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Rumors involving the Toronto Maple Leafs for July 30th
Mark Easson
Michael Traikos of the National Post: Six teams are reportedly still interested in Tomas Kaberle, so it looks good that Burke’s biggest asset will be moved by Aug. 15th. After the 16th Burke loses some control as the no-trade kicks back in. Kaberle could veto all deals during the season and leave a free agent, with the Leafs getting nothing in return (see Mats Sundin). This could be why Burke isn’t getting the home-run offer he’s seeking. “We’re not asking for anything,” Burke said. “We’re fielding offers. We’re either going to get an offer that makes sense for Tomas Kaberle or we’re going to keep him.” According to a Post source, the Leafs have already rejected a deal involving a top 6 forward and a draft pick. The Devils, Kings and Ducks could be waiting for the Kovalchuk saga to end before they make a move. Burke says “It’s clogging the waters,” referring to the Kovalchuk situation.
Lance Hornby of the Toronto Sun: The countdown has begun for Tomas Kaberle’s August 15th trade cut-off date. Burke hopes the Kovalchuk situation gets cleared up quickly so some teams can turn their focus on Kaberle (NJ and LA could be involved regarding both players. Rumors to the Kings, who just lost defenseman Matt Green for 3 months, will heat up, he’ll only miss about 3 weeks of the regular season though). If the Leafs don’t get their top-6 forward from a Kaberle deal, they could go back to Marc Savard if the price comes down a bit.
NHL Sources Say via twitter: The Maple Leafs could be interested in James Neal of the Dallas Stars, but would have to take some salary back, Mike Ribeiro could be that guy.
Michael Russo via twitter: Rumor that the Minnesota Wild are interested in Tomas Kaberle are NOT true.
Dave Fuller of the Toronto Sun: Scratch Columbus off the list of possible destinations for Tomas Kaberle after they avoided arbitration the other day with Anton Stralman. Now this may be true, but this team needs to make the playoffs, and an upgrade to their defense would be a step in the right direction, especially a power play quarterback.