Well, it's back to the forefront of every Leafs fans mind already. A report came out of Sweden, which was admittedly false but published anyways, that Sundin had agreed to play for Vancouver on a two year contract. In lieu of this, Sundin issued a statement saying that he will not begin to think about what team he wants to play for until he is certain he will be ready to play another hockey season.
So when that time comes, what is he going to say?
Well, if you know Mats then you know how long it takes for him to make up his mind. He knows that time is on his side, and he's going to make the most of it. It's evident that he'll be back in the NHL, because the money is just too good to pass up right now. It's awfully hard to turn down a 20 million offer for two seasons of hockey, no matter how old you are. J.P. Barry, Sundin's agent, thinks he'll be back as well.
Several sources have said he is leaning towards Vancouver, while others insist it's back to the Leafs or retirement.
I personally don't see Mats back with the Leafs. Even if the team is still on his shortlist, Mats is relieved of the pressure of 'abandoning' his team, now that its clear they are not trying to make the playoffs and don't really 'need' him to give that extra push that might take them from 10th to 8th.
I think Sundin is likely to go to Vancouver over Detroit and Montreal simply because he'll be able to be the same sort of player he was in Toronto - relied upon as a leader and a scorer. It might just be his best fit.
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I'll be going to my cottage today until Monday, so I will not be posting at all.
I can assure you that Sundin will not make a decision about his hockey career between now and then!
Hopefully Fletcher will have found another defenceman, literally assuring that McCabe will not be in our lineup come October.
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Conversation on AM 640 yesterday:
"Brady: (Talking about how the defense is full and asking if it means the Leafs will need to make a move)
Fletcher: We're going to be signing another defenseman in the next couple days so I count 7 defenseman.
Watters: Does that include Bryan McCabe?
Fletcher: No it does not."
Fletcher has also mentioned that he is looking for another UFA D-man.
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Leafs sign Jeff finger for 4 years at 3.5 million a season, Cujo returns for 1 year at 700,000, and Niklas Hagman for 4 years at 12 million.
Who the hell is Jeff Finger? I think the only reason I know who this guy's name is because it's a wierd one.
How did Cliff get pushed into offering him 3.5 a pop? Was he drunk? That shows you how desperate the Leafs are for young talent.
Finger's stock will go up this year and narrow the gap of what he's worth and what he's being paid, so whatever.
But that is no excuse at all. If you look at Detroit, they tend to sign players for what theyre worth at the time, then slowly get a bargain as they improve. The Leafs prefer to gamble that they will improve after they've lured them a with big pay raise. But it hasn't worked that way for many of the Leafs in recent history, has it?
Signing Hagman is a good short term decision. He's in a good age-zone at 28, and had a coming out party last season in Dallas with a 27-goal performance.
Hagman is a bit inconsistent at times, and will definitely fit in with the mediocre forward contingency the Leafs have.
And how about CUJO! Anyone else think this is a splendid deal? When I first read about the possibility I assumed it was just another one of those recurring rumours that would never go away, and never happen. What d'ya know, he's back with the buds for one last run.
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I'll have to be frank, and come out clean: I am a Leafs fan. Therefore, in order for me to keep publishing quality, relevant content I am going to start talking primarily about the world of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
It should be an interesting time. Go Leafs!
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