Plane in Vain
LONDON
The Maple Leafs have signed free agent defenceman Mike Komisarek away from their ancient rivals, the Montreal Canadiens.
Komisarek decided late Tuesday that he wouldn't accept the final offer from the Habs and instead would test the unrestricted free agent waters.
After speculation suggested he was leaning towards the New York Islanders, the American-born blueliner instead inked a five-year deal with the Leafs at $4.5 million per season
The signing cleared the way for the completion of a trade, first reported by The Star, that sends Pavel Kubina and the rights to Tim Stapleton to the Atlanta Thrashers, for hard-hitting defenceman Garnet Exelby and youngster Colin Stuart.
The Leafs have also made an offer to winger Chris Neil. Another target, Mike Cammalleri, has signed with Montreal.
Komisarek was voted to the stating lineup for the Eastern Conference in this year's all-star game, but suffered through an inconsistent season after injuring his shoulder in an early season fight with Boston's Milan Lucic.
He's also expected to be part of the U.S. Olympic squad next winter in January, a team organized by Leaf GM Brian Burke and coached by Leaf bench boss Ron Wilson.
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Brian Burke got over the disappointment of losing the Sedins without even being able to make a bid in a hurry.
The Maple Leafs GM has signed enforcer Colton Orr to a four-year, $4 million contact and has traded defenceman Pavel Kubina to Atlanta, a deal that should free up about $3 million in cap space, The Star has learned. (Update: A trade call is scheduled on the trade, and details over what the Leafs are getting in return have yet to become clear as of 4:45 EST. The deal is still expected to happen, but after the Phil Kessel-for-Tomas Kaberle swap didn't end up materializing on the weekend, no trade is a trade until it actually occurs.)
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| REUTERS FILE PHOTO |
| Burke couldn't pull off a twin bill like he did at the 1999 draft. |
The Leafs also are negotiating a possible deal with Ottawa free agent winger Chris Neil - more muscle - and are planning a meeting with Toronto-born winger Mike Cammalleri, a 39-goal scorer with Calgary last season.
And to think it's all happening from Sweden.
Burke, you see, flew overnight from Boston to Frankfurt and then on to Stockholm today with bold, ambitious plans to make a face-to-face offer to Henrik and Daniel Sedin today in Sweden but was thwarted in the final minutes before the free agent season opened when the identical Swedish twins signed new five-year deals averaging $6.1 million per season just before noon EST with the Vancouver Canucks.
When Burke's flight hit the tarmac in Stockholm, he got that bad news, and found that defenceman Mattias Ohlund, another potential free agent target, had signed with Tampa Bay.
Armed with lots of MLSE money and acres of precious salary cap space, Burke targeted the 28-year-old identical twins – Henrik is six minutes older than Daniel – as his No. 1 free agency priority. All signs suggested the Sedins would try free agency, but a last ditch offer by Vancouver GM Mike Gillis on Monday apparently was enough to meet their demands.
The Leafs probably would have been willing to go higher on salary, perhaps as high as $7 million per twin, but the talented brothers clearly wanted to stay on the west coast and opted not to entertain other offers. Burke would not have been able to make any overtures to the twins before noon EST.
With defenceman Jay Bouwmeester (six years, $33 million from Calgary) and the Sedins now off the market, the NHL free agent market has been robbed of its star power before it even opened.
It's the second time the Leafs have missed out on Ohlund. They tried to sign him to a restricted free agent offer sheet in 1997, but the Canucks matched the offer. Tampa GM Brian Lawton is clearly looking at Ohlund as a potential mentor for newly drafted Swedish blueliner Victor Hedman, acquired with the second pick in Friday’s NHL draft.
The Leaf GM, meanwhile, could now use the trip to take another shot at convincing Swedish free agent goalie Jonas Gustavsson, who is at home in Sweden right now, to join the Leafs.
“That is going to be an exercise in persistence,” said Burke, who has made two trips to Europe in the past three months to try and convince Gustavsson to pick the Leafs over the Stars, Avalanche and Sharks.
Leaf management had thought that if the Sedins could be signed along with some less expensive depth for the rest of the roster, the Stanley Cup playoffs would be achievable next season.
Burke had clearly hoped his previous relationship with the Sedins – he performed draft day gymnastics to land them for the Canucks in 1999 – would make a difference when it came to luring them as free agents, but he never got the chance to bid on them.
It’s the second round of frustration for Burke in less than a week. He tried mightily to land John Tavares in the NHL draft last weekend but couldn’t convince any of the top teams to part with their picks. He also thought he had a trade in place with Boston that would have brought winger Phil Kessel to the Leafs for Tomas Kaberle in a package deal, but that fell apart.
Burke's biggest successes so far during his seven months as Leaf GM have been the signing of two U.S. college free agents, Christian Hanson and Tyler Bozak.
Latest news out of the Leafs war room.........ZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzz!!!
Posted by: Bold Bravado | July 01, 2009 at 01:11 PM
Soo glad the Sedins re-signed with Vancouver. If the Leafs had of picked them up, I could never have watched another Leaf game.
Posted by: Wendel17fan | July 01, 2009 at 01:18 PM
As the world's reigning No. 1 Leaf hater:
Boo frickety hoo.
Posted by: steve@thespec | July 01, 2009 at 01:25 PM
It'll be hard to sign anyone. The Leafs may have deep pockets but playing at the center of the universe has long lost its luster. The Leafs will land someone like Colton Orr just so that they don't walk away empty-handed. He'll be this year's Ryan Hollwegg. He's essentially Wade Belak with a brain. There just aren't any Dominic Moores out there and any trade will cost them dearly (i.e. Tomas Kaberle). Get ready for a long, long, season.
Posted by: Baltic Thunder | July 01, 2009 at 01:27 PM
Leafs lose! Leafs lose! That should be their new slogan. Burke tries, but he's finally realizing rebuilding the Leafs won't be as easy as he thought. Right now he's been given a free ride. But in year three or four of his five year contract there better be a turn around. Or he's history. Then we'll have a brand new five year plan! Can't you just wait?
Posted by: Billy Biroux | July 01, 2009 at 01:31 PM
That was close. Moving the Sedin's to Toronto....In my opinion would have been a MAJOR step in the wrong direction. None or the tenacity or toughness that Burke seems to covet and have a record of not showing up during the playoffs
Posted by: Rob | July 01, 2009 at 01:34 PM
The Leafs are running out of options. Looks like a lot of players would rather be elsewhere and who can blame them. The city is bland and depressing enough without a garbage strike.
Oh wait, it looks like tough guy Colton Orr got signed. That should shut up quite a few Leaf fans for the time being.
It really doesn't matter what kind of team Burke puts together. The fans will pay for a crappy product and take whatever their given regardless.
Posted by: Atchinator | July 01, 2009 at 01:37 PM
no way the Sedins didn't talk to Sundin about the Laffs...no way Sundin didn't tell them to stay put. That bridge is broken...typical MLSE lack of class.
Posted by: CS | July 01, 2009 at 02:16 PM
Nobody else is reporting the Kubina trade. Now really impress me and tell me what the Leafs got in return.....
Posted by: nugentmania | July 01, 2009 at 02:20 PM
No more Leafs games for me. Has anyone in the Leafs camp actually seen Colton Orr play hockey???? The first time I saw him in a Bruins jersey in an exhibition game in Hamilton, I thought it was a joke with someone wearing an Orr jersey. HE CAN NOT SKATE. He is a waste of space on the ice. Surely there are hundreds of Junior players who would be far better for the team. Well, as I said, my shaken faith in the Leaf organization has now officially ended. I feel sorry for the guys wearing the blue and white in 2009/10.
Posted by: Wendy | July 01, 2009 at 02:29 PM
Please no Chris Neil; the dude seriously lowers the average IQ of any room he walks into. Plus, when the going gets REALLY tough, he vanishes; think Cup Final vs. the Ducks.
The only hint so far re. what we can expect coming back from Atlanta is that dealing Kubina has opened up 3 million in cap space. Hopefully Leafs got some good picks or something.
Posted by: philosoraptor | July 01, 2009 at 02:33 PM
Kubina for what?!?!?!?!
A bucket of Pucks and a roll of stick tape?
Posted by: Ryan | July 01, 2009 at 02:37 PM
...i guess having all that territory to protect (and all those captive fans and corporations)so Hamilton doesnt get an NHL franchise.. enables Burke to have deep pockets from which to spend.. too bad it doesnt translate into a place that players want to call home..No Leafs No!
Posted by: CHUCKKO | July 01, 2009 at 02:37 PM
Typical posts by typical ignorant Toronto fans.
None of them seem to want 2 of the top 15 players in the league on their team for a mere 6 mil/year.
The Sedins have been the reason the Canucks ahev made it to the playoffs in the last bunch of years.
But noooooooo, Toronto fans are looking so far ahead and they figure that just making the playoffs isn't good enough for them.
However, failing to make the playoffs has been the standard in TO for years. By not signing talent like the Sedins, they're going to do it again.
See you at the bottom of the East again losers.
Posted by: Atchinator | July 01, 2009 at 02:46 PM
I'm not happy that Brian Burke is acting on bias more than anything else...... Sedins, Ohlund, etc. Just because you have a history with these players does not mean theyre better than they are! The secret to building a team is not finding players you know! I wouldn't doubt Bertuzzi's around the corner or Pahlsson or some other Burke-o-phile. That would make my lunch taste gross. The players are ok, it's what they signify that bothers me. We'll see.
For example, if Burke hadn't drafted the Sedins, methinks he wouldn't have even a passing interest in them today. That shouldn't be true but it appears that it is. This is a hockey team, not a fraternity.
Posted by: Eric | July 01, 2009 at 02:48 PM
Just a note to Baltic Thunder who said "there are no Dominic Moore's out there." Not only are there some Moore type players out there (Malhotra, Moen, Marchant, Pahlsson) but Moore himself is a free agent.
Posted by: Scott | July 01, 2009 at 02:51 PM
re. Kubina trade: scoop or poop?
Posted by: philosoraptor | July 01, 2009 at 03:13 PM
The real Burke is showing through in trading Kabina and adding muscle. It very much looks as if the Leafs will have to use the draft if they want to upgrade their offense and defense. Other than that it very much looks like Toronto fans will only have fighting and belligerent hockey to watch for the foreseeable future.
Posted by: David B | July 01, 2009 at 03:14 PM
Ha ha ha typical Leafs hater who have nothing to say about their team so they spend all their time looking for any Leafs news and THEN act as if they dont care. Hey guys your act is getting a bit thin now. Shoo away and if you dont to hear about LEafs THEN DONT READ LEAFS NEWS. OR maybe your listless teams are so un-exiciting that you are forced to go to the Leafs threads. Ah and yes, you think Colton Orr is a joke, lets see your team face him now...HAHAHAHAHAHA!!! GO LEAFS GO!!
Posted by: Grandizar | July 01, 2009 at 03:15 PM
Good job getting rid of Kubina; nice signing of Colton Orr should provide some much needed toughness. Let's hope Burke doesn't do anything else today. No team wins the Stanley Cup by free agent signings on July 1st...Too funny reading the usual anti - Leaf morons commenting on Burke, though.
Posted by: Conn Smythe | July 01, 2009 at 03:23 PM
You're pretty confident about this Kubina trade yet nobody is reporting it. Youre just gonna stick with it eh, not worried this will make you look like one of the worst reporters in all of Toronto....oh wait...
Posted by: Richard | July 01, 2009 at 03:24 PM
Adding Colton Orr is just what the Leafs sorrily needed for the 2009-2010 campaign: a muscle goof who averaged minus 14 in his last two seasons with the Strangers. I'm so excited I almost wet myself.Happy Canada Day!
Posted by: Baltic Thunder | July 01, 2009 at 03:30 PM
I heard that Burke offered Kubina and the 7th pick in the 1st round for........
Oh I meant the 1st pick in the 7th round
From one senile old man Cliff Fletecher to an angry senile old man Brian Burke. He'll be signing George Parros next so we can look forward to porno mustache night the center.
Posted by: sk88ts | July 01, 2009 at 03:39 PM
wait until next year...Rick Nash!!!
Posted by: Michael Przybylowski | July 01, 2009 at 03:47 PM
Leafs have lost their lustre. Obviously the braintrust at MLSE has made a bigger mess of things with their historically arrogant attitude towards the rest of the hockey world. They are finally realizing and paying for the fact that there are 29 other teams that the players would rather play for minus the BS. Burke gets Orr. You gotta be kidding. He can't seem to land anyone. Tells you something doesnt it. They should have been keeping an eye on things other than the no brainer ticket sales issues.
Posted by: Earl Nelville | July 01, 2009 at 03:49 PM