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Defenseman Tomas Kaberle contradicted his father when Maple Leafs' training camp opened by saying that he can indeed get along with general manager Brian Burke and coach Ron Wilson after failing to be traded in the offseason.
Frantisek Kaberle Sr. told a Czech hockey magazine over the summer that his son was upset that he was not traded because he felt his skills were being wasted playing in the defensive-oriented system used by Burke and Wilson. However, Tomas Kaberle said those thoughts were strictly those of his father.
"My father's opinion I can't control," Kaberle said. "I love my dad, (but) I don't agree with everything my father says. (He) can say whatever he wants. I will say my opinion, too. That's normal. And I don't agree with everything with my coach. But when you're losing, you get into some arguments."
Kaberle also said that he could not see making major alterations to his style of play, especially now that he is in his early 30s. If that does not suit Burke and Wilson, Kaberle said he would gladly waive his no-trade clause for a move to another organization that could use his skill set.
"I will always play my style of game," Kaberle said. "That's why I was brought over here in my first year. It's always fit perfectly and if it doesn't, I will have to move on."
Burke, for his part, believes the situation can be smoothed over between Kaberle and Wilson.
"I've been at this a long time, and this is routine," Burke said. "It's not a big deal. They'll sort it out and get going. I've had to have a coach or a player sit down and I've had to have linemates sit down. I've had to call linemates in and sit them in my office and say: 'I'm locking the door and no one is leaving until you sort this one out.'"
Ellis Leaves Twitter
Dan Ellis once had as big a presence on Twitter as any NHL player. However, you won't find the new Lightning goaltender tweeting anymore. He shut down his account recently.
"The last thing I want to do is bring any negative attention to this place," said Ellis, who signed as a free agent after playing for Predators. "It's a world-class organization and we want to keep it that way."
Ellis, who had over 12,000 followers on Twitter, defending a Reggie Bush comment about NFL players being asked to take an 18 percent pay cut in collective bargaining negotiations. Ellis made reference to the 24-percent pay cut NHL players agreed to in their last negotiations and got plenty of negative feedback from the fans, some of it personal. The response was fueled by mention of his tweet on a blog of Yahoo Sports!
"I am a good person and, quite honestly, it was hurtful a lot of the things that happened and a lot of the things people said," Ellis said. "I've seen a lot of negative things from that media source, and I'll probably avoid it for the most part for quite some time. It is too bad, because I really enjoyed (the interaction), but I'll have to find another way to reach out to them."
Devils Over The Winter Cap
The Devils find themselves at least $3 million over the salary cap after finally getting a contract done with Ilya Kovalchuk that was to the NHL's satisfaction. Thus, GM Lou Lamoriello might have some tough decisions to make by the end of training camp.
"Players in training camp could make those decisions themselves," Lamoriello told the New York Post. "We have until the first day of the season; that's all we have to be ready for. We know we have to be below the winter cap. We are below the summer cap."
Lamoriello reportedly is willing to trade forward Brian Rolston ($5,062,500 salary in 2010-11) and defensemen Bryce Salvador ($2.9 million) and Colin White ($3 million). Complicating matters, though, is that Rolston and White have no-trade clauses in their contract. Furthermore, because he signed a deal after age 35, Rolston, who has two years left on his contract, can't be sent to the minor leagues, which would deduct his salary.
Hurricanes' Youth Movement
The Hurricanes begin training camp Saturday. Their primary objective is to put a disappointing 2009-10 season behind them and build a solid foundation for the future as the roster got a lot younger over the summer.
"This training camp isn't just for the first month of the season," coach Paul Maurice said. "It's for the next five years. What they grab hold of is up to them."
At the forefront of the Hurricanes' youth movement is center Eric Staal. He is beginning his first full season as the team captain.
"It's a team that's going to have a new leader right from the start of camp," general manager Jim Rutherford said.
John Perrotto is an author of Puck Prospectus. You can contact John by clicking here or click here to see John's other articles. | 
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