Mark the date, end the speculation and rearrange your prospect rankings--as per TSN's Darren Dreger, Leafs defensemen Tomas Kaberle is finally (yet unofficially) a member of the Boston Bruins.

Undoubtedly feeling like an eternity's worth of rumors that have swirled around the 32-year-old joining the Black and Gold for the past two years, dating back to draft day 2009 when a miscommunication regarding draft picks between the B's and Leafs ultimately nixed a would-be Phil Kessel for Kaberle swap, the Bruins were finally able to pull the trigger on the trade to get their 'puck-moving defensemen'. Allowed to do so given the cap space to work because of the Marc Savard season-ending concussion that freed up Savard's cap-hit on the long-term injured reserve, the B's were able to acquire their projected power-play quarterback without moving anyone off their current NHL roster.

Agreeing to a deal that sends Joe Colborne to Toronto along with Boston's first round pick in the upcoming 2011 draft, Colborne's departure ultimately becomes an example of Boston having to move something good to get something good.

Colborne, a talented 6'5" center (who's also spent some time on the wing), is currently in his first full season of AHL play. Tallying 12 goals and 14 assists for the P-Bruins in 55 games this season with a minus-16 rating, Colborne's current struggles depict a kid going through the growing pains of pro hockey. However, there's no denying that his natural talents as a capable offensive guy after tallying 72 points in 79 career games for the University of Denver Pioneers.

While certainly not a top-six forward in the now, Colborne's been dubbed as reminiscent of guys like Joe Thornton, but also has shades of Bruins winger Blake Wheeler in his game.

These feelings were echoed by New England Hockey Journal's Kirk Luedeke, who has a beat on the Bruins prospects like no other around the club. From his Bruins prospect round-up last month:

It’s been an up-and-down season for the rookie pro who has impressive size and skills, but struggles to maintain consistency and intensity levels despite some highlight plays on offense. Colborne is a hard worker off the ice, but that attitude does not always show in games, where he can look like he’s floating and uninvolved in the physical game.

Along with Colborne, the B's will send their first round selection in this year's upcoming draft to Toronto, which could be anywhere from the 16th overall pick to the 30th depending on the clubs playoff success. The deal is also rumored to include a conditional pick, while I'm not sure of the conditions it'd file under, one has to assume it regards whether or not Kaberle re-signs with the club in the off-season.

But with the speculation of 'will he, won't be be' out the window, the pressure is on for the Bruins to succeed with what was widely considered the missing ingredient to them becoming a major factor in the playoffs.

And don't sell Kaberle's play short. No, he's not an overly physical defensmen, and he doesn't exactly come off as a shut-down guy, but he's not coming to the club to be that guy. Posting a 3-35-38 line in 58 games this year, which would put him fifth on the Bruins in overall scoring, Kaberle arrives to Boston with 22 assists on the power-play alone--two more than total assists from B's captain Zdeno Chara.

However, despite his limited playoff success and appearances, registering just 28 points in 77 career postseason contests, playing in zero since 2003-04, there's a realization that comes with the acquisition of Kaberle.

This is it for the Bruins in terms of finding an experienced offensive defensemen that works. The crown jewel. There aren't any other gap-stop's on their way into Boston in the form of Steve Montador, Derek Morris, or Dennis Wideman like experimented in the past: Kaberle, their main target since Chiarelli's tenure in the Hub began, is a Bruin. No more excuses.

With Kaberle officially into the fold, Boston's next move will center around clearing cap-space, likely to be in the form of a trade of Mark Stuart, Blake Wheeler, or both.

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