Fuck!
I for one neither understand nor respect this decision. This decision has set the team back several seasons. The reward that Sundin would have fetched is immense. Without that return, the now-rebuilding Leafs have a 37 year old - who shows no indication he has any interest in winning - as their best player. Make no mistake; Sundin's decision has had a significant negative impact on the future of the team.
Keep walking, MatsMats has said he isn't even sure whether he'll play hockey next year, but I'll finish this thought with the assumption that he'll play at least one more. The fallout from Sundin's refusal to be traded should be:
(1) The Toronto Maple Leafs should not resign Mats Sundin in the summer. This is a team so far removed from being competitive that employing a 37 year old player at a projected $5M per season makes absolutely no sense. Bringing Sundin back only takes up a roster spot better suited for younger players. The Leafs should focus their attention on locking up a pending UFA much younger than Sundin. As of today, the following players are UFA this summer (and yes, I do realize this list is likely to get smaller after tomorrow's trading deadline): Marian Hossa, Michael Ryder, David Vyborny, Vinny Prospal, Wade Redden, Dan Boyle, Brian Campbell, and JM Liles. By no means would these players replace Mats, but they have much more hockey left than does Sundin; hell, they may even be interested in winning a Cup one day.
Mats made it clear this weekend that he doesn't want to be traded, which ultimately means that his tenure with Toronto will not end in the Leafs gaining assets. If I am GM, I make his tenure here end as quickly as possible.
(2) If management caves and does in fact sign Sundin - I have very little faith that this organization is capable of making the tough decision not to sign their most popular player - he should not be the captain in 2008/09. No player that chooses a comfortable lifestyle over the chance to win hockey's ultimate prize is captain material. Moreover, no player that decided winning a Stanley Cup isn't his best option should be in a de facto mentoring role to the rebuilding team that the Leafs will ice next season. He has set a bad example.
The thing is, I know that Mats Sundin is smart enough to realize that his decision means he's probably finished in Toronto after this year. By telling the team he wants to stay, he's effectively setting himself up to depart. So why not allow the trade, knowing you're likely on your way out anyway, thus making the Leafs much better? Why not leave Toronto in February rather than July (when free agent signings begin)? It makes no fucking sense to me, and it screams of selfishness.
There has been a lot written about Sundin over the last couple of weeks. The conventional wisdom out there suggests that no ill will should be felt against Sundin, that he gave the franchise his best years and owes the team nothing. I call shenanigans on that type of thinking. This team made Mats Sundin rich. He was made a celebrity of epic proportions in the biggest hockey market in the world. Mats Sundin has had it damn good for the almost 14 years he's been in Toronto. I'll remind the readers that Sundin brought no Cups to Toronto in that time. So why can't fans be disappointed with Sundin? Why can't we question his motives? Mats' decision this weekend really, really hurts the team that he swears he loves.
If Mats Sundin had any affinity for the Toronto Maple Leafs, he'd have allowed Fletch to trade him. It's clear now, however, that Mats Sundin cares only about Mats Sundin.
3 comments:
It all depends on your philosophy on how you win the Cup. If I were an NHL player, I wouldn’t want to be a rental Cup winner. So you join the boys, who have already battled adversity and bonded for 6 months, to play for 6 more regular season weeks and then the playoffs. If would feel like cheating your way to a Cup. Ray Bourque plays for 20 odd years with the Bruins, ditches off to the Avs for a few months and gets his Cup and now is complete and has reached his goal? That’s like going out and banging a hooker and bragging to the guys you got laid on the weekend. Sure, the objective was achieved, but it’s the journey that matters to some people, and Mats is one of those guys. If you’re not one of those guys (which you are not), then its tough to understand that mindset. He wanted it to be a wholesome journey, with the team he loves, and the guys he has known for years, or at least more than a few weeks.
Mats negotiated the No-Trade clause because he wanted to remain a Leaf. Call him a fool, but he thought the Leafs could make the playoffs and do some damage. If not, he wanted to go down with the ship. Is that not the least bit admirable? He doesn’t owe anything to the future of the Maple Leafs. Rangers fans weren’t pissed Gretzky wasn’t traded before his impending retirement, and the Rangers weren’t playoff bound. I know Sundin isn’t Gretzky, but Gretz could’ve been a rental, as he was once before in his career. I don’t think Gretz’s move screamed of selfish, and he is a good friend of Sather’s, so why not help him and the Rangers in the future?
Every NHL player has been made rich. There’s rarely tales of loyalty being thrown around outside the ilk of the Lemieuxs, Sakics, and Yzermans of the world. Its not Mats fault a) JFJ gave Mats the No Trade clause (as he wanted to stay a Leaf; it was made clear last summer when he got that clause put in) and b) he is the Leafs best commodity. Dozens of players each year sign ridiculously money-laden contracts with shitty teams. It shows where their hearts and minds lay. Mats has always been upfront about his motives and decisions.
An NHL player that chooses not to pursue a Cup is a player that shouldn't be given the responsibility of leading a team.
Good leaders are winners and good winners and leaders. I cannot fathom a player playing for damn near 20 years without winning a Cup, then deciding that moving a few hours away for a few months isn't worth the hassle.
I don't necessarily hold it against Mats, but I stand firm in saying that (1) any player that chooses to stay with a floundering team instead of having a realistic shot at winning isn't a good leader, and sets a bad example for a rebuilding team, (2) the Leafs should not resign Mats based on this decision. Because of his age, he knows the Leafs won't win a Cup in his time; staying in Toronto effectively means he has no competitive desire to win hockey's ultimate prize. This is not a player I want on my team at $5M per season.
Mats chose to pursue a Cup, though. It just ended up being in the wrong city – hind sight is 20-20. But when he made the decision in July, that’s what he believed. Based on the moves the Leafs made, they were aiming to be a playoff team, not a rebuilding team. His (unrealistically optimistic?) mind was made and the Leafs were a possible Cup contender (insert laughter here).
Its not the hassle that’s the major sticking point, it’s the manner in which the Cup would be won. And that is as a player who came in at the end and reaped the rewards and fast tracked his way to the ultimate goal. That’s not how he wanted to do.
I see your point about where Mats goes in the off-season. But at 1 million more than Blake, is it really THAT bad a deal? I suppose you could argue Blake is being overpaid / under performing by about $2 million, but still.
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