Does Burke Take The Bait?
May 11th, 2009 by Steve
According to Howard Berger, the asking price for Tampa Bay’s 2nd overall pick in the 2009 NHL entry draft currently sits at Tomas Kaberle, Luke Schenn, and the 7th overall pick the Leafs currently possess. This is important because it’s being rumoured that the Islanders are leaning towards drafting Viktor Hedman with the first overall selection. Of course it’s WAY too early for anyone to determine the value of anything at this point, but who knows right?
Let’s get this straight - a 5th overall pick that is obviously a blue chip prospect, a 7th overall pick that likely will be, and one of the top 5 puck moving D men in the entire NHL just for the rights to draft John Tavares?
Ok that’s too steep for my blood. If I’m Brian Burke there’s no way in hell I give up Schenn AND Kaberle in exchange for Tavares. Of course, that’s exactly why I don’t think Burke is likely to pry the 2nd overall pick out of the Lightning.
The problem with drafting Tavares to turn the club around is that the deal will set the Leafs back another year from a rebuild standpoint. It means giving up on your 1st round pick, that you already traded up to draft, from one year ago, on the off chance that the guy you get this year is a bonafide superstar. I just don’t like the maneuver.
In fact, if you think about it, that would work out to the Leafs trading away two 7th overall picks, and a second and third rounder ALONG with Tomas Kaberle, just to get John Tavares. So the Leafs dealt away a chance to draft Colin Wilson, Roman Josi, and Shawn Lalonde (the three players taken at the draft positions they possessed prior to the trade up to get Schenn), and now they’d also be dealing away whoever is taken 7th overall this year, and Luke Schenn, AND Tomas Kaberle.
That’s just too much in my eyes. It goes well beyond the whole 2 players for 1 arguments that we have seen in the past, we’re now talking about 4 or 5 for one. I don’t think Tavares will be worth 4 or 5 players to this organization, and certainly not if three of them are comparable to a top 10 pick in caliber.
Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments.
Posted in Player Analysis, Prospects
19 Responses to “Does Burke Take The Bait?”
By Chemmy on May 11, 2009
You’re right, this would be an idiotic move.
By Pension Plan Puppets
on May 11, 2009
You are right. This is insane.
By Goose Puck
on May 11, 2009
If Burke gets that as the price for the #2 pick, he hangs up the phone.
He’s too clever not to look into financial maneuvering to make it so that the Leafs lose money, not just their players and picks.
No way he trades Schenn. Kaberle and our pick? Sure. If they want anything other than that, I’d be open to discussion. Just not Schenn, unless some of the other parts are taken out of the deal.
By Marco
on May 11, 2009
I would counter with Malone, the 2nd for Kaberle and our 7th.
By David Johnson
on May 11, 2009
I would be willing to do Kaberle and the 7th pick for the 2nd overall pick. I might even consider it if you threw in a secondary prospect or second round or lower draft pick but to trade away another top end prospect seems very steep. But remember, it is still very early and it is possible that Tampa’s asking price will drop a bit as we get close to the draft.
By Dan
on May 11, 2009
Those crazy guys down in Tbay. Too much sun, me thinks. One guy doesn’t win you the cup, Burke knows that.
By Lloyd
on May 11, 2009
Letting go of schenn would be a huge step backwards. I also believe johnny is a lazy onedimensional player from what I have seen. I would pick duschene over him. Throw out whatever draft picks you have to to get duschene and any veteran players but not schenn. Leave dushene on the junior team and hope like hell that you’re bad enough next year to get the grand prize ( Taylor Hall) who’ll be the next messier. He’s the real deal and the one Toronto really needs.
By Guido
on May 12, 2009
Let’s look at this from another angle..
Say it’s next years trade deadline and Schenn progresses as he should and Kaberle plays the same. What do these guys fetch?
Kaberle I’d say is minimum a 1st rd pick + a prospect and maybe another player or pick
Schenn is minimum a 1st rd pick and maybe more
So this trade would be:
Tavaras for Kaberle, #7, Schenn + 2 more 1st rd and 2 prospects.
Come on .. that’s Lindros like and brutal.
I’d trade Schenn or Kaberle for the pick (not #7), but nothing else. If you trade Schenn you have the #7 pick to replace him. If you trade Kaberle you don’t really need to replace him - or look harder at Bowmeister.
By Nav
on May 12, 2009
We should just trade Kabby and whoever else (grabovski etc.) to acquire another top 10 pick in the first round…
2 top 10 picks > JT
By Kim Jorn
on May 12, 2009
Elliot Friedman was on FAN 590 this morning and said that the rumour flying around the NHL is Toronto’s pick and another player for Tampa’s pick, Malone, and another bad contract.
By Blue and White Expat
on May 12, 2009
I’m with Nav on this - trade Kabby and someone (ideally not Grabbo, but we’ll see what’s needed) - for another top-ten pick. Schenn should be absolutely untouchable - unless someone comes in with the type of offer that Tampa is looking for for their number 2 pick for him.
By MJE
on May 12, 2009
I think a trade more along these lines makes a lot more sense:
To Tampa Bay:
- 1st round pick (7th)
- 2nd round pick (around 45th)
- Tomas Kaberle
- Dmitri Vorobiev
To Toronto
- 1st round pick (2nd)
- Ryan Malone (salary dump, $4.5M till 2014/15)
- Mike Smith (salary dump, $3M till 2010/11)
Tampa Bay solidifies their defence (at no cost), saves $3-million and adds considerable flexibility (after 2010) with the Malone contract gone.
Toronto gets a needed goaltender and the 2nd.
By Wendel
on May 12, 2009
That is laughable, but I bet Burke has a sense of humor so he’d enjoy it I think.
By Down Goes Brown
on May 12, 2009
Way too steep.
Can’t blame the Lightning for trying, but I can’t see this one getting off the ground.
By Steve
on May 12, 2009
Dmitri Vorobiev is never going to play hockey at the NHL level. He isn’t even playing in the KHL anymore. He was diagnosed with a heart condition similar to the one that killed Alexei Cherapanov during this past season after the KHL stepped up efforts to diagnose heart ailments in the wake of Cherepanov’s death.
Unfortunately that means he won’t be an asset from a deal perspective, or ever likely to be playing in the NHL… which is sad because he looked quite good the past couple of years.
If I’m the Lightning, I look long and hard at the option of bringing back Kubina. He’s played with the team before, he knows the other guys on the club. He’s comfortable and known in the community. I would also strongly consider the idea of asking the Leafs to throw in a player like Stralman or White. Then I’d ask if the Leafs would take Ryan Malone’s bad contract, and top the deal off with their 7th selection in the draft.
Of course if I’m Brian Burke I tell them to keep dreaming and counter offer with the 7th pick, and one of Kubina or Kaberle, in exchange for the 2nd pick and Malone’s bad contract.
Whoever blinks first loses!
By MathIsEasy
on May 12, 2009
From Guido:
“Kaberle I’d say is minimum a 1st rd pick + a prospect and maybe another player or pick
Schenn is minimum a 1st rd pick and maybe more
So this trade would be:
Tavaras for Kaberle, #7, Schenn + 2 more 1st rd and 2 prospects.”
Someone failed math class.
LOL
How can you include what Kaberle and Schenn are worth alongside Kaberle and Schenn. Cloning?
By Scott
on May 17, 2009
Imagine - all we had to do was lose that last darn game to Ottawa and we have the 5th pick. I knew all those Leaf fans that had the instant gratification of beating Ottawa would regret that victory come draft day. That win cost us. With the 5th pick we’d have to give away less which is what I was saying at the time.
Tampa needs defense and has a team already in place that could win a cup. Which is why Kaberle fits their puzzle perfectly being the right age and defense.
With our 7th pick they can grab another D man. Tampa doesn’t need Tavares. They already have enough explosive forwards. They do need Hedman unless the Isles grab him.
I prefer JT but have to wonder if Hedman is the better pick. How many Dmen like this guy come along and how often?
To Tampa:
Kaberle
Toronto’s 1st Rounder (7th)
Kubina
To Toronto:
Tampas’s First Pick (2nd)
Ryan Malone
That trade I think works well for both clubs and addresses their needs.
By Steve
on May 17, 2009
Scott if you honestly think there’s a huge distinction between the 5th and 7th overall picks then you should look at last season.
Remember? When the Leafs HAD the 7th overall pick and traded up for the 5th? A 2nd and 3rd rounder?
And that was in a year when there were 5 top D men available at the draft. This year’s draft doesn’t seem to have that many clear cut top players available that people are clamoring for.
Also a couple of years ago following the Toskala deal where the Sharks traded for the Leafs 13th overall pick, they dealt it and a 2nd and 3rd rounder to St. Louis to move up to 9th overall.
Kaberle AND Kubina is insane to give up just to get Malone and move up 5 spots. Sorry that just makes no sense.
It also doesn’t really help Tampa since they want to LOWER their Salary Cap number and that deal would increase their cap hit… not reduce it.
By Scott
on May 17, 2009
I agree Steve. I see little difference between 7th to 3rd.
But a huge difference from 3rd to 2nd.
Still, it would have been far better to have gotten the 5th pick considering what it would have cost us. 1 loss to the Sens that meant nothing anyway.