Some more thoughts…

This is purely my own speculation, but even though Tomas Kaberle has insisted that he will not waive his no-trade clause, with Dan Boyle out of the picture, teams like the Rangers and the San Jose Sharks, who are desperate for a high-quality offensive defenseman, may continue to try and push the issue. If the offer is good enough, perhaps Toronto’s interim general manager Cliff Fletcher can persuade Kaberle to move.

Kaberle would be far and away the best option for the Rangers, or any team looking for an offensive blueliner, for that matter. Only 29-years-old and signed for three years after this one at $4.25 million per, Kaberle has a very cap-friendly contract. Considering he’s also better defensively then Boyle, Brian Campbell, or Bryan McCabe, he’d certainly also cost a bit more.

It’s a price worth paying, in my opinion. An offer of the Rangers 1st round pick in a deep draft, Nigel Dawes or Petr Prucha, Marek Malik and a solid prospect is a fair and sensible offer from the Rangers. Depending on how the Leafs view Dawes or Prucha, they may expect more for Kaberle.

Aside from Kaberle and McCabe, the Leafs also have Pavel Kubina. Kubina also has a no-trade clause, but may be the easiest of the three to move. He’s not a bad player, but at $5 million per year for two more years, the Rangers should not be considering him, although he would be an improvement over the likes of Malik or Mara.

Also, thanks to the posters at Rangerland.net, who pointed out that Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch has reminded us that one name that has been connected to the Blueshirts all year long is winger David Vyborny. The 33-year-old Czech has flown under the radar his entire career, but is having a mediocre season. With just three goals in 54 games this year, he wouldn’t cost much. The question is, how much would he add?