Rigamarole - A Foot In The Crease - Episode 5.41

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Well for the time being, Tomas Kaberle, often rumored to be on the move for the past two years now, has dodged another bullet and will remain, for now at least, with the Toronto Maple Leafs, the team he so emphatically made clear that he does not want to leave. The problem now for Kaberle is that he will have to make it to August 15th without the luxury of a safety net in the form of his no-trade clause that lifted as the NHL Entry Draft got underway on Friday night.

The Leafs saw significant interest from as many as five teams but none of the offers seemed to tickle Brian Burke’s fancy. As the Leaf general manager said, by Saturday, the team had stopped entertaining offers and was focused solely on day two of the draft.

The fact that Kaberle still remains a Leaf can be looked at as a positive though. For one, Burke has said all along there is no urgency to move the longest serving Leaf. Whether you agree with Burke or not, the lack of a trade this past weekend illustrated as much and serves as another example of Burke being true to his word. It’s refreshing for the general manager of a Toronto sports team to tell the truth. J.P Ricciardi could have taken a page from that book.

Secondly, by Burke exercising patience and not making a kneejerk trade, it shows that if Kaberle is indeed going to be moved, it will be in a deal that yields the maximum return. For far too long, the Leafs have been undercut on the return when dealing their assets. When was the last time the Leafs made a deal where you could say, “wow, did they ever get a steal on that trade?” If you can remember, let us know.

Kaberle may still yet be moved, but if it happens it likely won’t be until after July 1st when the free agency chips have fallen into place and teams that require a defenseman of Kaberle’s ability become clear. But hey, all that was just rigamarole.

Rigamarole - A Foot In The Crease - Episode 5.40

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While it may still wear on throughout the summer for the players, by now, just over a week since their Stanley Cup triumph, the feeling of euphoria must certainly be starting to wear off for Chicago Blackhawks GM Stan Bowman.

Simply by looking at the numbers, you can see Bowman has his work cut out for him with a $57.66 million cap hit covering just fourteen players for 2010/2011. More disconcerting for Blackhawk fans is the fact that key contributors in Nik Hjalmarsson and Antti Niemi – both due for big raises - are not among those fourteen players.

Next year’s cap is expected to be set in the neighbourhood of $58.5 million which will necessitate the removal of at least one but more likely two or three contracts from last year’s roster. With that in mind, let the vultures converge.

Remember the problems that the Tampa Bay Lightning went through after winning the Stanley Cup in 2004 when the big three of Vincent Lecavalier, Marty St. Louis and Brad Richards were locked up at big dollars over long terms. Though they were solid up front, there was no money left to spend on adequate defense or goaltending. It’s been a problem they’ve been trying to solve since the league resumed after the lockout.

Chicago has a similar financial situation with Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane and Marian Hossa not to mention the big contracts of defensemen Duncan Keith and Brian Campbell and goaltender Cristobal Huet. You have to think Bowman would like to unload Campbell and Huet – both of whom were far from integral to their playoff success. Easier said than done though with Campbell who has six years and $42.84 million remaining on his deal.

Likely two of Dustin Byfuglien, Kris Versteeg and Patrick Sharp will be on their way out and don’t expect the Hawks will get much in return. Remember, this is about unloading salary so there won’t be anybody of equal stature coming back. The Hawks hands are tied and the league knows it. Brian Burke, I believe that was your cue. But hey, all that was just rigamarole.

Rigamarole - A Foot In The Crease - Episode 5.39

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There’s something about winning the Stanley Cup. It has a dramatic effect on people, one that seems to impact people in different ways. For some, just like the commercial, it leaves them speechless, unable to reach even for a cliché as many players dole out like candy on Halloween night countless times during a season.

For others, it brings tears – and really, that’s okay as usually robotic interview subjects transform into real emotional people for a brief period of time after they’ve realized the magnitude of what they’ve just accomplished. But for some, winning the Stanley Cup seems to provide a license to say the stupidest things that could possibly come to mind.

Case in point, shortly after winning the Cup, the Blackhawks’ Adam Burish – a fourth line grinder at best who was a healthy scratch throughout most of the playoff run – launched into a tirade where he said and I quote, “I think Chris Pronger's the biggest idiot in the league. I can't stand the guy one bit. I hope I never have to see him again, and if I see him out there I might punch him.”

Well let me ask this, how many times did Burish see him during the Finals not counting the times he saw Pronger while wearing a suit sitting in the press box? Over the three games Burish did play during the Finals, he logged a grand total of 15:34 in ice time. Pronger plays that much in about a period and a half.

To Pronger’s credit, he didn’t miss the chance to respond two days later as the Flyers were cleaning out their lockers. When told of Burish’s comments and that he might punch him if he has the chance, Pronger, as he did all playoffs long, provided one more golden sound bite by saying, “Oh really? Where’s that, in the minors?”

If there’s a lesson to be learned here, it has to be don’t chirp Chris Pronger, especially if you struggle to stay in the league to begin with. But hey, all that was just rigamarole.

Rigamarole - A Foot In The Crease - Episode 5.38

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There’s a saying that goes, “In order to have success, your best players have to be your best players.” Well there’s something about the Stanley Cup Playoffs that often finds a way to disprove that theory. So often – certainly far more than in any other sport – it’s the lesser lights, the muckers, the grinders, the guys who show up with their lunch pail ready to work that become the heroes at the biggest times.

Just think Max Talbot, not Sidney Crosby, was the slayer of the mighty Detroit Red Wings in game seven of the 2009 Stanley Cup Finals. Often it’s not for long, a single step up into the pantheon of the immortal but you only need to do it once. Rarely do these types of players ever reach such heights again in their careers but that’s alright, they’ve secured their places in history.

So far in this year’s Finals, the Chicago Blackhawks have managed their success on the backs of those types of players. The Dave Bollands, the Troy Brouwers, the Ben Eagers have all had their moments in the spotlight, all helping to propel the Blackhawks to an early two games to none lead. But that’s the thing with players from the supporting cast; they excel in the moment, in brief instances in time when the stars align allowing them to be heroes. In order for those moments to occur though, that is where teams need to rely on their best players and so far for the Blackhawks, they have been absent.

Dynamite through the first three rounds, Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews have gone cold. In fact worse than that, not only have they produced just a meager four points between the two of them, they have consistently been victimized by the Flyers’ offense, putting up a minus six and minus three rating respectively.

Back in Chicago for game five, it’s the Flyers with all the momentum. If the Blackhawks are going to get back to holding control of the series, it will have to be on the backs of Kane and Toews. But hey, all that was just rigamarole.