Ownership means nothing, AS LONG as whomever owns the Leafs lets Burke and his cohorts run things and do NOT interfere... For once in 6 years (actually 4 as when Burke arrived) the Leafs are heading in the right direction.
The Official LEAFS NATION Hockey thread
- Thread starter Doc Holliday
- Start date
You're absolutely correct. Not once has Brian Burke ever said a single negative about Tomas Kaberle. The media has hinted in the past that he's not Ron Wilson's type of player & all of this was because of what Kaberle's father SUPPOSEDLY had told the media in regards to his son not having much of a relationship with Wilson.
Kaberle could be traded & then re-signed for 2 years next season.
I totally agree with you. Ownership means nothing unless they start interfering. Personally, Rogers is the last thing the Leafs would need. All Rogers Communications wants in owning teams is more $$. They're one of the richest companies in the world, yet they don't spend as much as they should when it comes to the Jays. Currently, Brian Burke & Brian Colangelo have great relationships with MLSE. Things could easily change if Rogers Communications ever became majority owners of MLSE.
Wouldnt that be a bitch if Burke gets us to Cup contender and then Rogers buys the team and messes everything up???? Oh 'Vey!
[ cough ] [ cough ]... Chicago Blackhawks 2009-present!
[ more coughing ] Harold Ballard!
Ownership means a lot. If the current group had stones, they would've forced Burke to fire his buddy Ronnie Wilson before the season started.
And remember, it wasn't going to take much to right the ship after the Ferguson Jr era... something Cliff Fletcher (interim) was already doing well before Burke was brought on Nov.2008!
Relative to Versteeg's contract, Lup's has a more favourable cap hit. So that's definitely nice.
As for Gomez, I can't stand the guy... I do buy the theory that he + his albatross contract were brought to MTL to intact other names to sign with the Habs, Cammi, Spacek, Gill + Gionta. If that is true, guess it worked but everyday Gomez plays for Montreal, he loses support.
OK, uhm... I won't go digging up actual quotes but are you tell the world that a GM openly telling the universe his top Dman is on the trade block means he loves the guy? ... especially since Burke has been trying to ditchin' Kaberle since he arrived November 2008.
Considering Kaberle is the best player wearing a Leafs uniform, a veteran of the club - to have your GM saying you're available every trade deadline over 2.5 yrs isn't showing a lot of respect, love, nor desire to keep Kaberle.
I beg to differ. The only reason Kaberle has been mentionned as being on the trading block was because he was entering his last contract year & the Leafs had a very small window to trade him at the time. Instead of losing him for nothing at the end of the 2010-11 season, Burke wanted to at least get something worthwhile in return for him, unlike what Montreal did in regards to Mike Komisarek & Mark Streit. A team that drafts a player, signs him & develops him should at the very least try to obtain something in return if they don't plan on re-signing them. Not re-signing them is not an indication that they don't like them. It's often an indication that either they can't fit them into their current roster or for monetary reasons. Considering Kaberle is currently underpaid at $4.25 million & likely to get least $5 million on the free market, it's rather obvious why Toronto would rather trade him if they can get something worthwhile for his services. He's been their most valuable trading asset over the past couple of years, after all.
By the way, he is NOT their best player wearing a Leafs uniform. The likes of Luke Schenn, Mikael Grabovski, Dion Phaneuf, Phil Kessel & Nikolai Kulemin are way better. Kaberle is a very good defenceman, but he's mostly a passer. He doesn't shoot much & is average at best defensively. He's got no presence in the locker room & he'll be 33 years old next season. A team that is at the half-way point of rebuilding like Toronto doesn't need any 33 year-old (non-superstar) who'll make over $5 million next season on a multi-year contract. If he re-signs him for less than $5 million (for 2-3 years max), fine. If not, bye-bye. It's got nothing to do with personal feelings. It's business.
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Burke's been trying to move Kaberle since 2008... 2.5yrs of publicly dis'ing Tommy! Burke didn't just start trying to trade Kaberle this yr - his contract yr. That's why Burke's attempts to trade Kaberle are now considered a Henny Youngman punchline... "Take my Kaberle, please!" In the end, Burke's screwed up his own market by proclaiming Tommy's availability openly and cutting his value! Not a smart move but I guess Burke thought Kaberle would be easy to move.
Actions speak louder than words - even for Burke. So the act of trying to move your vet player non-stop speaks to Burke's overall lack of interest in Kaberle as a Brian Burke Leaf.
As for Komie + Streit, most Habs fans are PO'ed those guys walked for "0"... however, Komie is now Toronto's problem while Streit is NYI's. Sad, but true.
Actions speak louder than words - even for Burke. So the act of trying to move your vet player non-stop speaks to Burke's overall lack of interest in Kaberle as a Brian Burke Leaf.
As for Komie + Streit, most Habs fans are PO'ed those guys walked for "0"... however, Komie is now Toronto's problem while Streit is NYI's. Sad, but true.
I absolutely wouldn't want anything to do with an owner or ownership group that would pressure its GM into doing something it doesn't want to do. You hire a GM to make decisions & if you're going to question or pressure him, you might as well not have one.
Even though i'm not a huge fan of Ron Wilson, i have to admit that in 95% of the games over the past two seasons, his players have mostly put in 110% effort into their play. That's why the Leafs are one heck of a fun team to watch, no matter what the final score is. They work extremely hard & play exciting hockey. I nearly fell asleep the other night while watching the Sabres/Habs game. Good thing the overtime period & shootout had some excitement in it. The main problem with Wilson, in my opinion, is that he may lack an assistant who is a penalty killing specialist. A Doug Jarvis type. Guy Carbonneau might have been a great assistant coach with the Leafs. Maybe Doug Gilmour could have helped out with special teams, including the powerplay unit.
Everyone these days is asking me what the hell is going on with the Leafs, who are playing fantastic hockey. I tell them that they've played this way all season long, except they faced a lot of bad luck at times, including hot goaltenders. But the difference this time around is that the penalty-killing units are playing great & the team no longer shoots itself in the foot whenever they get a penalty. Last night, the Sabres had three consecutive powerplays, which were killed off by the Leafs. The difference between last night's game & the previous one against the Sabres is that the penalties didn't kill the Leafs this time around. Of course, having James Reimer between the pipes has greatly improved the penalty-killing. But the likes of Tim Brent, Joey Crabb, Tyler Bozak & Colby Armstrong have been masterful on the penalty-killing units for the month.
If the Leafs would have had top 15 penalty-killing units all season long, they'd currently be assured of a playoffs stop.
I beg to differ. You seem to forget that the GM also listens to what his coach has to say about a player. In the past, it's been no big secret that Ron Wilson was no fan of Tomas Kaberle. However, things seem to have changed this season since Kaberle is getting major minutes of ice time from Wilson. If Kabby isn't moved by the trade deadline date, don't be surprised if he's re-signed. Kabby loves Toronto (can't blame him...it's one of the world's greatest cities & a hockey mecca) and you never have enough players that dearly want to play for the Leafs.
As for Komisarek, the only 'problem' for the organization is his contract. If they'd pay him $2 million, people say that he's a bargain. However, they had to overpay him since other teams (like the Isles & Rangers) had already thrown big $$ at him when he became a free agent. Toronto needed to match their offers in order to get him. Same thing with Colby Armstrong, who's been nothing short of marvelous for the Leafs this season & worth every penny they're paying him. That's why Montreal had to throw that much money at Mike Cammalleri in order to sign him. For less, he would have went elsewhere. Why? Blame the high Canadian tax rates. Personally, i give 42% of my annual salary to income tax & it sucks! Hockey players would be in an even higher tax bracket & it's no surprise why many of them prefer working in the States (e.g. Vincent Lecavalier) instead of Canada.
I think you did not understand my point, which was you could own the Leafs, or Doc, or Ballard (yikes, did i really say that) or Rogers or MLSE.... as long as they leave Burke to have full control, this guy will get results. Firing Wilson is not the answer until Burke gives him the talent to do something with, which btw, he is doing, it takes time to completely scrap and rebuild a whole orginization, thats what few people who do not follow this team as closely as Doc and myself do, do not understand. The trades he just made were genius and most everything he has done has been also, not all but hey, nobody's perfect.
Be patient.
PS. By "forcing" Burke to do anything is interfering and is EXACTLY what cannot happen if we are gonna continue in the right direction for years to come, INTERFERING has been the problem with management/ownership on numerous occasions with this franchise, and that's a main reason why we have not won in so long, for ONCE, we have a GM and Ownership who are working together. (by leaving Burke to do his thing, which he is doing quite well at)
Be patient.
PS. By "forcing" Burke to do anything is interfering and is EXACTLY what cannot happen if we are gonna continue in the right direction for years to come, INTERFERING has been the problem with management/ownership on numerous occasions with this franchise, and that's a main reason why we have not won in so long, for ONCE, we have a GM and Ownership who are working together. (by leaving Burke to do his thing, which he is doing quite well at)
Spot on Doc about Kabby not being the best player on the team. Dont forget a superstar in waiting in Big Keith Aulie, and maybe even James Reimer in goal. With that said, you know my stance on Kaberle has always been to trade him for assets, and i never really liked the guy much, but he has grown on me somewhat. He is a very very talented puck moving dman and a PP specialist quaterbacking the PP..... Could Burke say to him "let us trade you for something now, we will offer you a 3 yr deal say $13 million on July 1"? Are there any tampering rules that would apply to that situation?
Trading Kaberle now might kill Leafs' playoffs chances
The poker player in Brian Burke has his challenges these days.
On the one hand, the Toronto Maple Leafs general manager has the chance to keep dealing, most notably defenceman Tomas Kaberle.
On the other, he finds his team on the fringes of the playoff race, just six points out in the Eastern Conference after a 2-1 win Wednesday in Buffalo.
Burke addressed both topics on an interview with NHL Live, first stressing that a Kaberle deal with Boston “is not done.” That said, Burke acknowledged he has talked to multiple teams about the veteran defenceman, who would need to waive his no-trade contract to be moved.
“I’m not going to bug him every time a GM calls,” Burke said of Kaberle, amid speculation that a deal could be completed during the next day or two.
“I’m leaving him alone. He has played well for us and he’s a quality person.
(But) my guess is if we found something attractive and if we went back to the agent he might accept it.” As for his team’s playoff prospects, Burke understands the excitement over the possibility but cautions the odds are still stacked against them.
“The tricky math is, you say it’s only six points and eyes start to glisten,” Burke said. “The problem is with all the three-point games, making up six points is difficult.
“It’s not as simple as winning your own games.” To that end, Burke says he doesn’t want to make rash decisions based solely on this spring, moves that might deviate from the longer plan.
“The notion of getting in eighth (in the Eastern Conference) and getting spanked in the first round doesn’t do a hell of a lot for me and I don’t think it does a lot for our marketplace,” Burke said. “We’re not just putting together a team that’s going to get thumped in the first round.” Burke also addressed the team’s injury woes in net. He suggested Jonas Gustavsson might be back earlier than expected from a heart procedure that has sidelined him for a week.
And there’s a reasonable chance Ben Scrivens ‹ currently the only healthy goalie with the AHL Marlies ‹ will be called up to the Leafs on the weekend.
As for the starting situation: “We’re probably going to ride (James Reimer) a little bit here,” Burke said.
Kaberle trade might kill playoffs hopes
The poker player in Brian Burke has his challenges these days.
On the one hand, the Toronto Maple Leafs general manager has the chance to keep dealing, most notably defenceman Tomas Kaberle.
On the other, he finds his team on the fringes of the playoff race, just six points out in the Eastern Conference after a 2-1 win Wednesday in Buffalo.
Burke addressed both topics on an interview with NHL Live, first stressing that a Kaberle deal with Boston “is not done.” That said, Burke acknowledged he has talked to multiple teams about the veteran defenceman, who would need to waive his no-trade contract to be moved.
“I’m not going to bug him every time a GM calls,” Burke said of Kaberle, amid speculation that a deal could be completed during the next day or two.
“I’m leaving him alone. He has played well for us and he’s a quality person.
(But) my guess is if we found something attractive and if we went back to the agent he might accept it.” As for his team’s playoff prospects, Burke understands the excitement over the possibility but cautions the odds are still stacked against them.
“The tricky math is, you say it’s only six points and eyes start to glisten,” Burke said. “The problem is with all the three-point games, making up six points is difficult.
“It’s not as simple as winning your own games.” To that end, Burke says he doesn’t want to make rash decisions based solely on this spring, moves that might deviate from the longer plan.
“The notion of getting in eighth (in the Eastern Conference) and getting spanked in the first round doesn’t do a hell of a lot for me and I don’t think it does a lot for our marketplace,” Burke said. “We’re not just putting together a team that’s going to get thumped in the first round.” Burke also addressed the team’s injury woes in net. He suggested Jonas Gustavsson might be back earlier than expected from a heart procedure that has sidelined him for a week.
And there’s a reasonable chance Ben Scrivens ‹ currently the only healthy goalie with the AHL Marlies ‹ will be called up to the Leafs on the weekend.
As for the starting situation: “We’re probably going to ride (James Reimer) a little bit here,” Burke said.
Kaberle trade might kill playoffs hopes
Burke denies Kaberle deal with Boston is imminent
There may be a trade involving Toronto defenseman Tomas Kaberle before the Feb. 28 trade deadline, but as of Thursday afternoon, Maple Leafs general manager Brian Burke said no deal was in place.
In an interview with NHL Live!, Burke denied a CSNNE.com report which said Kaberle was headed to the Boston Bruins in a package that would involve Blake Wheeler and a draft pick.
"If we found something that was attractive and went back to the agent, Tomas might be receptive to that, but that's far from clear or far from done," said Burke, who reiterated that he would honor Kaberle's no-trade clause.
Burke also denied reports Boston is the only team to which Kaberle would accept a trade.
"I wouldn't accept those terms, that's not fair to us," Burke said. "That's not true that the deal is done with Boston. ... We continue to talk to multiple teams and we'll see where it goes."
Burke said he would go to Kaberle with a deal once he had a serious offer to consider, but that scenario hasn't happened yet.
"I'm not going to bug him every time a GM calls me about Tomas Kaberle," Burke added. "Tomas and I have not had one conversation about this. I'm leaving him alone. He's played really well for us. He's a quality person. I am leaving him alone and dealing with [agent] Rick Curran. Rick has requested radio silence on this, and by and large that's been the case and we've certainly respected that."
Burke denies Kaberle trade imminent
There may be a trade involving Toronto defenseman Tomas Kaberle before the Feb. 28 trade deadline, but as of Thursday afternoon, Maple Leafs general manager Brian Burke said no deal was in place.
In an interview with NHL Live!, Burke denied a CSNNE.com report which said Kaberle was headed to the Boston Bruins in a package that would involve Blake Wheeler and a draft pick.
"If we found something that was attractive and went back to the agent, Tomas might be receptive to that, but that's far from clear or far from done," said Burke, who reiterated that he would honor Kaberle's no-trade clause.
Burke also denied reports Boston is the only team to which Kaberle would accept a trade.
"I wouldn't accept those terms, that's not fair to us," Burke said. "That's not true that the deal is done with Boston. ... We continue to talk to multiple teams and we'll see where it goes."
Burke said he would go to Kaberle with a deal once he had a serious offer to consider, but that scenario hasn't happened yet.
"I'm not going to bug him every time a GM calls me about Tomas Kaberle," Burke added. "Tomas and I have not had one conversation about this. I'm leaving him alone. He's played really well for us. He's a quality person. I am leaving him alone and dealing with [agent] Rick Curran. Rick has requested radio silence on this, and by and large that's been the case and we've certainly respected that."
Burke denies Kaberle trade imminent
(From Doc Holliday)
It doesn’t happen very often in the NHL that a team comes from wa-a-a-ay back to make a legitimate run at a playoff spot.
But it’s happening out West in Calgary. No longer is there any talk of the Flames being sellers at the trade deadline. No longer is Jarome Iginla being asked if he’ll waive his no-trade clause.
Perhaps there’s something in the DNA of the Flames that was transplanted via last season’s blockbuster — Dion Phaneuf, Fredrik Sjostrom and Keith Aulie — that’s turning the Maple Leafs into Flames East.
The Leafs have whittled away and were just six points out of eighth place in the East heading into Thursday’s games. With seven weeks left, coach Ron Wilson says it’s reasonable to believe the team can gain a point a week.
Maybe. More likely the Leafs will have to get to 90 points. Montreal was the eighth seed last year with 88 points, the lowest playoff-bound point total in the post-lockout era. To get to 90, the Leaf need 34 points in 25 games or roughly five points a week.
Here’s how they can do it:
REALLY GOOD TEAMS
The Leafs have 11 games against teams currently in a playoff spot in the East and one, Detroit, in a playoff spot in the West. They can do no worse than split those dozen games. But in that pack they get Pittsburgh twice and Carolina once. There’s never been a better time to meet Pittsburgh in the Sidney Crosby era. They’re struggling without Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, while the Hurricanes look like they’re going through their first real dead patch.
HOPING FOR: 5-5-2
THE PLAYOFF PRETENDERS
They have to beat the teams they’re in the race with, preferably in regulation to keep the three-point games to a minimum. There are four of those: two against Buffalo, one each with Atlanta and Florida. Should make for a great playoff-like atmosphere.
HOPING FOR: 4-0-0
DOMINATE THE REJECTS
The Leafs must beat the teams they’re well ahead of: Ottawa (twice), the Islanders (twice), the Devils (twice). The Isles and Devils are both making a late push, although the trade deadline may deflate their hopes.
HOPING FOR: 5-0-1
SPLIT THE WEST
They have three games against non-playoff teams in the West (Chicago, Colorado, Minnesota) but that’s a much tougher conference. They’d better win one of those.
HOPING FOR: 1-1-1
That adds up to a 15-6-4 record and 34 points, to give them 90 on the season.
WHY IT MIGHT HAPPEN
The Leafs are historically a better second-half team. . . . Phil Kessel might be getting hot, which would round out the offence. . . . James Reimer oozes confidence and looks like a winner in net. . . . Joffrey Lupul, Christian Hanson and Keith Aulie have made the Leafs bigger and faster. . . . Atlanta, Florida and Buffalo have slightly tougher schedules. Atlanta and Florida each play 13 playoff teams, Buffalo 15. Carolina only plays 11, but is struggling.
WHY IT MIGHT NOT
The Leafs need to stay healthy and are without Colby Armstrong (blurred vision) and J-S Giguere (groin). … They are inexperienced and playing with far too many former AHLers. . . . Florida has games in hand and all the teams in the race (Panthers, Hurricanes, Sabres and Thrashers) may be more inclined to add talent at trade deadline rather than subtract. . . . Leafs GM Brian Burke may seize that moment to trade experienced players such as D Tomas Kaberle for the young prospects he so prizes, putting more pressure on the young players already here.
It doesn’t happen very often in the NHL that a team comes from wa-a-a-ay back to make a legitimate run at a playoff spot.
But it’s happening out West in Calgary. No longer is there any talk of the Flames being sellers at the trade deadline. No longer is Jarome Iginla being asked if he’ll waive his no-trade clause.
Perhaps there’s something in the DNA of the Flames that was transplanted via last season’s blockbuster — Dion Phaneuf, Fredrik Sjostrom and Keith Aulie — that’s turning the Maple Leafs into Flames East.
The Leafs have whittled away and were just six points out of eighth place in the East heading into Thursday’s games. With seven weeks left, coach Ron Wilson says it’s reasonable to believe the team can gain a point a week.
Maybe. More likely the Leafs will have to get to 90 points. Montreal was the eighth seed last year with 88 points, the lowest playoff-bound point total in the post-lockout era. To get to 90, the Leaf need 34 points in 25 games or roughly five points a week.
Here’s how they can do it:
REALLY GOOD TEAMS
The Leafs have 11 games against teams currently in a playoff spot in the East and one, Detroit, in a playoff spot in the West. They can do no worse than split those dozen games. But in that pack they get Pittsburgh twice and Carolina once. There’s never been a better time to meet Pittsburgh in the Sidney Crosby era. They’re struggling without Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, while the Hurricanes look like they’re going through their first real dead patch.
HOPING FOR: 5-5-2
THE PLAYOFF PRETENDERS
They have to beat the teams they’re in the race with, preferably in regulation to keep the three-point games to a minimum. There are four of those: two against Buffalo, one each with Atlanta and Florida. Should make for a great playoff-like atmosphere.
HOPING FOR: 4-0-0
DOMINATE THE REJECTS
The Leafs must beat the teams they’re well ahead of: Ottawa (twice), the Islanders (twice), the Devils (twice). The Isles and Devils are both making a late push, although the trade deadline may deflate their hopes.
HOPING FOR: 5-0-1
SPLIT THE WEST
They have three games against non-playoff teams in the West (Chicago, Colorado, Minnesota) but that’s a much tougher conference. They’d better win one of those.
HOPING FOR: 1-1-1
That adds up to a 15-6-4 record and 34 points, to give them 90 on the season.
WHY IT MIGHT HAPPEN
The Leafs are historically a better second-half team. . . . Phil Kessel might be getting hot, which would round out the offence. . . . James Reimer oozes confidence and looks like a winner in net. . . . Joffrey Lupul, Christian Hanson and Keith Aulie have made the Leafs bigger and faster. . . . Atlanta, Florida and Buffalo have slightly tougher schedules. Atlanta and Florida each play 13 playoff teams, Buffalo 15. Carolina only plays 11, but is struggling.
WHY IT MIGHT NOT
The Leafs need to stay healthy and are without Colby Armstrong (blurred vision) and J-S Giguere (groin). … They are inexperienced and playing with far too many former AHLers. . . . Florida has games in hand and all the teams in the race (Panthers, Hurricanes, Sabres and Thrashers) may be more inclined to add talent at trade deadline rather than subtract. . . . Leafs GM Brian Burke may seize that moment to trade experienced players such as D Tomas Kaberle for the young prospects he so prizes, putting more pressure on the young players already here.
I think most it's debatable who the Buds' best player is/was until today... but to say Kaberle was just a passer is like saying Ovie's just a shooter. Kaberle changed the momentum of games, clearing the zone and dishing breakout passes are critical to creating offense or a smart proactive defensive play to keep the puck outta your end. Again, I'd agree with Dion as the best but none of the others.
Schenn - too young and unproven - maybe youre thinking about his potential.
Kessel - good winger but not the game changer Burke brought him in to be... at least so far he hasn't been
Phaneuf - if he can regain his form but ppl don't seem to fear him as much
Kullie - L2 wing
Grabby - L2-L3 guy
Classic Burke... I do appreciate when GM's don't tip their hand when it comes to trades. Lou does the same thing.
Brian Burke, the Thief!
Lets recap the last couple weeks, Brian Burke traded Beauchemin, Versteeg, and Kaberle away for what?
How about for only 5 first round picks/players, a third round pick and a conditional 2rd round pick, got rid of over $7 million in salary and got even younger than his team was before.
Here is what he did, he got the Flyer's and the bruins first round picks in 2011, Joe Colborne, first rounder in 2008 and bostons top prospect, Jake Gardiner, first rounder in 2008 and the Ducks top defensive prospect, and Joffery Lupul, first rounder and 7th overall pick in 2002. Also he got a 3rd round pick from Philly and a 2nd round conditional pick from boston, should Kaberle not sign with the bruins in the offseason or should the bruins go to the finals this season.
All of this for a guy whos character did not fit in with the Leafs (Versteeg) a declining skill set not to mention a too slow Beauchemin for this young fast Leafs team, and for a guy (Kaberle) who 99.9% would not have been resigned in the offseason by the Leafs.
Not only did he accumulate all of those assets, but in the process he shed over 7 million dollars in salary and now has a plethora of cap space to go after one or two top 6 and another top 4 puck moving Dman in the offseason to get the rebuild closer to completion. Brian Burke is showing other GM's you dont have to tank your season for 5 years to get better by hoping the draft will be the answer. Not everyone can get a Crosby, Ovechkin, or a Stamkos, and besides, usually a top 5 draft pick takes 3-4 years to fully develope and play well in the NHL, and sometimes, alot of times, never.
Yes, the man known as Brian Burke is quite the Thief indeed!
Lets recap the last couple weeks, Brian Burke traded Beauchemin, Versteeg, and Kaberle away for what?
How about for only 5 first round picks/players, a third round pick and a conditional 2rd round pick, got rid of over $7 million in salary and got even younger than his team was before.
Here is what he did, he got the Flyer's and the bruins first round picks in 2011, Joe Colborne, first rounder in 2008 and bostons top prospect, Jake Gardiner, first rounder in 2008 and the Ducks top defensive prospect, and Joffery Lupul, first rounder and 7th overall pick in 2002. Also he got a 3rd round pick from Philly and a 2nd round conditional pick from boston, should Kaberle not sign with the bruins in the offseason or should the bruins go to the finals this season.
All of this for a guy whos character did not fit in with the Leafs (Versteeg) a declining skill set not to mention a too slow Beauchemin for this young fast Leafs team, and for a guy (Kaberle) who 99.9% would not have been resigned in the offseason by the Leafs.
Not only did he accumulate all of those assets, but in the process he shed over 7 million dollars in salary and now has a plethora of cap space to go after one or two top 6 and another top 4 puck moving Dman in the offseason to get the rebuild closer to completion. Brian Burke is showing other GM's you dont have to tank your season for 5 years to get better by hoping the draft will be the answer. Not everyone can get a Crosby, Ovechkin, or a Stamkos, and besides, usually a top 5 draft pick takes 3-4 years to fully develope and play well in the NHL, and sometimes, alot of times, never.
Yes, the man known as Brian Burke is quite the Thief indeed!
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