Tomas Kaberle BYE BYE

[rick@garage16.ca]

Looks like Tomas Kaberle is going to boston

[SilentJay]

Details

[mazdathree3]

Could this be the time for Kaberle?

Tomas Kaberle has been pretty steadfast in the past few seasons about not wanting to waive his no-trade clause. However, as he nears the end of the final year of the deal, and with the Leafs on the fringe of playoff contention, could he have softened his stance?

TSN and the Boston Globe are reporting that he has, and a trade of the blueliner to the Bruins is imminent.

Going back to the Leafs, if the rumors are true, would be top prospect Joe Colborne and the Bruins' first-round pick. For clarity's sake, it's the Bruins' own pick, not the one they got last season from the Leafs in the Phil Kessel deal.

If that's truly the deal, it would be a win/win deal. Boston gets an elite offensive defenseman that will bring desperately needed punch to their blueline -- Kaberle has 38 points this season; only Zdeno Chara has more than 25 among Bruins defensemen.

In return, the Leafs would get a real solid center prospect in Colborne, the 16th pick of the 2008 Entry Draft currently playing with AHL Providence. The 6-foot-5, 190-pounder has 26 points in 55 games in his first pro season.

[rick@garage16.ca]

The Toronto Maple Leafs have a deal in place with the Boston Bruins that see Tomas Kaberle traded to the Boston Bruins in exchange for prospect centre Joe Colborne, the Bruins' first round pick in 2011 and a conditional draft pick. The trade call still has to go through the league to confirm the dea

[The Johal]

Thanks big guy♥ you were great! best of luck!

[cwp_sedan]

It's a done deal. Boston was just waiting to move Wheeler and Stuart to free up some cap space.

[WLS ZMZM]

And Burke is sposed to be the future of this team???? Yikes.... should have held on to Kaberle and tried for more.... that 2011 pick.. is useless.. will end up being around mid 20's and Joe Colborne.... nothing super amazing.... So far Burke has been quite the let down and my heart goes out to leaf fans.... cuz it aint getting better any time soon!!! My advice start cheering for the Jays!!!

[Zoom Zoom Boy]

And Burke is sposed to be the future of this team???? Yikes.... should have held on to Kaberle and tried for more.... that 2011 pick.. is useless.. will end up being around mid 20's and Joe Colborne.... nothing super amazing.... So far Burke has been quite the let down and my heart goes out to leaf fans.... cuz it aint getting better any time soon!!! My advice start cheering for the Jays!!!

Please tell me you aren't a Hab fan...actually, please tell me you are, cause then your comments make perfect sense.

Kaberle is going to be an unrestricted free agent and Burke already said he would not resign him. That means that if he wasn't traded before the Feb.28th deadline, the Leafs would get nothing back for him. Zero, nada, nilch.

The most any team offered for Kaberle in the summer was a late 1st round pick or mid-level prospect. Burke timed this deal perfectly by trading Kaberle to a team that is loading up for a Cup chance and desperate to do so. This deal was absolute robbery and no way does Burke get anything close to this from any other team. Boston's #1 need was for a puck-moving defenceman to play the PP with Chara. They were simply desperate to get Kaberle and paid a huge price to do so.

The Hockey News had Joe Colborne ranked as the 2nd top prospect in the Boston system after Tyler Seguin. He is a 6ft 5", 210lbs. centre with good puck skills, ice vision and speed. He is projected by most hockey scouts and publications to be a 2nd line center at the NHL level with a 50-70pts. projectory. He has upside to be a #1 centre if his all-round game develops. The knock against him, is that he has not yet learned to use his size to his advantage and that he is still growing into his body. Scouts would like to see him be meaner.

Burke also gets a 1st round pick and a 2nd rounder in 2012 if Boston makes the Cup final or Kaberle resigns with Boston.

How are these picks useless? Do you have any idea how many NHL star players were late 1st round picks or taken well after the 1st round? Kaberle himself was drafted by the Leafs in the 7th round and 204th overall in 1996. I take it you don't think he is useless.

Burke doesn't even need to keep the picks. The point is that they have immense value in the NHL and to other GM's and he can always use the picks in a deal with another team to acquire another more immediate prospect or top line player. These picks are the furthest thing from useless and keep in mind we also have the 1st and 3rd pick from Philly that add more leverage in either the draft or in trades.

Burke has now turned over almost the entire team since arriving 2.5 years ago. He has stocked the cupboard full of free agent prospects (Tyler Bozak, Marcel Mueller, Christian Hanson, Jonas Gustavsson, Jussi Rynnas, Ben Scrivens, Brayden Irwin, Tim Brent, Mike Zigomanis). These players were acquired for nothing other than a contract. If only half of them turn out to be serviceable NHL'ers, where is the downside? The team has more depth on the farm and people capable of stepping in when needed at the NHL level. They can also use these assets in a trade for other needs. Moreover, the Leafs have picked some very exciting prospects in recent drafts, (Gregg McKegg, Jerry D'Amigo, Nazem Kadri, Brad Ross, Jesse Blacker, Sondre Olden)

Combine all this with some of the trades Burke has pulled off in his short tenure and I love the direction and vision he is taking this team towards. Burke also will have freed up about $15 million in cap space with these recent trades and once Giguere's contract comes off the books. That is a very nice luxury to have going into the free agent market this summer and when a player like Brad Richards will likley be available.

I'm pretty happy when I look 2-3 years from now and see Joe Colborne, Nazem Kadri and Greg McKegg lining up at center for the Leafs. Schenn, Aulie, Gardiner and Phaneuf on defence. Kessel, Kulemin, Lupul, Grabovski, Mueller and Ross on the wings. All this barring any free agent signings or trades for more depth.

Yah, Burke should be fired. He is doing a terrible job.

By the way, here are just a few of the other 'useless' late round picks. Let us know if you'd want them on your NHL team.

Ryan Getzlaf- 19th overall
Corey Perry- 28th overall
David Krejci- 63rd overall
Milan Lucic- 50th overall
Patrice Bergeron- 45th overall
Ryan Miller- 135th overall
Derek Roy- 32nd overall
Cam Ward- 25th overall
Duncan Keith- 54th overall
John Michael Liles- 154th overall
Paul Stastny- 44th overall
Chris Stewart- 18th overall
Steve Mason- 69th overall
Jamie Benn- 129th overll
James Neal-33rd overall
Loui Eriksson- 33rd overall
Niklas Lidstrom- 53rd overall
Pavel Datsyuk- 171st overall
Johan Franzen- 97th overall
Henrik Zetterberg- 210th overall
Thomas Holmstrom- 257th overall
Shawn Horcoff-99th overall
Jacob Markstrom- 31st overall
David Booth- 53rd overall
Jonathan Quick- 72nd overall
Wayne Simmonds- 61st overall
Andrei Markov- 162nd overall
P.K. Subban - 42nd overall
Tomas Plekanec- 71st overall
Shea Weber- 49th overall
Patric Hornqvist- 230th overall
Martin Brodeur- 20th overall
Patrick Elias- 51st overall
Henrik Lundquist- 205th overall
Artem Anisimov- 54th overall
Brandon Dubinsky- 60th overall
Daniel Alfredsson- 131st overall
Chris Neil- 161st overall
Claude Giroux- 22nd overall
Mike Richards- 24th overall
Keith Yandle- 105th overall
Alex Goligoski- 61st overall
Kris Letang- 62nd overall
David Backes- 62nd overall
T.J. Oshie- 24th overall
Marc Edward Vlasic- 35th overall
Joe Pavelski- 205th overall
Ryan Clowe- 175th overall
Simon Gagne- 22nd overall
Martin St.Louis- never drafted
Ryan Kesler- 23rd overall
Mayson Raymond- 51st overall
Mike Green-29th overall

[prinsesa]

This is for the future

[WLS ZMZM]

You would be correct... I am a habs fan... and granted your right.. there are many great players that come out of a draft later on... the fact that you compiled such a large list states you feel the need to justify being a leafs fan lol (I kid I kid). My point is with the deadline soon approaching Burke could have got the leafs 1st round pick back.. you know the one they gave up for the rights to Kessel. Sadly this upcoming draft hasn't had a bunch of hype as last years one did... where the Bruins used the Leafs pick (to take Seguin). My reason for saying it was "useless" is Joe Colborne, will not amount to a 2nd line centre in the Leafs system unlike that of the Bruins the Marlies seem to be constantly stocked and traded at the convenience of the Leafs management. Burke should be using the draft to try and re-tool instead of trying to bring over every player he can that the Ducks don't want.

I guess my major point is it's time for MLSE to realize... Wilson is not the man for the job behind the bench and start putting pressure on Burke, cuz he hasn't done anything incredible with the leafs other then putting an AHL caliber team on NHL ice. He has constantly added insult to injury to all leafs fans. My gf is a die hard leaf fan... but even she agrees.... to bring in someoen like Phoneuf and then make him Captain... I mean really...