By HOWARD BERGER
TORONTO (Jan. 14) — In a span of about 90 seconds late this morning, Brian Burke effectively cut off the only legitimate hand he might be able to play at the trade deadline in March. For reasons that have nothing to do with improving arguably the worst team in the National Hockey League, Burke insisted — again — that he will not approach defenseman Tomas Kaberle about waiving his no-movement clause. Though the Leaf GM’s rationale is partly understandable, it eliminates the best option he has to potentially make an impact deal at a time when Kaberle’s market value should be soaring. Instead, Burke all but said he’ll turn a deaf ear to offers for his only serviceable commodity, regardless of how sound those offers may be from a strategic perspective.
“This will be the last time I answer a question about Tomas Kaberle,” Burke began. “I will not ask Tomas to waive his no-trade [clause]. I think a big part of being successful is your players knowing that they’re treated fairly. Organizational fairness, to me, is a huge component of what we do. Same with our holiday trade freeze. To get a no-trade clause, you have to be in somewhat elite status. The Toronto Maple Leafs gave [Kaberle] that no-trade clause, and I’m not going to not honor it just because I wasn’t the general manager that gave it to that player.
“Tomas Kaberle has been a great Leaf. He’s a great guy that has played well and hard for us and he’s a quality citizen. He earned that [clause] fair and square, and I’m not going to ask him to waive it. I won’t — with any player. It’s for much bigger reasons than a particular deal. It’s that every player in this organization knows that there’s fairness and equity here. That, to me, goes well beyond [a trade]… as far as our ability to attract free agents, and give people who come here that notion. That the players know they’ll be treated fairly rises above any deal or offer I might get on one player.”
Fair enough. But, it’s easy to argue that Burke has already proven his loyalty with Kaberle and others. He deferred to Kaberle at the trade deadline last season, and during the six-week window of opportunity to trade the defenseman over the summer, wondering how he’d possibly replace the Czech-born veteran if he did peddle him. Burke hung on to Kaberle, and his team is nine points out of playoff territory with 35 games left in the season. Even with Kaberle’s undeniable puck-moving and passing ability, the Leafs are dropping like a stone in the Eastern Conference and are threatening to finish in the NHL basement with their worst record in more than 10 years. Where would the hockey club be if Burke had traded Kaberle last summer — maybe 12 points out of the playoffs instead of nine? What effect is Kaberle having on the team as a whole, and when is Burke going to place his responsibility to start improving the Leafs ahead of optics and perception?
I understand why Burke doesn’t want to be seen as a GM that treats his players like chess pieces. Given the Maple Leafs’ losing reputation, and the burden that falls on any individual who chooses to play hockey in this city, Toronto is clearly not among the most desirable locations in the NHL right now. Burke made it crystal clear last weekend that the advent of free agency next summer will be his best opportunity to improve the Leafs’ fortunes. “July 1st is our draft, not June 25th,” he said, in reference to the annual NHL lottery at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, where the Boston Bruins could make the number-one selection with the first-round pick Burke yielded in the Phil Kessel trade. So, Burke wants to be mindful and vigilant in his dealing, to show others that the Leafs do not run a heartless operation.
But, why would any reasonable player or agent on the market next summer hold it against Burke for making a strategic move with perhaps his only desireable commodity? Hasn’t the Leafs’ GM been more than fair to Kaberle over the past 13 months, with virtually nothing to show for it from a team perspective? And, wouldn’t Toronto be more of an attractive place to play if it was known that the GM would do anything in his power to start nurturing a club that hasn’t been to the Stanley Cup final in almost half-a-century?
It is somewhat understandable why Burke hasn’t followed through on his threat to “bury” underachieving players in the minors this season. Several times, he has made the point that Jason Blake, for example, doesn’t deserve such treatment based on his energy level, even in the absence of production. Though waivers and recall-waivers are among the few options available to struggling teams under the current CBA, it is a pitiless, unfeeling way to deal with veteran players, and it could impact a team’s ability to generate interest on the free agent market.
But, at some point, you’ve got to stop being a nice guy.
Burke said it would be a different story if Kaberle somehow approached him and offered to waive his no-movement clause. But, what indication has Kaberle ever given that he wants to venture beyond the comfort of playing for the Leafs, even if it may afford him an opportunity to win the Stanley Cup? Though there is something to be said for loyalty, the Leafs have to continue moving away from the “Muskoka Five” mentality. There should be no comfort for any player that’s been part of five consecutive seasons away fom the Stanley Cup tournament.
Though Burke talked about how bitterly disappointed he is in this year’s Leaf team — suggesting the players seem unprepared for combat some nights — he completely exonerated Ron Wilson and his staff. “I don’t fault the coaches at all for where we are,” Burke said. “I can tell you right now, there’s not going to be a coaching change. It hasn’t been considered [or] discussed. [Wilson] is as safe as you can be — as safe as the gold in the treasury at Fort Knox.”
So, to summarize: Burke is happy with his coaching staff. He will not consider offers for his only marketable player, even though it could help him to land assets that augment Kessel’s performance down the line. He has traded the Leafs’ first-round pick in the next two NHL drafts. The free agents he signed last summer [Michael Komisarek, Francois Beauchemin, Colton Orr and Jonas Gustavsson] have had a negligable impact on the hockey club to this point.
Where, then, does one of the highest-salaried GMs in the league turn to begin moving the Leafs in the proper direction?
Your guess is as good as mine.
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And because Wilson’s job is 100% safe that pretty much rules out Patrick Marleau coming to T.O.
- Paul McDougallThe irony is that while the Leafs do lack talent, many of their problems are just tactical, which reflects directly on the coach.
Why does Kessel always set up in the low corner on the PP. All he can do from their is pass back to the point or curl for a bad angle shot. Should be setting him like the Wings used to set up Brett Hull for a one-timer from high slot.
Watch, come April Burke will sign a couple of guys who scored 12 goals in NCAA and declare them equivalent to “two first rounders.”
What a joke.
He took some risks that aren’t panning out.
Whether you agree with his decision or not, you have to give Burke credit for being a man of his word and accepting the heat, rather than putting the it on the coaches and players/agents.
Maybe he’s just trying to instill some values and credibility to an organization that desperately needs it right now. It’s not like he has a lot of cards to play regarding roster moves.
- CoryBrian Burke like the Mighty Casey already has two strikes against him the first was last season when the team for all their hard work was not near good enough to contend for a playoff spot and BB looked at the pitch and said it was too low when he did not dispatch every borderline nhl player on the roster at the trade deadline for whatever bag of picks he could get instead he actually believed he was correct in acquiring help to avoid finishing last. STEERIKE ONE!!
- mikeGBurke is bent on being magnanimous at all costs, and if he continues to be so it will cost him. His coach has no problem shoving the blame publicly onto the players’ backs. And Burke seems to rely too heavily on his coach’s assessment for the evaluation of players. Even his intended toughness on the ice has been scaled back under Wilson’s watch. This seems clearly to be Wilson’s team and not Burke’s.
- Will, OshawaI have no problem with what Burke is doing with Kaberle. Once the window opens up for the no=trade to end he will entertain deals and that is fair game. Integrity is important and trading him now won’t help the leafsany more than if he waits til the drafy when he can and still be honouring Kaberle’s contract.
- vcitorAs far as the coaches are concerned I am confounded. I thought RW would make a difference but he has made none.Paitence they say is a virtue, Brian Burke seems to have it in spades so I guess we must too. Although I have to admit that rebuilding is ok but we don”t have the draft picks to rebuild with. The college kids had better turn out because BB is banking on it.
Howard, I am with Burke on this one. If trading Kaberle meant they would be in the playoffs, I would say go for it, but it wont happen. It is better to be seen by free agents and player agents as a stable and fair organization as far as Burke is concerned. The fact they are sucking this year is more an element of lousy goaltending from Toskala and a bad mix of players. I don’t think anything will change by dumping Kaberle, and he is one of the few Leaf’s you would want to keep anyhow, so why dump him only to spend most of the next year looking for someone with his skill set?
Makes no sense.
I usually agree with you, but not on this one
- Mark LittleThis is the only thing Mr Burke has done or said that he and I agree. Toronto management in their infinite wisdom gave Kaberle a notrade claus in his contract and they must adherr to it. Why should or would he agree to move when it must have been important to him to gave that in his deal to begin with? You biast Toronto fans want everthing your way and would gladly villify a player would just want to adhere to his legal contract.
- John TuckerThe lack of team heart is the biggest concern right now. Player’s like Stajan, Ponikarosky,Grabovski{the biggest culprit’s} are the heart of the problem. The next question is the what I call the Toronto Disease. This is common with all the T.O. franchises,that is the signing of retreads that no other team contending has any interest in. Wallin,Toskala,and Jason Blake come to mind. If you don’t have a quality veteran to play, go with youthful exuberence.Let them grow and live with a few mistakes.A lot of year’s of poor drafting is putting a cramp on this right now. My last point is , as Scotty Bowman was the best, to see if a player has come to play each night and if not “SIT!!!”. Enjoy you’re stuff Howie!!
- Glen BradstockHowie, the problem is Kaberle is too comfortable here, he has no one to answer to and I believe winning a Stanley Cup is no big deal to him. How could any real player want to continue to play for a losing team year after year. It is proven that he is not the missing piece to even make the playoffs.
- garyoBang on Howard on all counts. I will add this comment and if you wish let me know what you think. It’s been burning in me for a long time. I am tired of listening to the so called gurus of hockey explain what they will do and then defend there action. Do they beleive that the true Toronto hockey fans are the same interms of hockey knowledge as those of Dallas, Nashville, Tampa, Phoenix etc. How many times am I going to here “he’s a 22 year old scored 36 goals and I’m not goig to get one in the draft” Lets see, there’s Crosbey, Ovechkin,Nash,Stampkos, Taverese, Dushnene, E.Kane etc. All drafted and under a million $. Burke said he was going to do it right(draft) but he got caught up with last years playoff run and this years pre-season and misjudged the real talent level of this team. And now how bad is this team going to be next year if they don’t sign Kovolchuk? No first round this year or next.
- Sandro B.Thanks Howard and keep up the good work, don’t let anyone off the hook.
Best regards,
Sandro
Keep Burke. Keep Wilson. Keep Kaberle and keep this entire team….at the bottom of the NHL. Hopefully, another 43 years without a Stanley Cup is at hand!
- ArmyLeafs all time worst moves and why they suck right now:
and this doesn’t even take into account the Ballard years - Ferguson, Kehoe, Parent, Carlyle, Sitttler, McDonald, Turnbull, Stoughton etc. Let alone all the free agents and Euros Ballard wouldn’t sign. But then who is counting the Ballard Circus years anyways.
Kordic for Courtnall
Kurvers for S.Niedermeyer
Clark (second time) for package including K. Johnsson and Luongo
Aki Berg for Mair and Cammaleri
Nolan for McCauley, Boyes and M.Stuart
Giving Smith and Sullivan away and effectively wasting the trade of Gilmour and Ellett to NJ
We get a bunch of old guys - Anderson and Fuhr for Damphousse, and L Richardson - other guys didn’t amount to much.
Raycroft for Rask
Giving Andreychuk to NJ for nothing in 1996
Losing Berrard to Hossa and the Hens from Kanata in 2000 didn’t help.
Senile siver fox got lucky with Gilmour but he made a lot of crappy moves too.
Quinn really gave the farm away and JFJ sure screwed us - thanks for Blake.
Now the senile fox screwed us the second time giving us the Finger.
Now Burke gives us Kessel - who looks okay but is he the franchise player? Will we end up giving up Taylor Hall, Seguin or Fowler?
Leaf Fans suck as well as the ran Larry Murphy, Tucker, Wellwood, McCabe and Kubina out of town for a bag of pucks and we are still stuck with the bill.
What does this tell us? If we do nothing but make picks according to Central Scouting or TSN’s prospect picks for ten years - eventually we and the Leafs will Suck long enough in consecutive years to accumulate a core of young players for a run at the cup. The odds are in our favour - do nothing and we have a legitimate shot at a cup in 5 years!
This team is so pathetic I can’t even enjoy a 4-0 victory over the Flyers.
Now I’m as bad as you Howard
- C. K. SpellingI only have one thing to say. Howard did you or any of your hockey reporter buddies,ever think that the reason BB does not go to Kaberle and ask him to wave his no-movement clause. Is because he wants to keep Kaberle with the Leafs? Kaberle has been among the top 4 in defencemen in scoring all season,and he is cheaper then most of the high scoring defencemen out there, with his type of talent. For all you know BB may want to resign Kaberle before his contract runs out.
- TedIt is too funny to read your comments now that the Leafs are drowning. You people must be the same guys that were anointing Burke as “the saviour” when he came to Toronto. My my my! Did anyone think that this was going to be turned around in a year?
- Dan GI keep hearing about the two first rounders for Kessel. I look at the situation as a potential number 1 pick this year alone. I suspect that a lot of the “deadwood” will be gone by next year once they reach free agency (no one will trade for them) and new players will be signed with the cap space that Burke will have. Boston’s first rounder next year will be a middle of the pack draft pick. Would anyone out there not have traded for Kessel for one top of the line draft pick? I would have.
If you were trading Kaberle for a younger player i.e Jeff Carter then I could see it making sense. But how does trading Kaberle to a contending team for a late first round draft pick accomplish? The odds of picking up an impact player at that end of the spectrum are much lower.
IF you trade Kaberle you have to get someone to put into the lineup right away but young enough to help build the team moving forward ala Kessel. That or a top prospect ready to step in next year like Kadri will be.
Getting a draft pick is good for the Marlies, not for the Leafs until years down the road.
The Leafs need young players who are NHL ready that they can move the team forward with. Hence the NCAA free agent root. They are a little older, more physically mature and more likely to jump to the NHL then an 18 year old Junior player who is still developing mentally and physically.
- MattHoward, you’re right on with your comments.
I had hoped that Burke was FINALLY going to be the guy to build a team. So far he’s as much a failure as JFJ. Bad free agent signings, and reckless trading of draft picks for uncertain returns.
I think he’s getting the Toronto GM disease - make headlines at all costs. From fletcher onward it seems to me that the GM of the leafs believe they are the star of the show.
Worse, they start to think they are the one who will revolutionize hockey management, Fletcher with his stupid “Draft-schmaft” comment, JFJ with his delusions that all the good young players in the league would jump at the opportunity to become free agents as opposed to accept lucrative long term deals from their current teams, and finally burke with his ludricuous assertion that these US college free agents are the equivalent to first round picks.
Please, we’re fans not idiots.
I’d like to tell burke ENOUGH!! Spare me the BS.
Just shut up about how significant a contributor kaberle is, if you want to keep him fine, I don’t agree with you but just shut up about it.
Stop blathering about how you
hope the Briuns get value from the draft picks you gave them and start worrying that the leafs become a better team and maybe that a team IN YOUR DIVISION doesn’t get better.
Spare me the crap about respecting your players and admit that some of them aren’t as good as they need to be and aren’t earning such reverence. You don’t need to name names.
Face it brian, you didn’t invent hockey and you’re not going to re-invent the method or approach required to build a good team. There is NO WAY around it - YOU NEED TO KEEP AND MAKE FIRST ROUND DRAFT PICKS FOR SEVERAL YEARS. Yes some won’t turn out but inevitably, if you truly believe that you’ve created a good scouting department you’re going to get one or more significant players.
That’s all we as fans want, a good team that we can HONESTLY pin our hopes on.
Unfortunately it looks like those teams will continue to be developed elsewhere as the leafs flail away hopelessly charting their own pointless course.
- JoelHoward, I don’t agree that leadership means being honourable only when it’s convenient. It means being honourable, period.
There are things that Brian Burke does, in terms of bluster etc that would certainly differ from how I think many of us might handle a situation, but we must agree that what we see is what we get, and he has shown himself to be honest, to have integrity, and to have a candour that adds a great deal to our collective ability to enjoy armchair-GM’ing the Leafs.
Burke is right that Kaberle took a discount to have the no-trade clause, and this should be respected. At the very least, his public declarations are a way of deflecting criticism from Kaberle like the criticism directed at Mats Sundin in his last year here.
We are all very quick to trade our best players in the hope that we get a “saviour” in return, but the process is probably longer than that. Once many of the less effective Leafs move out at the end of this season, and more effective ones move in, we may see some improvement.
We’ve got a bunch of kids still in Junior, a few kids in US college, and lots of cap space. Thomas Kaberle isn’t going to net us Sydney Crosby, so we should all just relax a little.
BTW, in the excitement of Bozak’s spectacular goal, Kessel’s brilliant shot-fake to set up Kulemin and Vesa’s excellent netminding last night, we may have overlooked what I thought was far and away Luke Schenn’s best game of the season.
That was the bruising, puck moving, heads up player we saw signs of last year.
Maybe it’s a good thing we haven’t tossed Luke away just yet.
- DavidHoward, may I dispel a myth or two about Tomas Kaberle?
Myth One: Tomas misses the playoffs.
There seems to be the belief that Kaberle has felt unfulfilled since the work stoppage in 2004-05 - since the Leafs have missed the playoffs every season. He certainly never struck me - or most hockey fans - as someone who enjoyed playoff hockey, and I don’t think an objective observer would describe Tomas as a “playoff performer” - someone who raises the level of his performance in the spring.
He might claim otherwise, but I suspect that Kaberle is quite happy and satisfied with the fact that his NHL season now ends in April - providing him with ample opportunity to represent his home country in the World Championships. His performance in the 2008 tournament (10 points in 7 games) topped anything he ever did in the NHL playoffs.
Myth Two: Teams with an eye on the Stanley Cup would love to pick up Tomas Kaberle.
Bolshoi. Mr. October might be a better pick up than Andy Delmore, but I think most teams - serious about winning the Cup - would take Francois Beauchemin, Mike Komisarek and Ian White (in that order) before they would take Tomas.
In fact, I’ll finish with this prediction: No. 22 will be traded during this season - probably right at the trade deadline.
- Joseph DurocherJoel, your comment on the free agents being equivalent to first round draft picks is bang on.
Any first round draft pick that was still in the minors or had made no impact at the NHL level(Stalberg) and was 23-24 years old would be considered a huge bust.
Now Bozak had a good game last night, but it has only been one game, lets not jumnp ahead of ourselves and give him the rest of the year before making a judgement that he will be a great player.
Hanson, Stalberg have been huge disapointments so far, I don’t care how they are doing in the minors that is not the NHL.
Once again Leaf managment peddled a huge load of BS and once again the Maple Leafs Fans bought hook line and sinker.
- Will DSo many of you are praising Burke for being a man of his word. What about his word of being patient, stock piling picks and building through the draft? Is that accomplished by trading 2 first rounders and a second?What about his word of either waiving underperforming slugs or bying them out? Hasn’t done that either has he? Why are so many of you picking and choosing which of Brian’s “words” are ok for him to keep and which aren’t?
- PaulBHere in the lies the biggest problem with Leaf Nation and why MLSE will never give us the team we deserve. We keep buying all the bullshit. Sure we complain and yell and scream when the team fails but we never stop pumping our hard earned cash into the machine. We’re SOFT and our expectations are even softer than we are whether most of you want to admit it or not. We’ve had nothing to celebrate for 40+ years yet some of you are still more concerned about Thomas Kaberle’s not trade clause than you are in exploring every possible option to make the team better. I got news for you guys, Thomas Kaberle is a millionaire. If and when he ever gets traded away he’ll still be a millionaire. Thanks in no part to you and I. Beleive me, he’ll get over it. Besides, he’s a big boy, all he has to say is no if he’s asked to waive and doesn’t want to. For BB to say he won’t even aproach him even if offered a knock your socks off kind of deal is the most irresponsible and completely assanine, not to mention kick in the head to me as a fan that I’ve ever heard.
I am so sick and tired of putting Thomas Kaberle, Matt Sundin, Brian McCabe, Pavel Kubina, and Brian Burke’s all mighty “word” ahead of the Toronto Maple Leafs doing what they have to do to get better. Rick Nash didn’t come here, just like Mike Camalleri didn’t come here, just like Ilya Kovalchuk WILL NOT come here not because they’re worried Brian Burke won’t honour a NTC. It’s becasue this team SUCKS and they’re not interested in playing on a shitty team with no futur.
I said it at the beginning of the season, we can’t win from the penalty box. Also, whats the point in giving up 3 high draft picks for a goal scorer with no set up man? I mean, this team is barren of talent and 1st rounders is where you get the skilled players….ridiculous…And he said he would do that deal again….BB must leave and let Trader Cliff pull off a few deals at the deadline and follow his formula he started last season before BB got here…we are a worse tema now than we were with JFJ…go figure.
- CBHKaberle says he wants to remain a Leaf but will he even be around long
- John Stuebing