The rumors of the Rangers connection Tomas Kaberle do not
seem to be fading away as quickly as many of the other ones have this
season. Kaberle rumors are certainly
nothing new in general, or in connection with the Rangers as this saga of him
being traded has gone on for the better part of three years now with nothing
ever happening.
The general mood seems to be more desperation to make the
move because of how abysmal the Rangers power play has been of late and the
theory that a power play quarterback like Kaberle can fix that. Kaberle has the history and qualifications to
be considered a top flight power play quarterback. This season he has three goals and 36 points
in 54 games played with the Maple Leafs, while most important to Rangers fans
he has 21 assists with the man advantage.
During a Twitter discussion last night with Christian of Blue Seat Blogs and George Ays of Tracking The
Rangers (and at Blueshirt Banter) among others, about a multitude of
topics, but one of the main ones being adding Kaberle. I agree with both Christian and George that
Kaberle has the ability to make the Rangers better this year and a bigger
threat come playoff time. There is also,
as Christian points out, the invaluable experience that could be gained for the
Rangers young players by experiencing a deep run into the playoffs, even if the
team likely would not with the whole thing.
The sentiment of that is absolutely true as players must experience the
playoffs before they learn how to truly win in those big moments.
My issue with the move is not that he would not improve the
power play, but whether he truly makes the difference in the team advancing
deep in the playoffs to be worth the bounty Brian Burke is going to try and get
for him. Speaking of the cost, this
morning Arthur Staple of Newsday
writes about what is believed to be cost of acquiring Kaberle. Staple says that Toronto general manger Brian
Burke is looking for three pieces as a return for his 32-year-old
defenseman.
Sources say that the Leafs would want at least three pieces back -- a current NHLer, a prospect and possibly a first-round pick in return for Kaberle.
Obviously, if that is the cost the discussion must end with
Glen Sather hanging up the phone on his good buddy Burke. Burke has always overvalued Kaberle in his
trade discussions, which is precisely why Tomas is still in Toronto today. There is the possibility that with Kaberle
being a free agent this summer Burke will be forced to lower his demands as the
deadline approaches to ensure getting something for him, rather than lose him
for nothing. Even if the price tag does
come down, I believe the Rangers are better off just letting the season play
out than detracting pieces from the future to possibly end up with a first
round exit. Is trading for a player who has not played a meaningful game in years really going to get them over the hump?
I am left to think back to
the last trade with Toronto in which we gave them a second round pick for Nik
Antropov, and while Antropov played well in his time in New York, the team
still lost in the first round and ended up short a second round pick. The Rangers are finally building the right way and it was
never about this year, so let’s take a step back from the push to make moves to
win it all while mortgaging potential future pieces. Tinkering moves like a faceoff specialist are
one thing, but what Burke wants for Kaberle is another.
