TORONTO (Sep. 20) – Now that Phil Kessel is armed with a five-year contract that makes him the highest-paid player on the Maple Leafs, the challenge for Brian Burke and Ron Wilson is to maximize their investment by equipping the 21-year-old with a resourceful, imaginative set-up man; a line-mate with whom Kessel can develop the sort of on-ice compatibility he enjoyed in Boston with Marc Savard. While panning the current Leafs’ roster, most would agree there is no obvious candidate to fill that role.
Matt Stajan proved adequate as a play-making centre last season, leading the Leafs in assists with 40 [Savard had 63 with the Bruins]. But, that number likely represents the high end for Stajan, whose durability is more impressive than his offensive skill. Mikhail Grabovski showed he can be a dynamic talent, but he doesn’t have the patience and calmness required to abet a speedy winger. John Mitchell’s numbers improved with added responsibility toward the end of the season, but no person will credibly speak of Mitchell and Savard in the same sentence. Tyler Bozak is reputed by many scouts to possess the ice vision and composure that may ultimately mesh with a scoring line-mate, but he is a complete unknown at the NHL level.
So, where does the hockey club turn to avail itself of Kessel’s burning speed and ability to find open areas on the ice? The answer, though unconventional, may be found in the traffic jam on the blue line, where the Leafs’ indisputably best playmaker wears No. 15.
That’s right, Tomas Kaberle.
After more than a decade as the smartest puck-moving defenseman on the Leafs, Kaberle might be the perfect compliment at centre-ice for a potent, energetic winger with a deft scoring touch. Though converting the Czech-born veteran from defense to forward at this stage of his career may initially seem absurd, any Leafs fan remotely aware of the club’s history knows there’s a marvelous precedent for such a move. It occurred almost 50 years ago, and it seemed every bit as unusual at the time. But, it went a long way toward helping the Leafs win four Stanley Cup titles in the 1960s.
In the decade of the ‘50s, it was universally understood that the two best defensemen in the NHL were Doug Harvey of Montreal and Leonard (Red) Kelly of Detroit. This became evident in the annual award presentations. In 1953-54, Kelly was the first recipient of the James Norris Memorial Trophy as the league’s top defenseman. Harvey then took almost sole possession of the award, winning it in seven of the next eight seasons; his streak interrupted only by Canadiens’ teammate Tom Johnson in 1958-59. But, Harvey and Kelly were named to the NHL’s first All-Star team five times during the decade; Kelly getting the nod six times, overall, to go with a pair of berths on the second All-Star team. He was the blue-line engineer that helped Terry Sawchuk, Gordie Howe and the Red Wings win four Stanley Cups in the ‘50s, second only to Montreal’s five.
Detroit began to sag in the latter part of the decade, finishing dead-last in the six-team NHL in 1958-59. In February, 1960, at the age of 33, Kelly was traded to New York, but he refused to report to the Rangers. Red Wings’ GM Jack Adams suspended Kelly, then contacted Maple Leafs counterpart George (Punch) Imlach about possibly acquiring the former All-Star. Imlach managed to snag Kelly for the unheralded Marc Reaume, Toronto’s fifth defenseman behind the top pairings of Tim Horton and Allan Stanley; Bob Baun and Carl Brewer.
That foursome would become the defensive anchor of the Leafs’ Stanley Cup three-peat, which began in 1962. In a stroke of genius, Imlach – recognizing Kelly’s exceptional play-making skill – converted him to centre-ice and placed him alongside the Leafs’ most dynamic scoring winger, Frank Mahovlich. It was a strange, controversial decision by Imlach to remove the perennial Norris Trophy candidate from his natural position so late in his career. But, Kelly proved a revelation at centre, and Mahovlich responded to his slick passing with consecutive seasons of 48, 36 and 33 goals.
The NHL has obviously changed in many ways since the decade of the ‘60s, when teams before and after expansion relied on two defense pairings. Three such pairings are the norm today, with clubs occasionally dressing a seventh rearguard. Heading into the 2009-10 season, the Leafs clearly have an abundance of NHL-worthy defensemen. Though Kaberle – unlike Kelly – has neither been a playoff trailblazer nor a candidate for individual league honors, he is generally regarded as the foremost passer among Leaf blue-liners since Borje Salming in the 1970s.
About to turn 32, could Kaberle’s skill be put to better use as a pivot for the newly-acquired Kessel?
While the Leafs are devoid of anyone on the back end with quite his patience and set-up ability, they do have reasonable facsimiles in Mike Van Ryn and Ian White, both of whom, if healthy, are capable of teeing up Francois Beauchemin for slap-shot bombs on the power play. After Burke’s make-over this summer – and even without Kaberle – the club appears to possess as much depth and versatility on defense as any foe in the Eastern Conference. Michael Komisarek, Luke Schenn, Jeff Finger and Garnet Exelby can handle the physical load, while Kaberle, Beauchemin, Van Ryn and White balance the unit with puck-handling and offence.
Would it cripple the Leafs to remove Kaberle from that mix and install his play-making acumen alongside Kessel?
I, for one, think not. Kaberle is a left-handed shot and would naturally be able to feed the right-handed Kessel speeding up the boards, or the middle of the ice. And though we haven’t seen Kaberle work down low in the attacking zone, his anticipation and ice vision – much like Kelly’s half-a-century ago – might provide the club a missing element. If face-offs are a concern, Kessel, a natural centre, could move to the middle for draws at key moments of the game.
Burke has been one to think outside the box in his short tenure as Leafs’ GM. Given that he decided to retain Kaberle this summer – and that Kaberle has full contractual authority over his whereabouts through all of the coming season – perhaps a bold experiment might help facilitate Kessel, and further justify the outlay of three prime draft selections.
There’s not much to lose here. In a worst-case scenario, the Leafs could merely abandon the idea and return Kaberle to his customary spot. Trying him alongside Kessel, however, may furnish immediate results while precluding Burke from having to make a subsequent move up front. It is definitely worth considering.
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