Karel Pilar is no longer a Maple Leaf. Or a Marlie. The 29 year-old defenseman has signed a free agent contract with the Atlanta Thrashers. Good on him. After playing 50 games with the Leafs in the 2003/2004 season - and looking like he would become a mainstay on the blueline as a 3rd pairing d-man with a nice offensive upside - heart problems have limited Pilar to under 70 games in the 3 seasons since.
You may remember Pilar as part of the Leafs' never ending supply of mediocre talent. Pilar is a soft, finesse-type defenseman; a poor man's Tomas Kaberle. Because the Leafs already have a Tomas Kaberle, not to mention a few young d-men with more upside than Pilar, he had no hope of cracking the Leafs' lineup. He does, however, have a chance at cracking the Thrashers' lineup...but it should be noted that he is also a poor man's Alexei Zhitnik.
In any event, The Blue & White would like to congratulate him on getting outta Dodge, onto bigger and better things (Dude, you're on a playoff team now!).
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