Saturday, February 19, 2011

The Nightmare is Over...

At long last, the nightmare is over!  Yes, the Toronto Maple Leafs finally (FINALLY!) traded away defenseman Tomas Kaberle.  For some time now, the Maple Leafs had wanted to trade him, but due to the no-trade clause and/or the lack of finding a good deal, have not been able to do so.  Now, Kaberle is a Boston Bruin in a trade that sees the Leafs get Joe Colborne and two draft picks.  What does this do for both teams?  Boston gets a puck moving defenseman who will relieve Zdeno Chara of some of the offensive responsibilities, as well as a player that can offer some credibility to the blue line.  The Leafs get to stockpile draft picks for either trade bait (as they have been known in the past to do) or to pick players that can help them down the road.  Colborne is another prospect that figures into the Leafs' rebuilding process and also fits the need for a center, something they tried to address last offseason when they inquired about (wait for it) Marc Savard.

Now that the nightmare is over, Kaberle is Boston's problem at the end of the season, and given that they have cleared some space in trading away Blake Wheeler and Mark Stuart to Atlanta for Rich Peverley and Boris Valabik, it's conceivable that Kaberle could be signed by the Bruins when he does hit free agency after the season.

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