Tomas Kaberle was placed on waivers today by the Montreal Canadiens, a move that shouldn’t be too surprising for anyone following the team, but something that may not mean what most fans think.
It’s quite obvious that the Canadiens don’t want to play Kaberle in their lineup. He hasn’t been bad this season, but he hasn’t been good either, and he requires as much sheltering as their rookie prospects do. This is why the Canadiens have elected to try out Greg Pateryn, Jarred Tinordi, and now Nathan Beaulieu instead of playing him.
But Kaberle has been a great sport about all this. Unlike when he was in Toronto, we haven’t heard from his dad complaining about his usage, it’s been very quiet from the Kaberle camp, perhaps because he and the organization have an agreement.
It’s no secret that Bergevin would like to trade the veteran offensive defenseman, but there doesn’t seem to be any takers. So the waiver move could be a chance for Kaberle to play some games, either in the AHL or on another team, and show that he’s still got something to give.
No matter where he goes this season, he’s likely to be bought out with amnesty, but like Scott Gomez and Wade Redden before him, he could find a home somewhere on a cheaper contract.
