| Kaberle needs demotion By Ken Campbell Toronto Star Sports Reporter February 22, 1999 |
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Remember Tomas Kaberle? Sure you do. He was the kid with the rosy cheeks who knocked everyone's socks off in training camp with his poise and confidence, earning almost 30 minutes playing time a game early in the season. Perhaps it was the Sports Illustrated jinx (the magazine recently referred to Kaberle as a top candidate for top rookie), or maybe it's just fatigue, but Kaberle has been a healthy scratch the last eight games and 10 of the last 14. The real reason Kaberle is not playing any more is Bryan Berard, who does everything Kaberle can do only better. As a result, Kaberle could be assigned to the St. John's Maple Leafs of the American league, which is exactly where the 20-year-old should be. If the Leafs do him there, it would likely be on a two-week conditioning stint, but they should simply send him to The Rock for the rest of the season. If injuries hit the blue line he'd be the first one called up, but in St. John's he could play 30 minutes a game, run the power play and get what he needs most at this point in his career - games and ice time. It's not that Kaberle has been a bust, not even close. He's a good kid with a great attitude and demeanour and there's nothing to suggest he won't be an impact player on this team for a long time. But the fact remains he has hit the wall the way most European players do in their first season and right now the Leafs' top six defencemen are playing well enough to keep him out of the lineup for the foreseeable future. Leafs associate GM Mike Smith notes that Kaberle has done nothing wrong and is simply the victim of numbers, so why not put him somewhere where that's not going to be a problem? And don't forget, Kaberle was never supposed to be here in the first place. Before his play in training camp, the Leafs had every intention of having him play in the minors this season. In fact, the team was so certain of it that there is no mention of him in its official guide. The fact of the matter is, defence is undoubtedly the toughest position to learn in hockey and there are only a few who can make the jump to the NHL directly from junior, college or Europe. Young players in the minors learn what it takes to be a pro in an environment where they can build their confidence and afford the luxury of making a mistake. Although it doesn't always show up in his game, Leafs defenceman Daniil Markov learned last year in the minors that he didn't have to try to do everything and hit everyone each time he stepped on the ice. Now it's Kaberle's turn to learn the same lesson. |