Mats Sundin could have learned a thing or two
Toronto Maple Leafs fans remember the agony of being far out of the NHL playoff race and finding your most trade-able commodity doesn't want to leave Toronto - hello Mats!!! Though it was a nice compliment to the city, the fact that Mats didn't care about winning a Stanley Cup was detrimental to the Leafs development, as Tomas Kaberle and Brian Burke so deftly proved this year.
Kaberle had a no-trade clause, however with his free agency approaching and the Leafs in the tank yet again, it was becoming clear (just like in Sundin's case...although it5 didn't come to fruition then) that a trade would be beneficial to both parties. The snag was that Kaberle also values quality of life above winning, but Tomas found a brilliant out. He surveyed the Boston Bruins team and decided that they could use a puck-moving defenceman to take some of the load off Zdeno Chara, and so he let Brian Burke know that he'd be willing to be traded to Boston, and Boston alone.
Many GMs may have found that constrictive, but the quick Burke actually turned it into a positive. Some have claimed that Boston overpaid for Kaberle, considering that the Leafs had no other option, but I view this trade differently. Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli was able to dig deep to get TK because he knew that Tomas really really wanted to play in Boston, and he may even have consulted Chara about the move. Then it was just a matter of meeting Burke's price, and has he had done so well (in Bruins fans eyes) on the Kessel trade, he had some wiggle room to pay up for Kaberle.
Kaberle's offence led Bruins to win over Tampa
To those who believe Kaberle did not significantly contribute to the Bruins Stanley Cup victory, check out his 11 playoff assists and his +8 rating in limited 5 on 5 minutes. Those paying attention know that Boston would not have beaten Tampa Bay without TK, as his 5 assists including game winning and game breaking goals in that series were the difference.
Add in Native Canadian Chris Kelly (brought over from Ottawa), stir vigouously until bubbles start floating to the top, then pour gently into the Cup!!!
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