I have been surfing the Interwebz quite a bit today checking for any new news on the Tomas Kaberle front. Staying away from HFBoards.com (because the posters seem to have the combined intelligence of Eklund) I managed to find some Tomas to LA chatter, however thus far the key players that I have heard of are San Jose and Columbus.I thought I would write a piece about the potential destinations, whom I think would be a great fit for the Leafs, as well as discuss some other trades that would make sense...because who doesn't want to read a normal working Joe's opinion on the topic...right?
San Jose Sharks
Present Cap Situation: 3.2 Million under the cap.
Finished 1st in the West with 113 pts, however had another early playoff exit.
Team Needs:
Looking at their roster, it becomes evident that this team does not need anymore offense. Boasting players like Thornton, Heatley, Pavelski and Marleau makes this very evident right from the get-go. Their defense has capable scorers in Dan Boyle, and Vlasic...however neither of them offers the breakout pass and Power Play quarterbacking that the Sharks need.
Kaberle would fill this void on this team and make an offensively gifted team even more dangerous. That is a scary thought for Western division opponents.
Trade Bait:
There are a couple of options here in my opinion. If Burke is looking for top 6 guys, that are on decent contracts than he has to look no further than Devin Setoguchi. A 20-30 goal scorer with San Jose and still on a controllable contract...Setoguchi provides the mix of speed and skill that the Leafs desperately need up front. I think it would take a bit more for the Sharks to get Kaberle, but a 2nd-3rd round pick could pull this off.
Another possibility is Ryan Clowe. He too is young, however I don't see his offensive upside being as great as that of Setoguchi.
Likely Outcome:
Tomas Kaberle has stated his preference to remain in the East, so the Maple Leafs would need to convince him to sign an extension before any deal would be consummated. This could be a very tough sell for the Leafs, and would make me question any rumor of a Maple Leafs - Sharks deal. I would rate the Sharks as a 6/10 on the Kaberle front.
Columbus Blue Jackets
Present Situation: Almost $6 million under the cap
Finished Second Last in the West with 79 points and missed the playoffs by a significant margin.
Team Needs:
I see two glaring holes on this team. The first I would like to address is third line players that are gritty, tough defensively, and have some skill to add secondary scoring depth. There bottom 6 are not strong enough to support their top 6 forwards, and it will continue to hurt them until they address this need. Don't forget the glut of 3rd/4th line guys that the Leafs have lying around.
The second glaring omission from this Columbus team is a puck moving defenseman or powerplay QB that the Leafs have available. Easy to see why these teams are interested, isn't it? Rusty Klesla has become more of a tough shut down defender, and never really fulfilled the offensive promise he showed with the Batallion. Tyutin and Stralman are somewhat skilled, however neither has the capability to run a back end (from an offensive point of view) as Kaberle presently does.
Trade Bait:
One of my favourite rumored teams due to their availability of top 6 guys. They presently have Nikita Filatov returning from Russia so there should be an open spot up front. As previously discussed with a fellow Leafs fan, and excellent tweeter (@1stSFSSKraZe) there are a few intriguing possibilities. The first of which, is Antoine Vermette. The kid inside of me is screaming "Please BRIAN! PLEAAASSSEEE CAN WE HAVE HIMMM..." when I think about Vermette. The guy can score thirty, and still be a plus player on one of the worst teams in the NHL. He can play on the PP, the PK, and either of the top 2 lines. He has a ton of skill to go with lightning fast speed. A reasonable 3.75 million dollar cap hit for the next 5 years makes him a very attractive option.
Not sure he is available but Derrick Brassard would be an upgrade at Center for the Leafs. He had an off year last year, so I would be hesitant to move Kaberle for him...however he is an option. RJ Umberger is a big, power-forward type player that can put up 20-30 goals and control the front of the net. He is an attractive option to open up space for Kessel and has 2 years remaining with the same cap hit as Vermette.
Likely Outcome:
Again, Kaberle has stated his preference to stay in the East...and Columbus provides more of that opportunity than San Jose ever could. Ohio is a stones throw from Ontario considered to the other Western Conference clubs and might be an attractive option for Tomas. The players in return are there, and I believe Columbus still has all picks as well. Needing bottom six forwards, players like Hanson, Mitchell, Sjostrom etc. could be considered to beef up any potential draft pick or prospect also coming back. I rate this a 7.5/10 on the possibilities scale.
Dallas Stars
I know, you're saying 'Wait...they weren't included before, and they are a Western conference team!'...but I thought I would include them because of two players I think Burke covets from that team. There have also been rumblings from some friends, that sources are saying Dallas is in play.
Present Situation: ~$12 million in cap space available
Finished 12th in the Western Conference last year, 7 points out of a playoff spot.
Team Needs:
Defense. Not just defensive defenceman, but offensive ones too. This teams glaring weakness is their D. Lehtonen is solid in net, and Richards, Morrow and Ribiero are providing solid production up front. At this point a Kaberle addition, plus a veteran shut down d-man would make the Stars a very likely playoff contender in the West.
Trade Bait:
Two players here. James Neal, and Steve Ott. I have heard that Burke covets both of these guys; Neal for his size and skill...Ott for his grit and skill, and motor that will not quit.
Neal would be the tougher pull. A young, power forward, with great hands and capable of potentially putting up 40 goals (Anybody have spare shorts...cause I just came). Burke wants him. Dallas wants to keep him. The rest of the NHL would probably like to get him too. If Brian could find the right compliment of players to make a deal involving this kid work, I would be over the moon. He is exactly what this young core needs, and again would be the big body to open up space for Kessel.
Ott provides more 3rd line talent, however he is capable of stepping onto the 2nd line in times of need. He may not be exactly what the team needs to win the cup, however adding a pick to this deal would make it pretty good for both sides. I don't see him as a likely target after the acquisition or Armstrong, and the fact that Torres should be signing in Toronto...however I wanted to give him some love.
Likely Scenario:
I see a few factors that would come into play with this deal.
1) Will Kaberle sign an extension in Dallas? If not, no way Dallas makes a trade for him. They need him for a few years if they want to be serious about making a run.
2) Will Dallas trade James Neal? Would be a tough sell, however if Burke can get Phaneuf for Leafs cast offs...I will hold my tongue until the 15th of August.
Summary:
I have no idea where Kaberle will end up going. If I could rank them in order of preference it would be:
Dallas, Columbus, San Jose.
If I have to rank them in likelihood to be consummated I would say:
Columbus, San Jose, Dallas.
This does not discount the fact that Burke says 10 teams are interested...though I highly doubt that (and so does Kaberle's agent Rick Curran)...so teams like Boston or Philly could still be in the mix.
What are your thoughts? I would love to hear some comments and see what you guys think.
Until Next Time
-BF
As an aside: The Maple Leafs are presently looking at Tim Kennedy and Ryan Potulny as potential signings, however both are contingent on them being two way contracts. A smart move by Burkie as both players are still very young, and not deservant of one way deals just yet.
No comments:
Post a Comment