As Sunday was coming to a close, and Monday was threatening to rear it?s ugly head, it became evident that Brian Burke was not going to pull off a trade involving Tomas Kaberle. And when August 15th was no more, Kaberle?s no-trade clause kicked back in, putting an end (albeit temporary) to the speculation of where the team?s biggest asset may go. Kaberle is in the final year of a 5-year/$21.25M contract, and with the dearth of smooth-skating, puck-moving defensemen, he is a bargain this season at a $4.25M cap hit. The 32-year-old has donned the blue and white since 1998, and his 482 points are second all-time in franchise history among defenseman. In four of the last five seasons he has exceeded the 40 assist mark; two years ago he 27 assists in an injury-shortened 57 game season. He has proven to be a quiet leader, and likely has five more productive seasons left until age starts catching up him on the ice. So why, then, do the Leafs fail to find a suitor for Kaberle time and time again? He has been on the trade block for parts of the last three seasons now, and every time it seems that no team wants to pay his market value in a trade ? or so the G.M. says. Burke set the bar high this offseason, and rightfully so; it was the last opportunity the club had to deal Kaberle without requiring him to waive his no-trade clause. From here on out, Kaberle must sign off on any deal. But when the calendar flipped to Monday and Kaberle was still a Maple Leaf, it seems that Burke missed out on a big opportunity. With Kaberle in the last year of his deal, his value decreases as each day passes and his next potential team would have him for one less day. The only way around that, is to allow potential suitors to speak with Kaberle before a trade is finalized, to see if they can work out a contract extension before they acquire him. Usually, no extension means no trade. Kaberle would have to forgo free agency, and the team acquiring him would have to be a destination that he approves, making any trade from here on out this year exceedingly difficult. Technically, Toronto has until the March trade deadline to consummate a trade, but with the no-trade clause ? and quite frankly, the way the organization has publicly auctioned him off the last three years, why would he want to help them? ? completing a deal is going to be as difficult as open heart surgery now. But perhaps the quiet blueline backbone would be happy to find himself in a playoff race if a contender were to come calling. And perhaps he is willing to forgive and forget all of the trade rumors. But what if he isn?t? If he isn?t, Burke missed out on an opportunity to get something tangible for a four-time All-Star in his walk year. He was right in setting the bar high at the beginning of the offseason; the team absolutely needs another top-six forward, particularly at center. He continued to try and gain leverage by indicating that as many as ten teams were interested. But as the clock continued to tick, and Burke lowered the price tag to include draft picks, it was evident that the interest wasn?t all that it was made out to be. In the end, I find it really hard to believe that out of ?double digit offers,? he didn?t see one worth pulling the trigger on. Surely there was one offer that benefited Toronto in one form or another. By not accepting any of those offers, he now risks trading Kaberle for a lesser return during the season (if he can) or losing him in free agency for nothing. There will surely be media members wondering aloud whether this means Kaberle and the Leafs will work on a contract extension. Don?t hold your breath on that one. Toronto has a tonne of money locked into Dion Phaneuf, Francois Beauchemin and Mike Komisarek as it is. They also need to think ahead of keeping Luke Schenn in the fold, while using money to upgrade their porous offence. Kaberle has been written off as being traded enough times that it has to bother him. There were also rumors of him not getting along with head coach Ron Wilson. It wouldn?t be that surprising, Wilson being the hard-nosed, brash coach he is, and Kaberle being the quiet, amicable player that he is. And Burke is much like his best friend Wilson, so how well does Kaberle get along with Burke? No one really knows but the parties involved. To save face, Burke needs to find a deal for Kaberle during the season and get him to sign off on it. It doesn?t have to be a trade that is a clear steal (like the Dion Phaneuf trade, for instance), but one that can be seen as positive for the future of the club. He then needs to use his excellent media-relations skills to convince the hockey world that the trade was better than anything he was offered during the summer. Because if Burke wants to know what it?s like when you let one of your top players leave for nothing in the offseason, he just has to ask the man in the cubicle beside him that runs the Raptors. Nick can be reached via email nickobergan@hotmail.com or on twitter @NickObergan