’10-11 Bruins Season in Review:
Tomas Kaberle
Kaberle/By S. Bradley
When the Bruins shipped prospect Joe Colborne, a first-round pick and conditional second-round pick (which became part of the trade after they reached the Stanley Cup Final) to Toronto in February, they didn’t think they were acquiring a third-pair defenseman.
So in that way, Tomas Kaberle was a bit of a failure for Boston.
But in the grand scheme of things, Kaberle did his part to help the team win the Cup. The Bruins needed a veteran to bolster their defense corps and make sure that an injury wouldn’t sidetrack their championship hopes. When you consider that in the playoffs Adam McQuaid went down and Steven Kampfer wasn’t available until late in the run, the Bruins needed Kaberle to prevent them from having digging too deep into their organization for help.
A full year in Boston and in the Bruins’ system might help Kaberle better meet his expectations, but the Bruins might decide to not give him that chance. Kaberle might not go down as part of the Bruins’ championship folklore, but he played his part in the magical run.
Stats
Regular season: (with Boston) 24 GP, 1-8-9, plus-6
Playoffs: 25 GP, 0-11-11, plus-8
Contract status: Scheduled UFA July 1
Best regular-season moment: The Bruins sent Montreal a message about who the best team in the Northeast Division was with a 7-0 blowout March 24. That night, Kaberle, who famously never saw a shot he couldn’t pass up, actually scored his first and only goal in a Bruins sweater. The goal put Boston ahead, 6-0, and made Kaberle a bigger part of the Bruins’ late-season push.
Best playoff moment: The Bruins staved off elimination June 13 in Game 6 of the Cup Final, and Kaberle was at his playmaking best with two assists — one on a Michael Ryder goal and the other on a rare David Krejci power-play score.
Worst moment: It was the play that had almost everyone ready to run Kaberle out of town. With the Bruins on the way to blowing a 3-0 lead and dropping Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Final to Tampa Bay, Kaberle was knocked off the puck by Sean Bergenheim in the corner of the Boston zone before Bergenheim tied the score seconds later.
Regular-season grade: B
Playoff grade: B-minus
Carnac predicts … after the dust settles on the signing of some of the bigger-name free agents, Kaberle comes back to Boston for a few years at around $3 million per season.
So, Rick you’re willing to give millions of dollars and multiple years to a guy that played poorly for a team for 45 games, but was ‘starting to click’ for the last 5? Who’s the more rational fan again?
seriously, the hyper critical Boston fans strike again. anyone with eyes can see he is the best defenseman on the team when the task is skating with the puck. he was really beginning to click with the likes of Krejci and Bergeron at the end of the run.
Honestly, while I wouldn’t have minded having Stuart on the team still for depth, I think Kaberle was probably more productive even if he didn’t help the PP get any better.
I still think they had to make the Kaberle trade. I think they may still need Kaberle or at least a proven puck mover and I think they will likely keep the guy they know and won the cup with than let him walk.
I don’t think anyone is arguing that bringing in Peverly was anything but an excellent move. The Kaberle trade is another story… perhaps the Bs wouldn’t have had to give up Stuart in order to bring Pevs in if they hadn’t already traded away the 1st and Colborne.
But all’s well that ends well.
You guys need to study the NHL landscape before you make some of your comments. You think a proven puck moving defenseman won’t get more than 3 years ? Are you kidding me? $4M at 3 or 4 years might be too high, but I think that is what he will get given the increase in salary cap and the lack of defensemen in the UFA market. You don’t think a team like Detroit will make a crazy offer to get a guy like him? There is a reason why nothing good goes on the market anymore. I say sign him to a reasonable contract, flip him if needed. I still don’t think the PP problem was his, the guy has great hands and can keep the puck in the zone (The Bs cant even keep it in the zone without him). I still think you need $12-15M to keep him at 3 or 4 years.
Fire Geoff Ward, screw him and his high PP setup. Ask Adam Oates to come back to run the PP, look at how well Tampa did last year….
B’s don’t win the Cup without Peverly. Wheeler will just skate around and miss the net. Stuart will just goon around while doing nothing on offense or transition, the Bs have McQuaid already and Boychuk up to a certain point. The trade was great.
I don’t think he will be that cheap, but I suspect they are going to keep him-more to do with the devil they know than the one they don’t.
I also can’t help but think he may do better if he spends a whole season with the team than coming in just before the trade deadline.
I do think there is a salary level where the team will let him walk though-don’t know where that is, but I am sure the team knows.
There are too many teams chasing the cap floor to get Kaberle at 3 million. He will be in Detroit next year. I think his grades are too high. With that said, a full year in the system and only at 3 million I would sign him in a second. But like I said, too many teams have too much money. He get 4 million minimum, probably more.
Good luck to that team. I hope the Bs face them in the playoffs and I hope they put ole softy out there against the KHL line.
Matt, obviously you based his 3 million salary on his actual value, not his perceived value. He will make more than 4 this season with somebody, mark my words.
Let him walk. Good money chasing bad if they resign him. Make a hard play for Erhoff or seek a trade for a legit top 4 dman.
MCK,
Kaberle was actually better regular season than in the playoffs as far as I saw. Sure, he had more assists, in the cup run, but he played more minutes and the transition can’t be ignored. I’d say MK is pretty close on his regular season grade, maybe a B-, but I think your playoff grade is correct.
Kalman, I sure would have liked to have you grade my tests as I went through the school system. Oh, and his worst playoff moment was when he basically scored on Thomas himself in Game 1 against TB. I know there were a lot to choose from.
The Bs gave up a ton to get him, he made 4 million last season and was touted as a top end, offensive, puck moving (I despise that term) defenseman. All that considered, his grades should be:
Regular season: D
Playoffs: C-
He was below average for the 24 games in the regular season and was barely below average in the playoffs. B? Seriously? Does Rask get an A?
I am glad you did Ryder and Kaberle back to back. At least your graded Ryder properly.
Matt – I’m starting to worry about you a little. $3 for 3 Years?! Why would you give him 3 years? I just don’t get it. I could stomach the thought of one year at that price to let him ‘show me’, but 3 years based on what I saw is nuts.
I’ll try another pair of shoes, thanks. This one is giving me blisters… or maybe I could just keep wearing it until that cut on my foot finally scabs so badly and so thick that I just simply can’t feel it any longer.
still better than the bochenski-versteeg trade
McTeagle, I think we all would agree that Mark Stuart would’ve been a lot more fun to watch during the Cup run (not to mention it would’ve felt much more satisfying to see him hoist Lord Stanley instead of Ray Romano ova’ here). But if PC doesn’t dish Stuart/Wheeler for Peverley we’re almost certainly not even having this conversation right now.
That aside, I don’t think the B’s have many other options out there in FA. Not exactly a thrilling prospect, but I think we see Kaberle re-sign sometime later this summer. Just hope its a short term and a friendly cap hit somewhere around $3mil/yr like MK suggested.
Honestly, I hope they get him signed for next season at 3-3.5. I would be really interested to see what he can do with a full season in Boston.
Oh, and that “worst moment” had me gritting my teeth so hard it’s a wonder I didn’t break any of them.
I am not convinced they could get him for 3 mil/yr. But if so I would be good with that.
He did his part, and I’m grateful for that. On the other hand, I still think Stuart could have done the job himself.
i’d rather have kabby riding with darth quaider on the 3rd pairing then andrew alberts posing as a top 4 defenseman.