While the real story boiled down to a discussion of blogs being credited by mainstream media members and all the teeth gnashing that brings with it, hearing Tomas Kaberle’s father raise doubts about his son’s chances of remaining a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs was still pretty surprising.
Who knows if Tomas Kaberle really agrees with his father, but he downplayed the situation on the record. Here’s the story from TSN.
Toronto Maple Leafs defenceman Tomas Kaberle played on offence Wednesday, telling reporters his relationship with head coach Ron Wilson is between them and does not involve his own father.
There were plenty of eyebrows raised in the city last month when Kaberle’s father Frantisek Kaberle Sr. told Czech hockey magazine Hokej that despite the fact that Tomas has a no-trade clause, he didn’t see his son playing for the Leafs for the whole season.
The veteran blueliner, who is back in Toronto preparing for the start of training camp, explained that his father meant well and was just sticking up for him.
“My father’s opinion I can’t control,” he told a scrum at the team’s practice facility. “Can you control your Dad? I love my Dad, but I don’t agree with everything my father says. That’s normal. And I don’t agree with everything with (my coach). But (especially) when you’re losing, you get into some arguments.”
I see the Leafs as an odd mix of cast-offs and overpaid players, but the strange thing is that Kaberle’s contract might be one of the team’s least problematic. He might even be a slight bargain when you factor in the somewhat inflated market mid-range defenseman enjoyed in an otherwise dry summer for free agents.
Chances are, Kaberle will be the target of trade speculation in Toronto until his contract expires after this season, whether he has a no-trade clause or not. Who knows, though, the Leafs might end up being glad that they held onto him, after all.