Leafs defenceman Tomas Kaberle will stay put in Toronto, at least for now.
The clause in Kaberle’s contract allowed Maple Leafs GM Brian Burke to deal Kaberle up until August 15th at midnight, but if he was not traded by midnight then the no-trade clause would kick in again.
Brian Burke was a busy man leading up to the August 15th Tomas Kaberle deadline, as he talked to many teams around the NHL who were interested in receiving the services of Kaberle. Burke announced on Monday that Kaberle would remain a Toronto Maple Leaf, stating that many teams made offers to trade for Tomas, but non of them reflected the talent level of Kaberle.
Kaberle has been in Toronto his whole NHL career as he was an eighth round pick for the Leafs in the 1996 NHL Entry Draft. In his 820 games played he has scored 80 goals and chipped in with 402 assists for a total of 482 points. Kaberle had a bit of an “off” season offensively last year as he only netted 7 goals and 49 points in his 82 games played. Tomas remained healthy all season playing in all 82 games for his sixth time in his 11 NHL seasons.
The Leafs want to compete for a playoff spot this year, and if Kaberle remains a Leaf for the duration of the season it will definitely help them rather than hurt the team. Kaberle will most likely see powerplay time beside Dion Phaneuf who was acquired by the Leafs near the deadline last season. The Leafs are listed at +6000 or 60/1 longshots for winning the Stanley Cup this year, but are definitely going to be in the hunt for a playoff spot with Brian Burke doing a solid job in the early years of this Maple Leaf rebuild. You can bet on the Maple Leafs to win the Stanley Cup or make wagers on NHL games online at Sportsbook.com!