I think I would prefer that the Leafs move Komisarek over Kaberle too; I don’t think there’s a great chance of that happening, given Komisarek’s injury problems (which would reduce his marketability) and the fact that Burke brought him into the fold in the first place. The argument for moving Komi is that he’s one of (now) several guys providing physical defensive defence, whereas Kaberle brings a passing and puck carrying dimension to the offence that would be sorely missed. It may be easy to overstate the expendability of Komisarek, thoug; I have read some stuff that suggests that the team has played much better with him on the ice than without.

The other aspect to the Kaberle decision is that Burke has to make the determination of when this team will compete. Kaberle’s deal expires at the end of next season and he’ll be 33 years old then – and likely due some sort of a raise. I see the end of that season, and the beginning of the 2011-2012 season as the earliest point at which we’re going to take a serious run at success (because of cap flexibility and the development curve of guys like Kadri). It’s a fair question to ask how much you bet on Kaberle being able to maintain his current level of performance at that point and going forward, and to further ask how much of the salary bundle you’re prepared to wager on it. It may be the safer play to target the development of someone like Carl Gunnarson as a replacement for Kaberle. I’m not suggesting (at least not yet) that Gunnarson is as good as Kaberle; he does possess, however, the same types of tools in his game. If that plan (or something like it) is viable, the immediate return of a first round pick that might also be able to contribute to the club in that time frame is sorely tempting. In my view, it would be more fitting with the overall plan of assembling valuable assets in a simultaneously maturing competitive core.

All of that being said, I won’t be upset if the Leafs keep Kaberle. I think he is an under-rated player on the whole.