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For those of you that can't read Swedish, it claims that Sundin will sign with the Canucks by the end of this week. I believe they quote his Swedish agent on it.
It's still speculation to me, but there it is. After all, JP Barry said yesterday that Sundin hadn't even made a decision about coming back to the NHL and is still saying he won't decide until August.
What do agents make? 15 % if I'm not mistaken...
20 000 000 x 0.15 = 3 000 000
Anyway his agent is a very rich man already, but it doesnt hurt getting one final big payout.
JP Barry is stating that the swedish report is false and Sundin has NOT signed, or even decided on Vancouver.
cbcsports.ca
Which is funny, because in the article it says that Sundin turned down an offer from the KHL, saying that his American agent told the KHL he was taking the Vancouver offer.
And then both Elefalk, his Swedish agent, and Barry (presumably his American rep) both denied it. (Correction. Aparrently Elefalk didn't deny it. He just said that he wasn't aware of any new developments.)
What makes this really interesting is that the European papers were the ones that broke the Jagr, Demitra and Straka signings all days before they were officially announced and in all three cases the report was denied at first.
ANd from what I understand, this is not a tabloid in Sweden...it is a reputable paper.
Here is a good summation of the last 24 to 48 hours regarding Sundin.
Mark Gage is one of the bloggers that makes going to Eklund's site worthwhile, IMO.
What also makes me hopeful about the Canucks landing Sundin is that Eklund has been reporting all along that Sundin was going to Montreal and he gave Vancouver almost no chance the entire way until now. Since Eklund is almost always wrong, I'm actually starting to get a little excited about this.
Which is funny, because in the article it says that Sundin turned down an offer from the KHL, saying that his American agent told the KHL he was taking the Vancouver offer.
And then both Elefalk, his Swedish agent, and Barry (presumably his American rep) both denied it. (Correction. Aparrently Elefalk didn't deny it. He just said that he wasn't aware of any new developments.)
What makes this really interesting is that the European papers were the ones that broke the Jagr, Demitra and Straka signings all days before they were officially announced and in all three cases the report was denied at first.
ANd from what I understand, this is not a tabloid in Sweden...it is a reputable paper.
Here is a good summation of the last 24 to 48 hours regarding Sundin.
Mark Gage is one of the bloggers that makes going to Eklund's site worthwhile, IMO.
What also makes me hopeful about the Canucks landing Sundin is that Eklund has been reporting all along that Sundin was going to Montreal and he gave Vancouver almost no chance the entire way until now. Since Eklund is almost always wrong, I'm actually starting to get a little excited about this.
I read Marks Blog a lot, Alex Brownscombe has some good Leafs insight as well. Yea you heard me ***** Howard Berger and his little dog toooo!!
As for Sundin, I'm tired of it. I'm to the point where I could care less where he signs. I mean sure, I'd like to see him do a farewell season in Toronto, and I would still be open to that in a year or 2. But just ****e or get off the pot Mats!!
I read Marks Blog a lot, Alex Brownscombe has some good Leafs insight as well. Yea you heard me ***** Howard Berger and his little dog toooo!!
As for Sundin, I'm tired of it. I'm to the point where I could care less where he signs. I mean sure, I'd like to see him do a farewell season in Toronto, and I would still be open to that in a year or 2. But just ****e or get off the pot Mats!!
Once again I have to ask, why does he need to make a decission to satisfy us? The man is making a life changing move within the next few months, either he retires from hockey all together or he packs his bags and leaves the city he has called home of the last 13 years, either way Mats is a guy who puts careful thought into his decissions and he is a guy who has earnt that right.
For the record I hope he goes to Vancouver, so I don't have to see him play against me 8 times a season.
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Once again I have to ask, why does he need to make a decission to satisfy us? The man is making a life changing move within the next few months, either he retires from hockey all together or he packs his bags and leaves the city he has called home of the last 13 years, either way Mats is a guy who puts careful thought into his decissions and he is a guy who has earnt that right.
For the record I hope he goes to Vancouver, so I don't have to see him play against me 8 times a season.
And I think that is one of the biggest reasons why he won't sign in Montreal. Sundin seems like he has taken a lot of pride in being a Maple Leaf, and for someone who has so much respect for the team and the fans of the Leafs, I'd assume that it would it be very difficult to see himself coming back to Toronto in a Canadiens' sweater.
Mats has said that if it were just about the money he'd have signed in Vancouver right away. Similarily, if it were just about winning a Cup and he felt the Habs had the best shot of the three, he'd have signed there right away. Considering that there is very little difference between what the Habs and Leafs are offering, I think that if it came down to Toronto or Montreal, he'd stay in Toronto.
And that's why, IMO, that although Sundin has a lot of respect for Gainey and his offer, the Habs have always been a long shot.
It still sounds as if Sundin really isn't sure whether he wants to keep playing. But once he makes that decision, and given that Gillis is still being encouraged to talk to the Sundin camp, I really think that if he comes back, it comes down to two teams. Toronto and Vancouver.
Once again I have to ask, why does he need to make a decission to satisfy us? The man is making a life changing move within the next few months, either he retires from hockey all together or he packs his bags and leaves the city he has called home of the last 13 years, either way Mats is a guy who puts careful thought into his decissions and he is a guy who has earnt that right.
For the record I hope he goes to Vancouver, so I don't have to see him play against me 8 times a season.
He doesn't, I just wish for this saga to end sooner rather then later.
Listening to this subject get batted around some more on the radio yesterday, and I began to wonder how much Toronto is even this.
Think about it.
Last summer Sundin himself picked up the option year on his contract, for what, about 6 or 7 million? That's a good number, but below what he could have made on the open market, to come back to a team that had missed the playoffs two years running. His entire career he has taken less money in Toronto, a team that could have well afforded to make him one of the top 3 paid players in the league.
So then the Leafs fire their GM and ask Sundin to waive his NTC. He says no, which was his right, and what do the Leafs do? They trade him to Montreal at the draft. A long time Maple Leaf that made it clear to them he wanted to stay in Toronto. A bit of an insult, wouldn't you say?
So when Sundin becomes a UFA, the first team his camp appraoches is the NY Rangers.
Doesn't seem to me a move that lent itself to wanting to return to Toronto.
So I have to ask myself, what is the relationship between Sundin and Leafs' ownership, or between himself and Fletcher? No question, Sundin likes the city of Toronto (from some reason) and has a lot of respect and appreciation for their fans. And adding his good friend Nieuwendyk to the front office can't hurt their chances of luring him back.
But the Leafs are clearly in a rebuilding stage. They've done nothing to improve their roster this summer, and it's likely they'll be big-time sellers at the trade deadline again next spring. And they'll have a new GM with his own ideas on where the team should be headed by this time next year; will his blueprint include a 38-year old Sundin?
If the money truly doesn't matter, why would Sundin go back to Toronto when there will be virtually nothing to play for?
More and more I get the feeling that if Sundin and his family are comfortable with him coming back to the NHL (and I think that that might be a bigger if than most people think right now), it is going to be with Vancouver, and that Sundin has likely known this from the first week of July.
After all, all he and his family have to to do is suck up the move. If they try it and don't like it out west, then Sundin can retire next summer and keep every penny.
Just more speculation for the people who aren't getting tired of hearing about all this.
Listening to this subject get batted around some more on the radio yesterday, and I began to wonder how much Toronto is even this.
Think about it.
Last summer Sundin himself picked up the option year on his contract, for what, about 6 or 7 million? That's a good number, but below what he could have made on the open market, to come back to a team that had missed the playoffs two years running. His entire career he has taken less money in Toronto, a team that could have well afforded to make him one of the top 3 paid players in the league.
So then the Leafs fire their GM and ask Sundin to waive his NTC. He says no, which was his right, and what do the Leafs do? They trade him to Montreal at the draft. A long time Maple Leaf that made it clear to them he wanted to stay in Toronto. A bit of an insult, wouldn't you say?
So when Sundin becomes a UFA, the first team his camp appraoches is the NY Rangers.
Doesn't seem to me a move that lent itself to wanting to return to Toronto.
So I have to ask myself, what is the relationship between Sundin and Leafs' ownership, or between himself and Fletcher? No question, Sundin likes the city of Toronto (from some reason) and has a lot of respect and appreciation for their fans. And adding his good friend Nieuwendyk to the front office can't hurt their chances of luring him back.
But the Leafs are clearly in a rebuilding stage. They've done nothing to improve their roster this summer, and it's likely they'll be big-time sellers at the trade deadline again next spring. And they'll have a new GM with his own ideas on where the team should be headed by this time next year; will his blueprint include a 38-year old Sundin?
If the money truly doesn't matter, why would Sundin go back to Toronto when there will be virtually nothing to play for?
More and more I get the feeling that if Sundin and his family are comfortable with him coming back to the NHL (and I think that that might be a bigger if than most people think right now), it is going to be with Vancouver, and that Sundin has likely known this from the first week of July.
After all, all he and his family have to to do is suck up the move. If they try it and don't like it out west, then Sundin can retire next summer and keep every penny.
Just more speculation for the people who aren't getting tired of hearing about all this.
You have a few things wrong.
The option for last year was a team option that would have paid Sundin in the neighbourhood of 4 million, but had a higher cap hit. Not only that but it did not have any movement clauses.
The team and Sundin worked together to build an amicable contract, that paid Sundin more (still below market value), and lowered the cap hit. It also included a NMC.
Sure Sundin signed for less than market value, but if he were asking for something in the 7 million range, then the team would have just accepted the option year at 4 million, with a 6.3 million dollar cap hit, and traded him at the deadline.
Honestly it would have been WAY better for the team to go route B, they didn't and now they are going to watch him leave after he refused a trade at the deadline.
That deal may actually end up being one of the worst deals that JFJ made... signing Sundin under market value.
The Mats Sundin watch...
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