Brian Burke on the Fan 590 (Audio): Burke talks Kaberle, and what it means for the Maple Leafs.
Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun: Burke admits he could have traded Kaberle on Sunday for a top-6 forward, but he didn’t think he could live with it. He didn’t receive any offers that would have made the decision hard to make.
“We could have come up with a top six forward. There were some out there, believe me. We could have overpaid. There were some bad contracts out there. We could have made a bad deal. We didn’t want to do that.”
“We were never close to make any deal for him,” said Burke. “We didn’t really have to make any kind of decision because there was no decision to make. I don’t know why the offers weren’t what they needed to be. But we weren’t about to give this guy away.”
Once again Burke reiterated that he won’t ask Kaberle to waive his no-trade clause. If Kaberle submits a list of teams he’d go to, that’s different. Burke would match their 1 thru 8 defenseman against any team in the league. Jeff Finger’s name wasn’t mentioned in the 8, nor brought up, and likely will be sent to the minors.
Damien Cox of the Toronto Star: If the Maple Leafs let Kaberle walk next summer for nothing, they actually are gaining something, $4.25 million in cap space. Burke probably won’t sign Kaberle to a rich, multi-year contract. The pressure now may be switching away from Burke and on to Kaberle.
Jeff Domet of CBCSports: The Leafs may need to get creative and try to move Kaberle from defense to center. Kaberle is an excellent playmaker and is an underrated skater. The transition may take some time but is possible. The Leafs did it in the 60’s with Red Kelly. (Ian White didn’t look out of place playing on the wing at the beginning of last season either).
Noah Love of the National Post: Burke can go in three directions after the failed Kaberle trade: 1. Stand Pat: If Burke stays pat, there is a chance the Bruins will be picking in the top 5 in next year’s draft. Current UFA’s centers for next year at the moment are Joe Thornton, Brad Richards, Patrice Bergeron, David Backes and Brooks Laich. 2. Trade Kaberle: Everyone knows this isn’t over. Kaberle can waive his no-trade clause and the Leafs could get something back. 3. Trade Luke Schenn: Schenn is still a ‘blue chip prospect’ who’s offensive game improved towards the end of last year. His value could get them a top 6 forward and a prospect. If they let Kaberle go after next season, he could be replaced by a Christian Ehrhoff, Andre Markov, Kevin Bieksa, and Chris Phillips.
