• HOME
  • NHL Teams
    • North Division
      • Calgary Flames
      • Edmonton Oilers
      • Montreal Canadiens
      • Ottawa Senators
      • Toronto Maple Leafs
      • Vancouver Canucks
      • Winnipeg Jets
    • East Division
      • Boston Bruins
      • Buffalo Sabres
      • New Jersey Devils
      • New York Islanders
      • New York Rangers
      • Philadelphia Flyers
      • Pittsburgh Penguins
      • Washington Capitals
    • Central Division
      • Carolina Hurricanes
      • Chicago Blackhawks
      • Columbus Blue Jackets
      • Dallas Stars
      • Detroit Red Wings
      • Florida Panthers
      • Nashville Predators
      • Tampa Bay Lightning
    • West Division
      • Anaheim Ducks
      • Arizona Coyotes
      • Colorado Avalanche
      • Los Angeles Kings
      • Minnesota Wild
      • San Jose Sharks
      • Seattle Kraken
      • St. Louis Blues
      • Vegas Golden Knights
  • Headlines
  • NHL Rumors
  • NHL Prospects
  • World Juniors
  • Archives
  • Podcast Network
  • More…
    • CHL
      • Ontario Hockey League
      • Quebec Major Junior Hockey League
      • Western Hockey League
    • Columns
    • Women’s Hockey
    • Other Leagues
    • NHL Entry Draft
    • Books
    • NHL History
  • Log in
The Hockey Writers
  • Site Index
  • NHL Salary Caps
  • Hockey 101: A Beginner’s Guide
  • Join Our Team
  • Free Newsletter
  • Store
  • Log in
The Hockey Writers
  • HOME
  • NHL Teams
    • North Division
      • Calgary Flames
      • Edmonton Oilers
      • Montreal Canadiens
      • Ottawa Senators
      • Toronto Maple Leafs
      • Vancouver Canucks
      • Winnipeg Jets
    • East Division
      • Boston Bruins
      • Buffalo Sabres
      • New Jersey Devils
      • New York Islanders
      • New York Rangers
      • Philadelphia Flyers
      • Pittsburgh Penguins
      • Washington Capitals
    • Central Division
      • Carolina Hurricanes
      • Chicago Blackhawks
      • Columbus Blue Jackets
      • Dallas Stars
      • Detroit Red Wings
      • Florida Panthers
      • Nashville Predators
      • Tampa Bay Lightning
    • West Division
      • Anaheim Ducks
      • Arizona Coyotes
      • Colorado Avalanche
      • Los Angeles Kings
      • Minnesota Wild
      • San Jose Sharks
      • Seattle Kraken
      • St. Louis Blues
      • Vegas Golden Knights
  • Headlines
  • NHL Rumors
  • NHL Prospects
  • World Juniors
  • Archives
  • Podcast Network
  • More…
    • CHL
      • Ontario Hockey League
      • Quebec Major Junior Hockey League
      • Western Hockey League
    • Columns
    • Women’s Hockey
    • Other Leagues
    • NHL Entry Draft
    • Books
    • NHL History
Home
Trades Contracts and Transactions

Joe Colborne Seeks Fresh Start After Leafs/Flames Trade

By Alex Mai September 29th, 2013

Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp
Adding Kaberle alongside Chara should be huge for the Bruins come playoff time.

Tomas Kaberle was a staple for years in Toronto, before being shipped up for a huge package of assets. (Wikipedia/Creative Commons)

Colborne for Kaberle

It wasn’t so long ago that most people were looking at the Boston-Toronto deal for Tomas Kaberle as a complete steal for the Leafs.

Though the Bruins won the Stanley Cup the year they acquired Kaberle, the offensive blueliner never really found his stride with the B’s. From then on, it was all downhill for Kaberle. He was bounced from Boston to Carolina to Montreal, and is now out of the NHL.

The cost of acquiring Kaberle was massive – a first and second round pick, along with a top prospect by the name of Joe Colborne, a former first-round pick.

Fast forward to today. While the Kaberle deal is still decidedly in favor of the Leafs, Colborne has not at all panned out the way Toronto expected.

No Opportunity

The 23-year old forward is still young and has plenty of upside, but has failed to crack the Leafs roster so far for extended periods of time. Colborne has scored 6 points in 16 games so far, but a full season has eluded him.

Colborne was especially interesting to Leafs management because of their previous lack of centers. However, since the emergence of Nazem Kadri and the recent acquisition of Dave Bolland, there is no real space for Colborne.

The Leafs are primed to start the season with Tyler Bozak, Kadri, Bolland and Jay McClement as the centers on the big club, and barring injuries, Colborne would have started the season once again in the AHL.

There was speculation that if Colborne did not live up to expectations this year at camp that he would be moved. That speculation seems to have become reality.

Calgary Comes Knocking

Could Colborne finally crack the NHL this year?(Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports)

Could Colborne finally crack the NHL this year?(Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports)

The Calgary Flames are in a full rebuild mode, so they can be forgiven for having a few holes in their lineup. However, their trouble at center depth was well-documented even before this season.

Several players were given a chance for the #1 center role, and that question still hasn’t been solved. Alex Tanguay was put there with unspectacular results, and Mike Cammalleri now takes the spot despite playing a large percentage of his career at wing.

Past the first line, it gets quite depressing. Recent top pick Sean Monahan will almost definitely make the club and will provide some punch from the second or third line. If all goes well, Monahan could even have taken over the top slot.

Other options include Matt Stajan and Mikael Backlund, but all in all, it doesn’t look good.

People speculated widely about how the Brian Burke/Dave Nonis relationship would work out now that the old dynamic duo were no longer together. Clearly, it was not hard for Burke to put in a call to his old colleague.

The Flames have been making a habit of adding relatively younger players for mid-round draft picks this off-season. This offseason, they have acquired Kris Russell from the Blues for a 5th, and TJ Galiardi from the Sharks for a 4th.

The Deal

The deal is quite straightforward – Colborne for a 4th round pick.

Clearly, this is not what the Leafs had in mind when they acquired him, but at least they were able to get something out of a player that was clearly no longer in the long term plans. Colborne did not develop quickly enough for a Leafs team that is now primed to compete for a playoff spot, and it seems the team was no longer will to wait.

However, the Flames are more than happy to give Colborne a chance. Calgary will not be in the conversation for contender for a while, and they would gladly take the risk on Colborne to see if he can pan out the way the scouts thought he would when he was drafted.

Leafs fans may have wanted to get more out of Colborne, and perhaps there is some truth to that. However, fans should be glad that Toronto was able to get anything at all for Colborne. Few teams are in a position where they would be interested in a 23-year old who has yet to crack the NHL. Teams currently contending for a Cup would not be interested, nor would rebuilding teams that are already stocked with prospects from their own respective drafts.

When it comes down to it, there was only one team that had just started a rebuild and had more or less forsaken the playoffs this year. And that team is the Calgary Flames.

A low investment from the Flames on a player that has the potential to become a solid 3rd/4th line player. A moderate return for a Leafs team that no longer wanted the player.

A decent trade that both teams can appreciate.

  • Tags
  • Joe Colborne
  • Tomas Kaberle
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp

Get theScore App Now!
Recent Posts
Jan 26th 6:20 PM
Calgary Flames

Tkachuk Shows His Ignorance Discussing Maple Leafs’ Campbell Injury

Jan 26th 6:10 PM
Vegas Golden Knights

Golden Knights Reaping the Rewards of Zach Whitecloud’s Development

Jan 26th 6:00 PM
Buffalo Sabres

Sabres Outlook After First 6 Games of 2020-21

Jan 26th 5:50 PM
Winnipeg Jets

Jets’ 2021 Offseason Free Agent Preview

Jan 26th 5:05 PM
Chicago Blackhawks

Blackhawks Unlikely to Call Up Former Fan Favourite Darling

Jan 26th 4:40 PM
Archives

The NHL’s Best Farm Systems Ranked – 2020-21 Season Update

Jan 26th 4:32 PM
Archives

Jimmy Howard’s Red Wings Legacy

Jan 26th 4:25 PM
Pittsburgh Penguins

Penguins Not Playing to Full Potential in Comeback Wins

Jan 26th 4:15 PM
Colorado Avalanche

Mediocre Avalanche Road Trip Plagued by Inconsistency

Jan 26th 4:05 PM
Buffalo Sabres

Sabres Coach Ralph Krueger is a Jack of All Trades

Editor’s Picks
Wayne Gretzky - The Great One's 10 Most Unbreakable Records

Wayne Gretzky - The Great One's 10 Most Unbreakable Records

Test Your Wayne Gretzky Knowledge With Our Quiz

Test Your Wayne Gretzky Knowledge With Our Quiz

Masthead

Newsletters

RSS Feeds

Privacy Statement

Contact Us

About THW…

Founded in 2009, The Hockey Writers is a premier destination for news and information on everything hockey. Updated daily with news and features from over 130 writers worldwide. Over 2 million monthly readers now come to THW for their hockey fix.

© The Hockey Writers 2020. All rights reserved.
logo
  • HOME
  • Hockey Headlines
  • NHL Rumors
  • North Division
    • Calgary Flames
    • Edmonton Oilers
    • Montreal Canadiens
    • Ottawa Senators
    • Toronto Maple Leafs
    • Vancouver Canucks
    • Winnipeg Jets
  • East Division
    • Boston Bruins
    • Buffalo Sabres
    • New Jersey Devils
    • New York Islanders
    • New York Rangers
    • Philadelphia Flyers
    • Pittsburgh Penguins
    • Washington Capitals
  • Central Division
    • Carolina Hurricanes
    • Chicago Blackhawks
    • Columbus Blue Jackets
    • Dallas Stars
    • Detroit Red Wings
    • Florida Panthers
    • Nashville Predators
    • Tampa Bay Lightning
  • West Division
    • Anaheim Ducks
    • Arizona Coyotes
    • Colorado Avalanche
    • Los Angeles Kings
    • Minnesota Wild
    • San Jose Sharks
    • Seattle Kraken
    • St Louis Blues
    • Vegas Golden Knights
  • World Juniors
  • CHL
    • Ontario Hockey League
    • Quebec Major Junior Hockey League
    • Western Hockey League
  • THW Podcast Network
  • Store
  • FREE Newsletter
  • Search THW
  • More…
    • Join Our Team
    • The THW Archives
    • Prospects
    • The Goalie Page
    • NHL Salary Cap Information