Sundin's future is almost too hard to predict
Wednesday, July 23, 2008 | 04:38 PM ET
There are so many angles to the Mats Sundin story that I’m not sure where to begin, but it’s time to try:
Anyone who says he’ll take Vancouver because it’s the best offer has no idea what the guy’s about. Before last summer, he signed a one-year, $5.5 million US offer that was below his market value. Prior to that, he never seriously considered free agency while agreeing to a five-year deal in the summer of 2002. He’s made $75 million in his career and invested it very wisely, successfully flipping several homes during hot times in the market. It’s not only about the money. He wants a fair contract, but not necessarily the biggest one.
I can certainly understand why Mike Gillis made him the big offer. Sundin is coming off a terrific season, and can handle the intense Vancouver market. He put up with us in Toronto for years, deftly ducking our attempts to get him to say anything remotely controversial. Pat Quinn used to joke (I think) that while Toronto was bad for media, Vancouver was worse. Whatever the case, Sundin can handle it.
That said, I feel that if he wanted to play in the Western Conference, he would be in Detroit. (Apparently, Sundin was offered a similar contract to the one Marian Hossa took with the Red Wings.) Vancouver is simply too far from his comfort zone. He’s played his entire career in the East, the last 14 in Toronto, home of arguably the easiest travel in the NHL. For example, in 2006-07, the Maple Leafs left the Eastern Time zone twice all season, which is ridiculous in itself. Playing in B.C. is a much, much different experience. I just can’t see it for him.
Lure of Big Apple
It says a lot that he asked for permission to speak to the Rangers. They weren’t willing to pay for exclusivity – as Montreal did – but it’s clear that Sundin was interested in them. New York’s had a puzzling off-season, but it appears that after spending big money last summer on Scott Gomez and Chris Drury, Glen Sather was going to invest most of his available dough on the blue-line.
Also, the $4 million/year contract Markus Naslund agreed to is probably below what Sundin would accept. I can’t help but think, however, that if New York was interested at, say, $6-$7 million, this saga would be long over, because he’d have signed already.
On a Vancouver radio station yesterday, I said that if absolutely forced to guess, my pick would be either Montreal or retirement. Someone reminded me, “Don’t forget about the Nieuwendyk factor.” Sundin has said before that of everyone he’s played with, Joe Nieuwendyk was his favourite teammate. The three-time Stanley Cup champion is now part of Toronto’s front office.
Make no mistake, Sundin was really angry at the trade deadline, feeling the club made him look bad. He’s been very loyal to that organization, rarely – if ever – complaining about anything in good times or bad. Few people understand how badly he wanted to win the Stanley Cup in Toronto, how much it meant to him to be the captain of that team. He felt he was put in a no-win situation, hung out to dry by a clueless ownership. There was a time when it looked like there was no way he’d come back. Nieuwendyk is probably the only person in the organization who can change that.
But, considering how bad the Maple Leafs will probably be, why would he want to go back there and go through the same thing? Aren’t they just going to want to trade him again?
Has Montreal struck out?
Twice now, he’s declined the opportunity to go to Montreal. Once at the trade deadline, again in free agency, even when Bob Gainey offered to romance him in Sweden. Does he have something against Montreal? Doubt it. He may still end up there. But Sundin knows that putting on a Canadiens jersey may napalm his legacy in Toronto.
Think about it. When he refused to waive his no-trade in February, media coverage was generally positive, but fans were less accepting. On the call-in shows, he was skewered. That same group will be mildly annoyed if he leaves and the Maple Leafs get nothing in return. If he goes to the Rangers or Red Wings or Canucks, they’ll get over it – eventually. But, if he does it to put on a Senators or Canadiens jersey, forget it.
Earlier this week, the Leafs announced they will honour former captains Wendel Clark and Doug Gilmour during the upcoming season. Both were traded – and Gilmour wanted to go – but that didn’t diminish their popularity. For Sundin to walk to Montreal after refusing to go there in a trade? He knows that might ruin any chance he has for a similar honour. It would be an absolute shame that Toronto may not be able to celebrate its all-time leading scorer, but it’s a possibility if he chooses this route. That makes it a really, really tough decision for him.
That’s the reason retirement might be the choice. We all saw that he can still play at a high level. The biggest question he must answer: Is going somewhere else worth that kind of aggravation?
The toughest thing about predicting Sundin’s choice is that he is so guarded. He’s been in Toronto 14 years, but we really don’t know that much about him. He’s always been fiercely guarded about his private life, and made it very clear that his time is his time. He’s a very, very good captain. He cares, he badly wants to win, he plays hurt, he never criticizes the organization, he pushes teammates and he rarely hides when things get ugly. But it stops at hockey.
An uber-private guy
Three stories, none intended as a criticism, just to give you an illustration of how guarded he is. When the Maple Leafs held their training camp in Sweden, one obvious angle was his parents. He vetoed that. Didn’t want them in the spotlight. Two summers ago, there was a report that he’d demanded a trade. The Toronto Star sent someone to Sweden to track him down and find out the truth. (He didn’t.) Sundin refused to meet with him, upset that he was being chased in the off-season.
The third story is actually pretty funny, as relayed to me by some beat writers. They said the angriest they ever saw him was about 8-10 years ago, when one newspaper mistakenly claimed he was engaged. He wasn’t, and told them so after a practice in St. Louis. As he walked away, he hissed, “Thanks a lot, you (bleepers).” He didn’t like it if you reported on his private life, and God help you if you got it wrong.
There’s nothing wrong with someone demanding you respect their privacy, and I’ve got no problem with any of that. But it shows what a guessing game this is. When Gary Roberts signed in Tampa Bay, he called Sundin, got his voicemail and left a message asking if there was any chance his buddy wanted to join him with the Lightning. A few days after he’d done so, Roberts joked on Hockey Night In Canada Radio, “He hasn’t called me back, so I’m in the same boat as you guys.”
This will be his decision, and his decision alone. He doesn’t seek a lot of advice. He doesn’t share his thoughts with too many people. That’s why the outcome is so hard to predict. If I had to guess – and it is a guess – I’d say 45 per cent chance of retirement, 45 per cent chance of joining Montreal, 10 per cent chance of going back to Toronto.
But I wouldn’t wager on it.
« Previous Post | Main | Next Post »
This discussion is now Open. Submit your Comment.
Post a Comment
From the Pressbox »
About the Author
Elliotte Friedman is the host of the CFL ON CBC. Prior to being named host in 2006, Friedman worked on the CFL on CBC broadcasts for the three seasons as a sideline reporter. A Toronto native, Friedman is well known for his additional work on Hockey Night in Canada, as well as his presence on the Torino 2006 Winter Games telecasts as a hockey reporter. Prior to joining the CBC, Friedman worked at The Score network and was widely regarded as one of the best reporters in the country. Friedman used his reporting skills to break stories and file feature reports for high profile events including six Stanley Cup Finals, four Grey Cup Championships, two World Series and one Olympic Games. He is also a regular on the nationally syndicated Prime Time Sports radio telecast, hosted by Bob McCown.
Recent Posts
- Fall of the Argos can be traced back to Austin firing
- Friday, September 12, 2008
- Rejuvenated Matthews a good choice to revive Argos
- Tuesday, September 9, 2008
- Things I’ll never forget about Beijing 2008
- Tuesday, August 26, 2008
- Never let your emotions cloud your judgment
- Thursday, August 21, 2008
- Cheering for Priscilla Lopes-Schliep
- Tuesday, August 19, 2008
- Subscribe to From the Pressbox
Archives
- September 2008 (2)
- August 2008 (4)
- July 2008 (1)
- June 2008 (1)
- May 2008 (5)
- April 2008 (11)
- February 2008 (3)
- January 2008 (5)
- December 2007 (2)
- November 2007 (3)
- October 2007 (3)
- September 2007 (5)
- August 2007 (3)
- July 2007 (8)
- June 2007 (3)
- May 2007 (2)
- April 2007 (3)
- February 2007 (3)
- January 2007 (2)
- December 2006 (4)
- November 2006 (10)
Comments
Danny
vancouver
Good article Elliotte. I think Mats will likely retire. Money is not an issue for him as he has lots of it. I don't see him wanting to play for anyone else other than Toronto and as it is now, that Maple Leaf team needs to start over without him and he's wise enough to know that.
I think he's tired of an organization run by fools like Richard Peddie that continually keep that team languishing in mediocrity; I think he's tired from the many years he put in to an organization that ultimately whined and grumbled when he refused to waive his no trade clause; I think he's just tired and he's had enough.
Posted August 26, 2008 09:45 AM
Selena
Ok i totally agree with this..but Sundin needs to keep his options open and if he was really faithful to the Leafs he'd automatically stay but who knows whats really going on behind the seans and behind the headlines , the only person who really knows is Sundin. But if he does decide to call it quits with the Leafs its going to be a huge loss , even though the Leafs are going through a huge re-building off-season , it'd be nice to see a fimalir face in the line up next season. So i hope when Sundin makes his decision he makes it fast and spares us all and spares himself.
Posted August 26, 2008 04:06 AM
robert
Toronto
that was a good piece, Elliotte.
I don't know where he is going or whether he'll play again but having been treated badly by the leafs I doubt he'll be back here. I can't imagine he'll go to BC only because the team is not very good and unlikely to fulfill any Stanley Cup ambitions. In fact, he can't even say with any credibility he's going to Vancouver in order to win a cup. If he goes there, it would be about the money, plain and simple, and while there's nothing wrong with that, I'm not sure that's what motivating him these days.
Montreal would be a perfect fit, a good young team with a crying need for a big centre, if not for the fact that the Habs are the leafs biggest historical rival and he refused to go there at the deadline. I think leaf fans would have a tough time swallowing him going to Montreal for nothing when the leafs would have benefited handsomely if he had agreed to a trade. That would really hurt his legacy here in Toronto and I am not sure he would be comfortable with that.
I agree with Elliotte, if the Rangers had had room, he'd have been there weeks ago but they don't... so, I have no idea where he's going.
Probably retiring.
Posted July 29, 2008 04:56 PM
mel
kanata
I wish bob gainey would stop waisting his time on waiting for an answer from m.sudin the most of us habs fans know he will never sign with montreal and futher more we do not have the cap room too sign mats to a 2 year 8 million contract in my opinion bob gainey should start signing m. komaserak and t. plekanec too long term deals and c. higgins to if mats plays 1 more season it will be with toronto so us habs fan let this go and look forwad to training camp.
Posted July 29, 2008 04:25 PM
emac
Wpg
Vancouver is a good destination if only for the fact that it will give Canuck mgmt a place to park 20 mil for 2 years. By then Vancouver will be able to dump this over-priced has been and re-enter the free agent market with mega bucks as the NHL salary cap should also rise by 10 to 15% in this period. The additional bonus will be that Vancouver should have two quality draft choices under their belt as Sundin is not the leader to get any team in the playoffs. (as his history with the Maple Laffs has proven). I only feel sorry for the poor Canuck fan base as mgmt has yet to inform them that the playoff drought is not over for the forseeable future.
Posted July 29, 2008 02:59 PM
Ross
Toronto
I'm a Leafs fan. However, unlike most Leafs fans I am a fan of the game first and foremost. So, I was disgusted by the general fan reaction last year near the trade dealine. The amount of anger that was unleashed on such a loyal player as Sundin because he simply refused to waive away something that he had negoitiated into his contract (when he had also accepted a lower salary than he could have commanded elsewhere) was unbelievable.
I suppose the only way that Mats could have pleased most of the Toronto fans would have been to accept a trade, then either retire at the end of the season or re-sign with the Leafs.
I happen to have a great deal of respect for his integrity, not do I blame him in the least for guarding his privacy so well.
After the treatment he's had from Toronto fans over the years, I think he's earned the right to finish him career with a winning organization.
Maybe he's resisting signing with another team because he doesn't want to realize how could he could have had it if he left Toronto much earlier in his career.
Posted July 29, 2008 02:05 PM
Dave
nl
Mats will do one or the other. Sign with Leafs or retire. He has said continously that he wants to retire a Leaf. Perhaps with the change in coaching, and different line up, when we get to the playoffs anything can happen.
Posted July 29, 2008 01:03 PM
Mike Bernard
Ottawa
I am tired of anybody bashing Sundin or questioning his motivation. He has bled Blue and White for his entire career (even though the first few years were for the Nordiques). He took less than market value on his contracts to ensure he had a no trade clause and then was vilified when he chose to invoke it. He has been one of the best productive centers (and mostly injury free) in the league for his entire career. Note to all those people who always question his roughly 80 point seasons: Name another center who has been saddled with the pylons he has had to play with on his wings and still put up the numbers he did year after year? If the man had ever played with some top quality wingers he would have consistently broken the 100 pt barrier year after year. Whatever he decides, even if it is Montreal, this is one Leaf fan who respects and admires all he has done for the team. I actually hope for his sake that he choses a team that will give him a shot at the Cup (again, even if it is Montreal) Thanks Mats!!!!!!!!
Posted July 29, 2008 12:40 PM
simon
montreal
Impressive article on a subject I thought I was done with ... I obviously wasted my time until this article came along.... well done mr Friedman.
Had New York bought into him the Sundin's saga would have been a short lived one.... all other options brought in a variaty of compromises, which remain still standing there firmly and unmoving between him and his desire to play some more hockey with a minimum of fuss.... he probably hoped that 2 of the remaining 3 team interested in his service would have gived up by now and would have spend their money elsewhere thus leaving him in a novel situation that would have somehow altered the set of compromises he has been faced with.... playing for a team without having made the selection himself might have been what he was waiting for in the end.... tough luck Mats as it seems that it will not happen that way.
Posted July 24, 2008 06:12 PM
Graham
Vancouver
This baffles me... if he turns down the 20 million because its "too far from his comfort zone" and because "He’s played his entire career in the East" and because "playing in B.C. is a much, much different experience"... then what does that say about him? Everyone says that he is a character guy?!? What kind of pussy makes his decision based on the god damn schedule?? -The kind of player that isn't willing to work for his money and give it 100%. If that's the case then we don't want him here. Stay and rot in Toronto for all I care! Don't come to Vancouver, because plus ten in the winter when its fourty below in TO would really suck! He's played so long in the east you would think that two years in Vancouver would be a "breath of fresh air"... Literally.
Posted July 24, 2008 01:08 PM
Patrick Hulst
Canada
I can't see him going to Vancouver. Sure, they have a good 2nd line. However, much like my beloved Leafs, they don't have a first line. He might be the missing piece there, but not for the Cup. More likely the missing piece to sneak in at 8th place. Unfortunately he's just finished 14 years being that piece... I don't see it.
Posted July 24, 2008 01:05 PM
Tanner
Ottawa
Listen, Mats WAS a great hockey player and is STILL a good hockey player, but 10 million for his services is ridiculous. I say, "No retirement contract for you Mats!"
Posted July 24, 2008 12:41 PM
jeff
niagara
Wherever Mats signs will determine his true motive. If he decides to retire or re sign with the Leafs, fans will surely respect his loyalty. If he signs with Vancouver true leaf fans will know it was all about the almighty$$$. If he signs with Montreal or another cup contender at a chance to win the stanley cup I think he would lose alot of respect with leaf fans as he had the opportunity to win a cup while strenghening the leafs long term had agreed to waive his no trade clause in february, if this is the case all his scoring records would be quickly forgotten and his integrety challenged as he always stated to reporters he wanted to remain a leaf forever.I think leaf management has treated him very well over his tenure here paying him a premium similiar with the other elite players in the league and his was one of few players who actually was paid during the lockout.
Posted July 24, 2008 11:55 AM
Tom K
Toronto
Poor Mats...the Leafs and their
confused ownership do not deserve this guy.
What ever his final decision is, it should be free of scrutiny.
Posted July 24, 2008 10:17 AM
Bill
Hfx
A better title for this article ?
Sundin's future - Who cares ?
Posted July 24, 2008 08:14 AM
DeVoe Dyette
Here is the prediction, a prediction that is second to none.
Mats Sundin will return to the Toronto Maple Leafs; because Mats Sundin is the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Most writers proclaim that it is not about money but I say it's all about his legacy. He may never win the Stanley cup but his numbers in Toronto will be second to none and maybe unattainable to most.
So here is the low down, Mats Sundin will resign in Toronto for one year with a no trade clause; he will then retire a Toronto Maple Leaf and have a momentous send off at the end of this season. Now leave the man in peace so that he can find his way home.
Enough of the Mats Sundin drama, enough of the unfounding speculations; you have heard it here and what I say is gospel. And for that let us just say, "Tout finis!" Lets move on. Le Habitants will perish this year and they will not have Mats to help them.
DeVoe Dyette
Kingston, Ontario
Canada
Posted July 24, 2008 07:45 AM
NewfieLeafsFan
I'd be willing to lay down money he ends up back in Toronto. I've already laid out my theory in another post, so I won't do it again, but I just think if he was going to go somewhere else, he'd have done it by now.
Posted July 24, 2008 07:40 AM
Paul McGannon
KC
We'll take Mats........oh we need a team first............
Posted July 23, 2008 11:41 PM
Ryan
London
Wherever he ends up I just hope he wins the cup. He deserves it. However, I still think the amount Vancouver offered was ridiculous. Yes Sundin is a great player, but my god, in the last 10-15 years how many times has he broken the 80 point barrier? I know he brings more to the game than scoring, but come on...
Posted July 23, 2008 10:50 PM
Trevor
Winnipeg
There are more players to have played for the Leafs and Habs than most people realize. Just a few that haven't been mentioned: Vincent Damphousse, Dick Duff, Jacques Plante, Shayne Corson, John Kordic and Mathieu Schneider. No big deal. I have been a lifelong Leaf fan but I am a bigger fan of a certain type of player - the True Leaders. Examples: Sakic, Brind'Amour, Primeau, Sundin, Messier and Yzerman. These guys are worth the price of admission to the true sports fan no matter who they play for. I will be happy even if Mats joins the "hated" Habs just so that I can watch him play for one more year. I can just imagine the pressure that he would be under to earn that 20 mil in Vancouver. Please Mats, I'm tired of all the "sweethearts" in the league; we need you back.
Posted July 23, 2008 10:36 PM
Mike L
Vancouver
Think of the great players he'd be following if he went to MTL. Frank Mahovlich, Russ Courtnall... Heck, even Dougie went to MTL after Toronto.
Leafs fans might hate it but they're the ones who chased him away from Toronto.
Sign with the Habs and bring another Cup to Montreal. Go Habs.
Posted July 23, 2008 06:17 PM
Jon Green
Victoria
So you're saying there is 0% chance he will sign in vancouver? That is just dumb, whenever there is $10 million on the table the team has a chance....I'm keeping my hopes up as the Nucks playoff chances depend on it
Posted July 23, 2008 05:44 PM
Brad
Edmonton
Thanks Elliotte, this is one of the more insightful, truthful, and meaningful articles I have seen in regards to hockey. It shows Sundin as a person and not a commodity. Whatever he chooses, I hope Leafs fans forgive him since I doubt he will resign in T.O.
Posted July 23, 2008 05:44 PM
Steve
Vancouver
Hey Elliotte
He's not going to Toronto...too much bad blood now.
He won't go to Montreal because he still cares about his reputation and image that he so carefully crafted among the Leaf Nation.
Rangers have no cap room, though I'm sure they'd try like the dickens to make some.
I see Vancouver as his likely landing spot. It's on the West Coast...his agent said that Detroit came after him, but Mats wants to go to a team where he's a big piece of the puzzle and feels he's someone who can put them over the top...HELLO Vancouver..he'd definately put the Canucks over the top. We have great goaltending, above average defence and with the Sedins, a better than average second line.
However, we're also paranoid about some supposed curse...so we sit and await our fate.
Hopefully he comes here...I can assure you if he does, he'll be a God in this town.
Posted July 23, 2008 05:34 PM