Whether or not money is tight is not the point. Do you think Bill Gates has stopped making money just because he already has a few billion in his pocket?
Obviously Sundin has the ability at this point in his career to go where he'll feel he's the most comfortable. But that doesn't mean he'll play for peanuts. He might take less to play in New York if that is where him and wifey want to go the most, but that doesn't mean he'll take a paycut to play in Montreal or Toronto.
Taking the money in Vancouver would be more than just taking the money. You're asking a 37 year old who has played on the other side of the country hi whole career to come west and take on the travel that comes with it.
Point is, there is a marked differenced between a player sitting there and emanding 10 million per season when the best offer he is getting is 7 and being 37 years old, unsure if you want to physically commit to another grind and having a team offer you 10 mil per.
Look, at this point I could care less if signs in Vancouver or not. While it would be great to have a player of his calibre here, we will be just fine without him.
But if I'm Mats and I'm looking at my last pro contract as a hockey player, and I'm unsure if I want to my body through another NHL season, if I do decide to come back I'd take the money. That way if I come back and I blow out a knee or tear my Labrum in half, coming back has been worth the effort and pain.
Again, IMO, he'd be stupid not to take the money. It's guaranteed. It's a great city (if your rich)with a moderate climate and the team has a legitimate chance to contend right away with Mats in the lineup. And he's not Hossa with another 5 to 8 years of prime earning potential in front of him.
If nothing else, from a union point of few, he owes it to his union brothers that are coming in to the league as he makes his way out of it.
Accepting a $7-8 million offer compared to a $10 million offer is not taking a pay cut in my opinion, especially not when you are considering retirement, which means that the financial aspect is not as important as people in Vancouver want to believe.
At his stage in his career, if Sundin decides to continue playing for a season or two, it will be for something more than money and both Montreal and New York can offer him that more than Vancouver, who missed the playoffs last year and who has not improved this year... and that, without the fatigue coming with the heavy travel in the western conference.
Regardless of what he decides, I can't wait for him to make up his mind so that the teams involved and their players/fans can also move on...
Quote:
Originally Posted by Earnhardt
I fail to see where he is "demanding" a 10 mil contract, Vancouver is the one that has offered that stupid amount, if anything he will (if he plays) catch in the order of 6-7 mill.
No Sundin is not demanding 10, it is just another case of an owner/GM forgetting exactly why they locked out the players for over a year...........
Quote for truth.
__________________ Excellence is not a skill. It is an attitude.
I fail to see where he is "demanding" a 10 mil contract, Vancouver is the one that has offered that stupid amount, if anything he will (if he plays) catch in the order of 6-7 mill.
No Sundin is not demanding 10, it is just another case of an owner/GM forgetting exactly why they locked out the players for over a year...........
What are you, drunk? I never said he was demanding 10 million.
Point is, there is a marked differenced between a player sitting there and emanding 10 million per season when the best offer he is getting is 7 and being 37 years old, unsure if you want to physically commit to another grind and having a team offer you 10 mil per.
No i am not drunk, ( I only drink three beers a year btw) I assumed that you using the above bolded word were stating he was demanding 10 mill, or were you drunk when you typed that!
__________________
"Rubbin is racin'"
One solution to the low attendance figures in Pheonix is to paint the front of each seat with Bettman's face so that 12,000 smirking little Bettmans can be beamed to households and sports bars across Canada during games televised from Jobing.com Arena
No i am not drunk, ( I only drink three beers a year btw) I assumed that you using the above bolded word were stating he was demanding 10 mill, or were you drunk when you typed that!
You have to be kidding me. That paragraph is too complicated?
I'm not trying to be flippant here. Seriously. Reread it a few times.
Here, I'll shorten it.
There is a marked DIFFERENCE between demanding 10 million and having a team offer you 10 million.
Accepting a $7-8 million offer compared to a $10 million offer is not taking a pay cut in my opinion, especially not when you are considering retirement, which means that the financial aspect is not as important as people in Vancouver want to believe.
At his stage in his career, if Sundin decides to continue playing for a season or two, it will be for something more than money and both Montreal and New York can offer him that more than Vancouver, who missed the playoffs last year and who has not improved this year... and that, without the fatigue coming with the heavy travel in the western conference.
Regardless of what he decides, I can't wait for him to make up his mind so that the teams involved and their players/fans can also move on...
Quote for truth.
That's an opinion. If their defense can stay healthier this season, they improve right there. After all, it's still the same defense that helped them to 105 points the previous season, with Edler thrown in for good measure.
If Luongo can bounce back to his MVP form of two seasons ago, they improve a little more.
If young players like Edler and Raymond can up their games and their contributions, they improve yet again.
I'm not saying they are a contender without Sundin, but as long as we are opining away on the subject, I don't think Montreal is either.
You have to be kidding me. That paragraph is too complicated?
I'm not trying to be flippant here. Seriously. Reread it a few times.
Here, I'll shorten it.
There is a marked DIFFERENCE between demanding 10 million and having a team offer you 10 million.
Can you hear me now? (OK, that was flippant).
Is there any reason to be so condescending???
Do yourself a favour and re-read my post, at least the next time use an open mind............
__________________
"Rubbin is racin'"
One solution to the low attendance figures in Pheonix is to paint the front of each seat with Bettman's face so that 12,000 smirking little Bettmans can be beamed to households and sports bars across Canada during games televised from Jobing.com Arena
That's an opinion. If their defense can stay healthier this season, they improve right there. After all, it's still the same defense that helped them to 105 points the previous season, with Edler thrown in for good measure.
If Luongo can bounce back to his MVP form of two seasons ago, they improve a little more.
If young players like Edler and Raymond can up their games and their contributions, they improve yet again.
That's a lot of if's...
Quote:
Originally Posted by gordfish
I'm not saying they are a contender without Sundin, but as long as we are opining away on the subject, I don't think Montreal is either.
But Montreal won their conference last year, they have improved in the off-season so they certainly are better contenders... and that coming from someone who cheers for both teams.
__________________ Excellence is not a skill. It is an attitude.
August 20, 2008 | 10:55am ET Flyers want shot at Sundin
TheFourthPeriod.com
The Philadelphia Flyers are among the teams trying to convince star center Mats Sundin to join their club, reports the Toronto Sun. The Flyers, Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, Vancouver Canucks and New York Rangers are among the teams hoping to lure Sundin.
A source told TFP on Sunday that Sundin is set to join the Rangers as soon as they shed the salary get have the necessary cap space to sign him.
Until Sundin officially signs with a team, however, other clubs will be calling.
"He's a future Hall of Fame player," Flyers GM Paul Holmgren told the Sun. "We just want to throw our name in the hat.
"We're always looking to improve. We don't even know yet if anything will come of it. We don't know if he's going to play. But if he wants to play, we have an interest."
The Flyers, like the Rangers, would need to create cap space in order to accommodate Sundin's salary.
A source informed me early this morning that he believes all is set for Mats to become a NYR and that a deal has been worked out regarding players to be moved to open up cap space. Now there looks to be two stumbling blocks.
Mats deciding to play is one of the blocks of course...the other is the NHLPA saying they will extend the contract with the NHL (what appears to be a certainty and looks to be happening around September 15th).
When the NHLPA decides to do this the NHL will lift the current restraints that don't allow teams to put in an age incentive bonus that would take them over the cap legally. This is also believed to be the hold up with the signings of Selanne and Shanahan.
Sept 15th....huh...so I guess the groundhog has indeed seen his shadow and we could be looking at three more weeks of Mats rumours...
The good news...Montreal and Vancouver don't need the extra cap space.
The bad news...Mats still apparently has NO IDEA what he is doing.
PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER: Sam Carchidi reports the possibility of the Flyers signing Mats Sundin is a long shot, noting GM Paul Holmgren's interest in the former Leafs captain appears exploratory. "Personally, I'd like it to all go away," Holmgren said of the rumors that the Flyers were in the mix for Sundin. "What's the sense when we don't even know if he's going to play yet?" Carchidi also notes the Flyers are "already about $1 million over the NHL's $56.7 million salary cap".
SPECTOR'S NOTE: Holmgren would have to dump considerable salary if he were to sign Sundin, and I doubt very much that if Sundin returns it'll be for $2 million as some have suggested.
RANGERS MAY MOVE GOMEZ TO VANCOUVER AND SIGN SUNDIN (e4)
Just a Quick Hit for your Friday Night because this news is big and it's from someone who VERY much is in the know in this situation....While it is still uncertain as to whether or not Sundin is going to play, I am told by my source the following...
"We are hearing that the Rangers will sign Mats and deal Gomez."
This source is a source I very much trust. Of course Mats still has to come to play.
Following this lead was fascinating tonight because it opened up some serious other sources who had this information "off the record" until I presented them with this.
One of my sources then proceeded to tell me that the Vancouver Canucks have "HUGE Interest in Scotty Gomez..."
I will of course stay on this throughout the weekend.
Also, as an aside, The Montreal Canadiens have interest on Robert Lang should Sundin end up elsewhere...That has been bouncing around for a few weeks, but was confirmed to me tonight as well.
The Mats Sundin watch... finally over!
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