Mats Sundin punched the Leafs in the gut, and team management must now try to find other ways to improve the rebuilding team. The harsh reality, as I see it, is that the Leafs will be no better next year than they are now. Flags of Leafs fans will be at half mast Wednesday, after the trading deadline passes the Leafs by.
Their core of players - with 2008/09 salaries listed - are Bryan McCabe ($6.15M), Tomas Kaberle ($4.25M), Pavel Kubina ($5M), Darcy Tucker ($3M), and Jason Blake ($4.5M). They are either overpaid or underachieving, depending on your point of view.
With Sundin and Kaberle publicly refusing to go, Kubina and Tucker apparently doing the same in private, only Bryan McCabe has left the door open to any type of move. But his gigantic contract likely means that any team wanting him won't offer too much in return, as they'd be saddled with a franchise defenseman-worthy contract in return for a second pairing defenseman. I'm in favour of losing that contract at any cost, but I really think Cliff will have a tough time getting a deal done.
I've left out Jason Blake, because taking on his contract at his age and current production level is, well...cancer. Blake's health going forward is a major question mark, and he isn't even producing this season at the healthiest he'll ever be. Four 4 more years of him at $4M per year is enough to make a competent GM run the other way.
Fletch is going to need his Superman cape for his deadline dealings, as his dick has effectively been cut off. He is the man in charge of improving a brutal hockey team without being able to move any of the assets that would generate any real return.
Good luck, Cliffy! Make me proud!
Their core of players - with 2008/09 salaries listed - are Bryan McCabe ($6.15M), Tomas Kaberle ($4.25M), Pavel Kubina ($5M), Darcy Tucker ($3M), and Jason Blake ($4.5M). They are either overpaid or underachieving, depending on your point of view.
With Sundin and Kaberle publicly refusing to go, Kubina and Tucker apparently doing the same in private, only Bryan McCabe has left the door open to any type of move. But his gigantic contract likely means that any team wanting him won't offer too much in return, as they'd be saddled with a franchise defenseman-worthy contract in return for a second pairing defenseman. I'm in favour of losing that contract at any cost, but I really think Cliff will have a tough time getting a deal done.
I've left out Jason Blake, because taking on his contract at his age and current production level is, well...cancer. Blake's health going forward is a major question mark, and he isn't even producing this season at the healthiest he'll ever be. Four 4 more years of him at $4M per year is enough to make a competent GM run the other way.
Fletch is going to need his Superman cape for his deadline dealings, as his dick has effectively been cut off. He is the man in charge of improving a brutal hockey team without being able to move any of the assets that would generate any real return.
Good luck, Cliffy! Make me proud!
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