Why the Leafs should extend Tomas Kaberle
Posted 11:17 AM ET | Comments 1
Tomas Kaberle has been with the Leafs since day 1. He signed a contract with a NTC, in which he's lived by. He's been the franchises best player for a number of years now. He's made the Olympics, All-Star teams and yet he continues to be bashed by the fans and the media for years. He had a chance to wave his NTC and he didn't. His heart is here in Toronto. Sure it seems to everyone that he is the only Leaf with true trade value, but really, he isn't the only one. If you give Burke his 4 or 5 years (contract length, plus possible extensions), he'll create some value for whatever current or future Leafs we (will) have. Kaberle's contract is very affordable, TOO affordable in my mind. It's a great time to extend Kaberle, maybe 12 years (seems to be the norm these days) to help the salary cap and then they should give the man the "C" and even eventually retire/honour his jersey number. Instead of bashing poor Tomas, we fans should appreciate what he's done for the Leafs. Tomas Kaberle should NOT be taking the fall for the mismanagement of passed years. The Burke regime is legit and will bring pride back into the hearts of Leafs fans. The toughness and speed that he’s already inserted in not even his first official season should give Kaberle some room to breathe and not be afraid to handle puck as we were all so used to seeing in his early years. Is it so wrong for someone to actually live by a contract these days? I admire Burke for not pulling the trigger when the window of opportunity was there. It's Burke’s way of saying, "we're even" or "thank you"…and it should give us fans the chance to do the same. Thank you (Captain) Tomas Kaberle.
I am a huge Kaberle fan and would love to see him play the rest of his career here for similar dollars. Captain...I don't think he's the captain type but he'll wear an "A" forever!