Monday Morning Musings With Me The Big E: Up Next For The Leafs & More!

With the Tomas Kaberle saga finally over one can't help but breathe a sigh of relief. It became official last night at 12:01 am with the word coming down that Toronto Maple Leafs president and general manager Brian Burke was not able to make a satisfactory deal for embattled veteran defense man Tomas Kaberle.

While it may be a relief to Kaberle that he will remain a Leaf, I'll wager that the bigger relief is that the wait is over.

Burke issued this brief statement immediately following the deadline.

"While a number of Clubs made offers to trade for Tomas, none of them reflected Tomas's value to our team. I understand a period like this is stressful to the player, and we are pleased that there is a resolution, and we can all continue to prepare for the coming season."

I have to tell you, I'm just glad the circus has left town!

One wonders what is around the corner. Are there still a free agent or two in Burke's sight's. Bobby Ryan is still on the market though Burke has not publicly stated any interest in pursuing him.

Ryan is a group 2 RFA and as such would cost any team compensation in the form of draft picks based on their offer.

The Dallas Stars' James Neal is still listed as a RFA as well,  along with Andrew Cogliano, Jordan Henry, and a few other notables.

While the likely hood of any of these player wearing a Toronto Maple Leaf jersey for the upcoming season is slim, there is always the chance.

Burke is still in the hunt for another top six forward, one that is more likely to be a left winger than a center so what are his options?

Raffi Torres is a name that has been tossed around a lot and in fact may be signed sometime today judging by the amount of air time his name has gotten in the last week.

Torres would make a more than adequate 3rd line winger with the ability to jump to the 2nd to cover for an injury if need be.

There aren't many players left out there at the left wing position but a couple of options may include former Toronto Maple Leaf Fredrik Modin,  and former Pittsburgh Penguin Ruslan Fedotenko.

Modin at 35 years old and Fedotenko at 31 could still contribute and either could be had for between 850 and 1.2, good value for potentially 15-20 goals, a little more veteran presence and both have Stanley Cup rings.

There is also another that Burke may be waiting on. He now has the luxury of having D'Amigo who is also a left winger. Realistically, Burke could actually wait until the ninth game of the season to see if he will crack the roster and then if he won't make a deal for a free agent then.

The Maple Leafs still have to cut a couple of players from their roster in any case. They are at 50 active players and can only carry 50 so if they want to add one or two more forwards......well you do the math.

There are stories coming out about how the Kaberle decision was 'disaterous' for the Maple Leafs already and I just can't see it. Burke had a plan either way.

Now, we just have to wait and see what it is.

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