Bruins Acquire Tomas Kaberle from Maple Leafs

Tomas Kaberle's time in Toronto has come to an end. The Boston Bruins announced today that they have acquired the 32-year-old defenseman from the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for prospect center Joe Colborne, Boston's first round pick in the 2011 Entry Draft, and a conditional second round pick in the 2012 Entry Draft if he is re-signed in the off-season by the Bruins. Kaberle, who has been a part of Toronto's defense for the past 11 seasons and is the second highest scoring defenseman in Leafs' history behind Borje Salming with 83 goals and 437 assists, will be eligible for unrestricted free agency this summer. Colborne is currently in the first year of a three-year entry level deal. In 58 games this season with the Maple Leafs, Kaberle has three goals and 35 assists for 38 points. Colborne has 12 goals and 14 assists for 26 points this season with Providence of the AHL and will now report to Toronto of the AHL. This is a good trade for the Bruins, as Kaberle will add lots of offensive skill to the blueline, particularly on the power play. With all the moves the Bruins have made over the past week, it has become clear they are looking to go deep in the playoffs this year. As for the Maple Leafs, they get a fairly decent prospect in Colborne. He has great size and has the potential to become a goal-scoring forward at the NHL level and will eventually fill a hole at center for Toronto. The first round pick the Maple Leafs received in the trade is Boston's first rounder and not their own that they sent to the Bruins in the Phil Kessel deal. Still, Toronto now has two first round picks in this year's draft from which to start restocking their team with young talent.