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Today in Sundin...I am being told more and more that Mats is going to return to the NHL and a source this morning told me that, "He will be Canadien by week's end, and the Habs know it. It is being kept quiet so the team can make the needed moves to clear cap space without teams being able to completely take advantage"
That's ridiculous. If the other GMs start getting calls from Gainey about taking on some of his cap space, do you think the other GMs are so stupid that they wouldn't know why?
If Sundin had made his decision, he'd be signed and we'd have heard about it.
There are a lot of places he "COULD" sign that people would never expect but I dont think any of the 4 would actually be one of them, especially not phoenix. I dont know how colorado is looking under the cap honestly, plus they really have no need for him imo. It would be kinda funny though to see phoniex with both Sundin and Jokinen, then you also have Mueller, Reinprecht, and Hanzel who could fill in the other 2 center spots (though I would just run Hanzel as 3rd line center and have Mueller play a wing).
OH! Maybe he wants to take up a carrier in professional surfing!
I thought Sundin was insistent about playing for a team in Canada?
With Sakic and Forsberg both potentially retiring, the Avalanche will need someone.
Everything is speculation until he signs. He may have said he wants to stay in Canada, but that doesn't mean a team like the Avs won't come along and wow him with an offer. I doubt Sakic would hang them up if Sundin signed there, and you'd have to think having Sakic there would make them appealing to Sundin.
Had the Wings shown serious interest, I would have no doubt that Sundin would seriously consider them. A chance to keep his home in the Toronto area, not move his family, and play for a Cup contender?
Point is, I'm not sure if his desire to stay in Canada is such abig deal. But then, I'm not Mats, so what do I know?
Everything is speculation until he signs. He may have said he wants to stay in Canada, but that doesn't mean a team like the Avs won't come along and wow him with an offer. I doubt Sakic would hang them up if Sundin signed there, and you'd have to think having Sakic there would make them appealing to Sundin.
Had the Wings shown serious interest, I would have no doubt that Sundin would seriously consider them. A chance to keep his home in the Toronto area, not move his family, and play for a Cup contender?
Point is, I'm not sure if his desire to stay in Canada is such abig deal. But then, I'm not Mats, so what do I know?
The key here is no one knows anything for sure, including Mr. Sundin.
On a local radio station out here called the Team 1040, the afternoon drive guy David Pratt has been saying for a week that he's been hearing from trusted sources that there is about a 60 / 40 chance tha Sundin is signing with the Canucks. He's had the voice of the Canucks on, John Shorthouse, and he's claiming the same thing.
But here is the thing. He interviewed a local sportswriter who pointed out that you hear the same thing in Montreal and New York. In Montreal, they're claiming that they are hearing it's all but a done deal that Sundin is a Hab, and in New York they point out that Sundin himself approached the Rangers, so if he's coming back, it will be to New York.
Here is what makes sense to me.
One. From everything that I've heard about Sundin, if he's made up his mind or ruled out certain teams, he'd have informed the interested parties and those parties would already be moving on.
Two. He's already rejected the Habs when they dealt for his rights at the draft. Allowing for point one, I don't think he's ruled them out, but I'd consider the Habs a long shot at this point. Look at it this way. If Montreal was where Sundin wanted to play, and money wasn't enough to get somewhere else, it would make sense that Sundin would have already signed, thus allowing Gainey to move on to improving the team in other areas.
Three. The Rangers don't have the cap space. You can say Mats doesn't need the money, but can you really see a 37 year old hockey player be willing to put his body through another year of training for a million per when other teams are offering 8 to 10? Sure, the Rangers could clear space, but it isn't as easy as that at this point. Most teams have their rosters set by now. There are very few teams that have the space under the cap or their budget remaining, and they all have the same needs. And there are already a half dozen teams over the cap and looking to dump salaries. If the Rangers were really in this, I think that Sather would have left himself a lot more flexibility.
Four. Considering that the Leafs asked Sundin to waive his NTC last February to go to Detroit and Mats refused, you have to wonder if winning the Cup is really as big a priority as most of us have speculated. From what I've observed from this point, I believe that the number one priority for Sundin is taking the route that makes himself and his family most comfortable. To that end, I think that a return to Toronto is still very much a possibilty.
So my speculation is this...
That when Mats publicly stated that he wanted to end his career a Maple Leaf, he was being completely honost. I think it's possible that what went on at the trade deadline put some strain on his relationship with managment and might have him reconsidering his approach by season's end, especially when the Leafs dealt his rights at the draft. I think it must be really difficult for Mats to see himself playing in Montreal after having been a Leaf for so long, hence his rejection of Montreal's initial overratures and his approaching of the Rangers. I think he was then taken aback by the offers and interest from both the Habs and Canucks on July 1, and when he decided to take some time to think things through, Sather decided he couldn't wait and went after the players he had already targeted. At some point while Mats pondered Montreal, Vancouver or retirement, the Leafs came along and started mending the fence. At this point I think Mats decided for sure that he was coming back, and that's what stirred the ant hills in Vancouver and Montreal this time last week. Then over the weekend, when Forsberg told the Avs his ankle would put him out of action again, they stepped in and made an offer.
So in the end, I think that the Rangers are out, the Habs and Avs are long shots and it's coming down to Vancouver or Toronto.
The reason he didn't want to go anywhere at the trade deadline is because he did not want to be a rental player who goes there to win the cup. He said from himself day one that he wanted to be with a team since training camp and be apart of that team doing it all not just a small part. second off going to Vancouver dosent make sense so what its 10 million dollars a year... does a man that has made probably 100 million really need 10 million more? No he doesn't he needs a stanley cup ring is what he needs and he wont get it in the west with Vancouver they have a hard enough time fighting to get into the playoffs? the only team thats a forsure in that conference is the Detroit Red Wings which i doubt he will go to
and to rule out the reason why he didnt go there at the draft before July 1st is because he wanted to take his time and figure out the options that he could take and where he could possibly go.
So it will go down to a cup contending team
or toronto which everyone will have to respect him for doing because he has been such a huge part of their franchise.
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The reason he didn't want to go anywhere at the trade deadline is because he did not want to be a rental player who goes there to win the cup. He said from himself day one that he wanted to be with a team since training camp and be apart of that team doing it all not just a small part. second off going to Vancouver dosent make sense so what its 10 million dollars a year... does a man that has made probably 100 million really need 10 million more? No he doesn't he needs a stanley cup ring is what he needs and he wont get it in the west with Vancouver they have a hard enough time fighting to get into the playoffs? the only team thats a forsure in that conference is the Detroit Red Wings which i doubt he will go to
and to rule out the reason why he didnt go there at the draft before July 1st is because he wanted to take his time and figure out the options that he could take and where he could possibly go.
So it will go down to a cup contending team
or toronto which everyone will have to respect him for doing because he has been such a huge part of their franchise.
The why didn't he sign with the Wings this summer? Why, if Montreal is so close to winning a Cup, hasn't signing with them been a no-brainer for him.
I find it really funny that guys like you just come out and say "well, gee, he's made millions already...he doesn't care how much he makes." How do you know this? I don't care how much money you've already made, if someone puts an offer of 20 million over two years in front of you, and the best offer you're getting from someone else is 8 over one year, you don't just brush that aside. If Mats really felt the way you are assuming, he'd have told the Canucks no back in the first week of July.
The reality is, the money talks. For every single player in the NHL, no matter how much they make.
Yeah, yeah...Hossa. Hossa took similar per season money from the Wings that the Pens offered and left himself the option to go back to the market in just one year. He knows damn well that with a Cup ring on his resume, his asking price next year will top 10 million per and he'll get it from someone. Hossa has ALWAYS been about the money. After all, he walked away from a team that came within 2 wins of winning the Cup.
The 20 million the Canucks are offering is a MAJOR factor. Don't kid yourself for a second on that.
The Mats Sundin watch...
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