Canadiens use final compliance buyout on D Kaberle

[HNOiL]

Canadiens use final compliance buyout on D Kaberle

Montreal, QC (Sports Network) - The Montreal Canadiens used their second and final compliance buyout on defenceman Tomas Kaberle Friday.

The 35-year-old spent two seasons with the Habs, collecting three goals and 22 assists with a minus-2 rating in 53 games.

Kaberle was set to enter the final year of a three-year, $12.75 million deal he signed prior to the 2011-12 campaign with the Carolina Hurricanes. He only played 29 games with the Hurricanes, tallying nine assists and a minus-12 rating before a trade sent him to Montreal in December 2011.

Rules of the compliance buyout dictate the Canadiens owe Kaberle two-thirds of the remaining value on his contract spread out over twice the remaining length. Kaberle was set to make $4.5 million next season, so he will be paid $3 million over the next two years.

The buyout saves Montreal $4.25 million against the salary cap.

The 14-year veteran spent his first 11-plus seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs before going to Boston at the 2011 trade deadline. Kaberle has 563 points -- including 87 goals -- in 984 career games with a plus-17 rating.

Montreal made a notable splash back in January when it used its first of two CBA-mandated buyouts on disappointing center Scott Gomez, who later signed with the San Jose Sharks.

For the right price, would love for the Oilers to sign him to a contract. Not the most physical defencemen but he's still a solid puck mover and it'd be an insult to him to say he wouldn't improve our blueline. With Whitney probably departing, Kaberle would fit in to his place nicely. The only problem is his health issues. We already have one injury prone Czech player on our team.