)
- GASKaberle has to go, he is not the deciding factor on either making or missing the playoffs, he is only a cap friendly player for the leafs. We need goal scorers, if Burke thinks Hagman and Grabovski are his main guys, it’s another loooooong season. He blew enough smoke about Tavares now Burke needs to step up and get somebody who can put the puck in the net on a regular basis.
- Gary OKaberle should have been traded 5 years ago. Although he is a very good skater and puck mover, he is easily knocked off the puck and and he cannot move anybody from in front of the net. He’s frustrated me over the years with his lack of any sort of physical play.
- avronutIf you had Kessel (21 years old, 35 goals), would you trade him away for Kaberle and Kadri? I wouldn’t. Burke should have jumped on that deal.
- NormanKaberle is Toronto’s Scott Niedermayer… Their numbers are somewhat similar… Not to mention Kaberle was hurt a bit last year. It might be nice to see what he can do with this amount of toughness around him the likes us Leafs fans have not seen..
- TommyAdding insult to injury saying that Kaberle hasn’t seen the playoffs in 5 years is a joke… Bouwmeester has never made the playoffs but hes apparently AMAZING … right…? What about Luongo before Vancouver? If you compare Kaberle’s 2002 playoff performance with the one that Neidermayer had when they won the cup in 2007 they are quite similar. Strallman I don’t believe is ready to step into a top PP unit and I don’t quite trust White… Howie I love to disagree with you, Kaberle is the Shiznittlebangsnipsnapsnoop… Hopefully he stays in Toronto
Kaberle will be involved in a four team deal including Toronto, the Rangers, Pittsburgh, and Carolina. The Rangers, Pittsburgh, and Carolina will all share Kaberle in a nine year signing worth $9 Million and they will all get him for their respective team once every three years. In exchange Toronto will land the Staal Brothers (Eric, Jordan, and Marc) for 10 years in a deal worth $15 Million. Great bargain huh? This will happen since Thomas Kaberle’s value is so high and Double B will get what he wants cause he’s so cool.
- JakeSimple as that folks.
If a Kessel for Kaberle trade were there for the making, Burke would make it in a heartbeat. He intimated as much. But it’s not.
I suspect that the supposed miscommunication between Burke and Chiarelli at the draft was a fishing expedition that suited the two parties. Chiarelli wanted to know what Kessel’s trade value might be and ditto for the Leafs with Kaberle.
The reality is that what Burke likely can expect is that Kaberle would fetch other teams’ Stempniaks, Ponikarovskys, Stajans, etc. In other words second-tier forwards. The Leafs have a wealth of those and ccan expect a steady flow of such talent via free agency and the draft. They’re set in goal and they have retooled the defence, not to mention having a surplus at that position. So it would be a forward or two coming to the Leafs. What’s the point of moving Kaberle so that you can have two Ponikarovskys instead of one?
The media wants fans to get all excited over the potential for a trade. Some fans are not going to be satisfied until every trace of the pre-Burke/Fletcher Leafs has been eradicated. The reality is, come opening night Kaberle is probably a Leaf.
- Carmif kaberle is not good enough for the leafs what other team would take him??
- peteHe blew enough smoke about Tavares now Burke needs to step up and get somebody who can put the puck in the net on a regular basis.
toronto had mccade and let him get away, so what are you talking about?
- pete