Bruins Acquire Kaberle, Peverely and Valabik

One would think that today was the NHL trade deadline considering the amount of deals that went down really over the last few hours. The deadline is still a week and a half away, but that did not stop the Boston Bruins from tinkering with their roster now. In two separate deals, Boston brought in defensemen Tomas Kaberle and Boris Valabik, as well as center Rich Peverely.
The Bruins acquired Kaberle from the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for forward prospect Joe Colborne, Boston's first round pick this year and a conditional second rounder. Kaberle, who has been on the block for a few years now, has previously been reluctant to waive his no-trade clause in past seasons. But he did so this year to head to Boston, which ends a 12-year run with the organization that drafted him 204th overall back in 1996.

“On behalf of our entire organization I would like to thank Tomas for all of his many outstanding contributions to the Toronto Maple Leafs on the ice, and in the community," general manager Brian Burke said in a statement released by the Maple Leafs. "He has been a model citizen and it’s never easy to trade a player that has conducted himself as professionally as Tomas has for the past 13 years.”

In 58 games this season, Kaberle has posted three goals and 35 points for 38 points. He has yet to register a goal on the power play, though 22 of his helpers have come on the man advantage. The Bruins will benefit from that offensive upgrade on the blue line from the 32-year old pending unrestricted free agent.

The price tag was also relatively cheap for what will probably be a rental player. Colborne is a good prospect who was taken back in 2008 by Boston at the 16th overall position. But there's no guarantees with prospects and the Bruins still have plenty of depth in their system. Giving up the first rounder to Toronto also isn't a big deal since they still possess the Maple Leafs' first round pick this year from the Phil Kessel trade. And that selection will be high on in the draft - possibly even a lottery pick.

The Bruins also completed a separate trade with the Atlanta Thrashers that netted them Peverely and Valabik in exchange for Blake Wheeler and Mark Stuart. This deal will aid both teams as they compete for vastly different positioning in the postseason.

It's hard to say which side "won" this trade, as the Bruins were able to bring in a better offensive player and center in Peverely. Yet, they gave a bit on the defensive end by dealing a good two-way player in Wheeler and a better defender in Stuart. This trade just feels like a tinkering move between two general managers and should drastically change the fortunes of either team. If anything, the Bruins were able to cut a litlte payroll.

NHL And NHLPA Accept Kovalchuk's Deal As Part Of Amending CBA Rules For Future Long-Term Contracts

The saga that started almost a month and a half ago has finally reached its conclusion (pending the completion of paperwork expected to hammered out very soon.) TSN's Darren Dreger has reported that Ilya Kovalchuk is on his way to becoming a New Jersey Devil for the next 15 seasons as part of an agreement between the NHL and NHLPA to amend the rules of the collective bargaining agreement regarding long-term contracts from here on out. Kovalchuk's deal, valued at $100 million over those 15 seasons, will be the last of its kind and any further contracts will play by new rules.

According to Dreger, long-term contracts are now clearly defined as those consisting of five or more years. The new rules essentially target the ages of 35 and 40 when it pertains to player contracts.

The first change calls for any contract signed by a player beyond the age of 40 years old to have his annual average salary (i.e., cap hit) only calculate for those years up to and including the season in which he is 40 years old.

For long-term contracts extending beyond the age of 40, the contract's average annual value for the years up to and including 40, are calculated by dividing total value in those years by the number of years up to and including 40. Then for the years covering ages 41 and beyond, the cap charge in each year is equal to the value of the contract in that year. (credit: Darren Dreger)

News From Around The Crease

 

~ TSN's Darren Dreger is reporting that the Toronto Maple Leafs have received at least five offers for defenseman Tomas Kaberle. As they stand, none are good enough for General Manager Brian Burke to accept. But some finagling between the draft on Friday and the middle of July, when Kaberle's no trade clause is back in effect, could entice Burke to pull the trigger.

It is believed Burke is looking for a first round pick in a deal, but that is not necessarily a deal breaker. More importantly, Burke wants a scoring threat that can be plugged right into the lineup. While it's likely Kaberle will end up being traded, it is still possible that the Maple Leafs could retain his services and sign him to an extension.

~ The Phoenix Coyotes would like to build upon their shocking turnaround last season and have already made moves to bring back some key components, such as defenseman Keith Aucion, left wing Taylor Pyatt and left wing Scottie Upshall. General Manager Don Maloney focused his attention on mid-season acquisition Wojtek Wolski on Thusday, signing the 24-year old winger to a two-year, $7.6 million contract. The deal will pay Wolski $3.8 million per season - a raise from the $3.1 million he earned last year.

Wolski was acquired by the Coyotes from the Colorado Avalanche at the trade deadline this past March. The Avs received Peter Mueller and Kevin Porter in the deal. In 18 regular season games following the trade, Wolski netted six goals and a point-per-game pace, while adding five points in seven postseason games against the Detroit Red Wings. He totaled 23 goals and 65 points last year between the Avalanche and Coyotes.

Kaberle An Option For The Devils?

Once again ousted in the first round of the playoffs and sitting just a few years away from the retirement of Martin Brodeur, the New Jersey Devils look primed to exhibit a win-all philosophy heading into next season. From their current head coach search to filling out the roster of players, general manager Lou Lamoriello is believed to be pulling all punches in trying to make the final years of Brodeur's career as successful as possible.

A key area that the Devils would love to improve is offense provided by their defensemen. According to The New York Post, Tomas Kaberle might be on New Jersey's radar.

Per an e-mail sent out to general managers throughout the NHL by Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Brian Burke, Kaberle's current no-trade clause will be lifted for a limited amount of time between the NHL Draft (which starts on June 25) through the end of July. Burke would like a young player capable of stepping into the Leafs lineup right away, as well as a high draft pick in a few weeks.

The former of those requests shouldn't be too big a problem for the Devils, depending on who Lamoriello is willing to part with. David Clarkson or maybe even Travis Zajac, who unbelievably didn't have to be a part of the package sent to Atlanta for Ilya Kovalchuk, would probably be enough to please Burke. The draft pick part might not be as easy. As a result of the Phil Kessel trade last summer, Burke is left without a first round pick at this year's draft and remains very interested in getting back into the top 30. New Jersey dealt its first round pick to the Thrashers in that same Kovalchuk trade, leaving the team without a selection in the first. However, there might be some hope for the Devils in that department. As The Post points out, there was a swap of second rounds pick. And that gives the Devils the 38th overall pick in the draft. If the Devils package Clarkson (since Zajac is probably unlikely), the second round pick from Atlanta (38th overall) and a player from the minors, Lamoriello might just be in business. I doubt the market is going to be that much better for Kaberle.

Before Lamoriello goes and pulls the trigger, he needs to decide whether he's interested in bringing back Paul Martin, who currently stands as the Devils' top offensive option from the blue line. He played just 22 games last season courtesy of a broken left arm, but he still posted 11 points - nine of which came during the final 13 games of the season he played since returning on March 13. At a price of $4.5 million last season and heading into unrestricted free agency on July 1, Martin is going to cost a pretty penny. And it will likely be more than the $3.833 annual cap hit from his current contract.

It will, therefore, be very difficult for the Devils to retain Martin and trade for Kaberle, who is scheduled to make $4.25 million - with a similar cap hit - next season in the final year of his contract. The Devils have some cap flexibility, as right now they have $41.1 million already committed to their 2010-11 payroll between 15 players. That's not including Ilya Kovalchuk, though, who will be an unrestricted free agent on July 1 and is likely to command at least $8 million a season. He alone could kill any cap space they have if Lamoriello is intent on retaining his services. Plus, New Jersey better start worrying about Zach Parise, who is in the final year of his current deal before becoming a restricted free agent next summer. You can bet he'll demand a mighty raise from the $5 million ($3.125 million cap hit) he's set to earn in 2010-11.

So, it could boil down to one or the other if New Jersey wants to avoid eating up too much cap space for other areas. Kaberle is the older of the two at 32, but only by three years. And he is a much better option offensively. Kaberle has the ability to post 50+ points a season, a lot more than the 30 or so Martin will hover around during a healthy campaign. And he will be a major upgrade on the power play, where the Devils haven't had a really reliable quarterback in a number of years.

If money is going to be relatively similar between the two, Kaberle has to be the obvious choice for the Devils. New Jersey could sorely use a player with his skills, which will be necessary if it seriously intends on getting past the hurdle of the opening round of the playoffs to make a serious push for the Cup.