Believe It Or Not

Written by LTL

Believe it or not I have some good news Jackets fans in terms of the Jackets Nationwide Arena lease issue.

First off if you haven't read this article from The Other Paper - do me a favor now and drop what your're doing and check it out here.

Now I"m not much of a "source" or "rumors" type guy BUT every once in a while a little nugget lands in my lap that I want to share.  Today I heard from a very well connected source that not only is there progress in the arena lease issue talks but that, and I quote, "the Jackets will be staying in Columbus for the foreseeable future".

Now what the details are for the solution are sketchy at this point and I'm sure there is a whole lot of work still left to do but progress, it does appear, has occurred.

Now for some of my own thoughts (hey, you knew it was comin).... I never thought I'd say this but if this thing does get worked out I think we can look at Ohio State University and say with a straight face that these were the guys who got this ball rolling.  The stepped up first and threw the Jackets a bone when they agreed to manage both the Schott and Nationwide.

In terms of savings it was just a drop in the bucket (well if you can call a million bucks a drop in the bucket) -- instead, the real value here is the signal it sent to the community and the local politicians.  The message is if the big fish in Ohio State can see the value the Jackets have brought to this town then certainly the other power players can as well and then come together and find a broader solution.

As I said, still a lot of work to be done but there are some positive signs things are moving in the right direction.

Tomas Kaberle anyone?

There are some signs sprouting up over the inter-webs that Scott Howson may be kicking the tires on Maple Leafs puck moving dman.

To that I say, 'bout damn time!!

Porzline of the Dispatch hints about him in this post:

"Toronto's Tomas Kaberle and Edmonton's Sheldon Souray are both known to be on the market. Howson won't make an outrageous deal to acquire either of them, but it wouldn't be a shock if he's made phone calls."

My fellow poster Eplagge pointed out this tweet from an account called hockeyvine:

"Blue Jackets have shown interest in Kaberle recently"

Kaberle is a dynamic puck moving d-man who is signed for one more season at 4.25 million.  He's scored 49, 31 (in 57gp), 53, 58 & 67 points over the past 5 seasons.  He would instantly upgrade the Jackets backend.

There is a window in Kaberle's no trade clause that makes him available from this year's draft to what I believe is August 15th.

I've been beating the Kaberle drum for a while now so it's no surprise that I think he'd be a tremendous add for this team.

The question becomes what does Howson have to give up for what would probably amount to a 1 year rental b/c let's be honest with ourselves Jackets fans -- the chances of Kaberle resigning here would be slim.

Rumor has it that Burke is holding out for a top 6 winger.  The Leafs are also stacked on defense so one would conclude they would not want a d-man back in return.  At least not an NHL ready dman.

So who could the Jackets offer up?

Personally losing 9 out of 10 years I don't think any player is untouchable but let's be realistic in this scenario.

Non-starters - these guys ain't goin anywhere for a 1 year rental:
Nash - I'm not against the thought of moving Nash as most but not a chance in this circumstance.
Voracek - Quite fankly I expect him to be the most talented player on the roster next year *if* he's in shape.
Vermette - As close to a #1 center as we can get on the roster.  Can't rob Peter to pay Paul.

Maybes - may be had in this scenario
Umberger - Heart and soul player but Howson would have to give to get.  Burke likes North Americans.  Umberger is signed for 2 more years before he's a UFA.  Wouldn't it be ironic if Umberger ended up playing for Burke -- you know the guy who wouldn't sign him in Vancouver and the guy who snubbed him from US Olympic roster?  The dollars line up nicely here as RJ will make 4 mil next season.
Brassard - Personally I think it would be a mistake to move him but I won't rule it out.  His salary should be close enough to offset Kaberle's but Howson would be giving up a long term asset for a short term one -- and a center at that?
Filatov - I go back/forth with this player in this particular scenario.  I'd hate to give up a blue chip asset like Filatov for a one year rental but at the same time we desperately need a player like Kaberle and cannot afford another year like the last.  I may be willing to sacrafice some future in Filatov for the sake of now.   I think it's that important that we add this skillset.  I doubt Burke would be very intersted in this player however.

On the block - guys I consider expendible for Kaberle
Huselius - you get what you get in Huselius.  A player that is consistantly inconsistant.  He's signed for two more years and will give you 60 points a season.  This guy is a Euro and I doubt Burke would bite.  He is without question a top 6 wing in this league and Toronto needs scoring.

My dream scenario would be Huselius for Kaberle but I don't think Burke would bite.  What is more likey is Umberger for Kaberle and even that is suspect given the Burke/Umberger past.

I absolutely can't see one of the Jackets rostered dmen going the other way b/c of how stocked the Leafs are at that position..  I could, however, see a Boll or Blunden being included in a package.

I wouldn't look for anything to occur on Kaberle until we get closer to that Aug date when his NTC kicks back in.  Burke will continue to try and drive up the price.

Meanwhile Howson should be checking in with every other NHL team up against the cap to see what is available.  Teams like Vancouver, Boston, Philly, Pittsburgh and Calgary are in that position.

I don't buy for a second that he's "comfortable" with his defensive group.  That is pure posturing on his part which is the right thing to do when trying to make a trade.  However any GM with half a brain can look at the Jackets situation and know they are desperate for an upgrade in that area.  The key is waiting for a team to be desperate enough to dump one.

Check out this link to see some nice pics from the CBJ prospect camp.

Finally a big happy bday shout out to my fellow CBJ fan and friend Gabe!  We will be celebrating later tonight at our favorite watering hole the R Bar.

Fire away - what would you be willing to move for Kaberle?

-LTL