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Toronto abuzz over Sundin rumours

Canadian Press

Latest comment posted at 10:58 PM EST 13/01/08

City's media outlets devoting significant time and space to weigh up pros and cons of trading Leaf captain ...Read the full article

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  1. M Clarke from Canada writes: I'm not much of a sports enthusiast, so maybe someone call tell me: do the owners of the Leafs even care about ever winning another Stanley Cup, or are they happy just to maintain the status quo and let the substantial profits from their unexceptional team continue to roll in?
  2. Patrick Matheson from Canada writes: ummm...

    trade in now

    for all the reasons
  3. S H from Windsor, Canada writes: Sundin deserves to retire as a Maple Leaf unless of course he wants out. I know this team needs to make changes but Sundin should be untouchable!!!
  4. Rob C from Canada writes: MLSE just wants 5 home playoff dates, that's all. Making the playoffs is good enough. JFJ will never make the decision to trade him, he would be admitting they are done for this year - another missed year means he's gone therefore he can't make that call. fire him now, let his replacement make the deal - they can leave his assistants in place as interim gms by committee to gather as many prospects and picks as possible for the new guy to use...shed some salary too. Maybe there is a market for mccabe (only with the Islanders). Without Mats they could possibly make a run for Ovechkin if he actually hits the FA market.
  5. Terry Terry from Brantford, Canada writes: Yes this is a common Leaf strategy. Trade for some quick fix to make the last playoff spot and then lose to a team from a city where snowploughs are rarely, if ever used. Go Leafs, but please go quickly.
  6. f c from Canada writes: Sundin is one of the classiest players in the league. If he wants togo then trade him....if not, then leave him put!!

    Knowing JFJ...he is an idiot and will try to get what he can!!!

    LONG LIVE SUNDIN!!!
  7. R. M. from Regina, Canada writes: Sorry to all those who want Sundin to be able to stay put but sentimentality is not the way to go in any business and especially the highly competitive business of hockey. This is not about Sundin "feeling good". He has no inherent right to stay anywhere and if the Leafs do not trade him while he is still going to generate some present and future worth then they truly deserve to languish near the bottom of the standings for years to come.
  8. dan vanman from vancouver, Canada writes: They should trade him. To Vancouver. So we can get over the top and win the Cup. T.O is going no where this year anyhow, and the Canucks have several young players of the type the Laffs desperately need.

    Please have JFJ contact Dave Nonis immediately. !!!
  9. A. MacDonald from Halifax, NS, Canada writes: I know Mats is still a skilled player, but he has to go unless Leaf fans want to wait until he retires before they can properly rebuild the team into a potential champion. Also, to answer poster #1, Leaf ownership's objectives are also a major hurdle to this team winning a Cup. Profits are much more important to a pension fund than is winning... Toronto is such a huge hockey market that winning doesn't translate into more profits... as long as you have a "popular" team it will generate windfalls.
  10. Rene L from somewhere, Canada writes: Toronto is an inherently cold, no-nonsense, business friendly place so Sundin is a commodity in their eyes so trade him for the highest bidder.
  11. pierre lefebvre from Brossard, Canada writes: In 1994 Toronto acquired a marquis player and made him their captain. A real coup! The endless debate about Lindros was a waste of time when compared with Sundin. No mom and dad to worry about with Sundin.
  12. joe cormorant from Canada writes: The frustration on Mats' face at the end of the year last year said it all. He is tired of carrying this team on his shoulders year after year and like every hockey player wants to win the cup before he goes. Salming waited too long before leaving and never got a chance. I don't think Sundin will make the same mistake. And I don't blame him. This team won't win the cup for at least 10 more years unless they go back to 6 teams in the league again, and even then it is doubtful.
  13. Dafydd Brws from Toronto, Canada writes: Old fashioned loyalty in this town? Not since George Armstrong. Sign him for two more years. No games.
  14. Jasper the Black Lab from Vancouver and Elsewhere, Canada writes: The Manitoba Moose could probably squeak into the final NHL Eastern Conference playoff spot. C'mon, give them a shot at it in Leaf uniforms. And let Mats and Trevor hoist the Cup!
  15. Robert Miller from Halifax, Canada writes: Not sure why I should care anymore... I just kind of feel bad for continually insulting the Leafs this year when their team is so horrible and all...

    If JFJ doesn't have the common sense to trade Sundin for some YOUNG PROSPECTS to rebuild the team around, he should be fired at the trade deadline...

    End of story!
  16. catherine north from writes: TRADE IN JOHN FERGUSON JR. HE'S A WORTHLESS PIECE OF MANAGEMENT!
  17. siren call from Canada writes: Rumour has it that he would waive his no-trade clause to team up with Alfredsson in Ottawa. Ottawa is dangling Antoine Vermette and possibly a 2nd round draft pick.
  18. James C. from Chaozhou, Guangdong, China writes: i'd love to see a relegation league like they have in soccer.
  19. RGW SCO from Canada writes: What have the Leafs ever won with Sundin on the team? If a fair return is guaranteed then trade him.
  20. Clark The Mighty from Canada writes: Overrated!

    But fire fergoson first, or he'll be traded for a 2nd rate goalie.

    SUNDIN FOR DENIS!
  21. Frequent Reader from London, Canada writes: It's not Sundin... it's a team sport. The fans need to stop going to the games and pumping revenue into a club that hasn't won the cup since '67. Only then, will the organization start to wake up, when revenue starts to go down the tubes!
  22. John Stanton from Canada writes: trade him.
  23. Super Troll from Canada writes: If Sundin doesn't want to be traded it's to the detriment of the team. And yet, Leaf fans are ok with this.

    Now I understand why they haven't even been to the Cup finals since it was a 6-team league.
  24. P Scott from Canada writes: This is all speculative sports writing.

    It's comparable to the entertainment schlup that's on the covers of US and People magazines. They plant rumours to sell copies.

    yawn
  25. Super Troll from Canada writes: Siren- in Ottawa he would be a second-line centre. I don't think he would want such a demotion.
  26. Super Troll from Canada writes: Dan Vanman- you without fail showup on every thread about an eastern team. Never mind Sundown going there- nothing will put you over the top. All you have is Luongo. I hear his back is getting sore from carrying the team.
  27. A A from Canada writes: Sundin has never says stupid things, rarely whines and has always been a great ambassador for the Leafs. He is a class act and if he wants to be traded, they should request that. I am sure he does not want the same legacy as another great leafs of the 70's, 80's, 90's and 00's which is no cup.!

    The sad reality is the the Leafs are a business and the will screw Sundin if they have to. Disapointing to know considering how loyal he has been.
  28. No No No Yes No from Ottawa, Canada writes: Sundin to Ottawa...LOL! Although he would fill that 2nd line out quite nicely, there is no way in he!! that would ever happen.
  29. Michael Enright from Toronto, Canada writes: Two things to consider: 1) Do you want someone like JFJ pulling the trigger on a blockbuster trade? This guy has terrible instincts in picking young guys and he's unlikely to be in the GM position next season. 2) Sundin has said he'd rather stay here than play for a contender, now every GM is going to be second guessing themselves if he's going to be the missing piece for a shot at the cup. Therefore, they'd be unlikely to part with quality prospects or good young players if too many question marks surround Sundin. I think they should trade Raycroft to one of teams in need of immediate goaltending help and look at moving Tucker (who has done nothing since signing his new contract) to a team looking to add grit.
  30. Super Troll from Canada writes: Sundin would rather play in Toronto than play for a contender. Translation- he doesn't care about winning. Perfect fit for Toronto.

    Loser.
  31. Sandy T. from Canada writes: R. M. from Regina, Canada writes: This is not about Sundin "feeling good". He has no inherent right to stay anywhere ------------------------------------- While I agree with the first statement, your second premise is dead wrong - his contract, with its 'no-trade' clause guarantees that exact right explicitly - for one season. And on top of that... it was he himself who volunteered to renegotiate his previous, longer contract downward. He didn't have to do that either. Whether he should stay or go is completely up to him. If people are looking for someone to blame for that, look no further than the folks who are really messing up this team, especially JFJ. It ain't Mats people, nor is it any other player with a no-trade contract - it's the guy that handed those contracts out like candy who's at fault here. And as far as I'm concerned, if Mats Sundin waives his no-trade clause and gets traded, it should not, under any circumstances whatsoever, be John Ferguson in charge of doing the wheeling and dealing. If he does, you can rest assured he'll come home with a couple of bags of magic beans and another marginal fourth liner or two.
  32. Pat Billings from CDN, Canada writes: Sundin has gotten use to finishing up the season in early April and getting the hell out of dodge a few days later. That's why he doesn't want to leave the leaf. Pocket $5.5 mln and work only about 6 months of the year.

    He hasn't been to the playoffs in 4 years but he knows going to a contender may mean a grueling 2 month hockey tournament. Then his body will take a long time to recover and his summer will be wasted.
  33. john doe from Canada writes: if you trade sundin you put in serious jepordy the teams ability to make the post season. now i normally hate the leafs and in fact today is no exception however the tv people would love to see the leafs in the playoffs because of the huge fan base. For a team that is 5 points out (the islanders do have a game at hand) is trading sundin really going to salvage your season or just put the last nail in the coffin?
  34. S H from Windsor, Canada writes: Sundin to Ottawa? Keep dreaming Senator hockey wannabe's. I don't even think JFJ is stupid enough to trade him to a division opponent. I've heard rumours down here that the Swedes in Detroit want him in a Red Wings uniform. I hope not, I hate the Wings more than the Sens!!!Remember that rivalry? Thanks Bettman.

    A much as I'm against rental players, if he does get traded, Toronto should at least get 4 to 6 prospects for him. Then they can resign Sundin in the summer.
  35. dan vanman from vancouver, Canada writes: Super Troll

    Danvan man-Canucks fan first, then a Laffs fan.

    Other than this...I don't respond to idiotic...insulting...moronic trolls like you.

    Have a nice day...
  36. Sandy T. from Canada writes: S H from Windsor Two things... It wasn't Bettman who 'ruined' the Wings/Leafs rivalry. He's innocent - this time. It was Toronto's long-term desire to escape the western conference that drove that move. The Leafs had been working on that for years before it finally happened. And as for the often expressed - by you and others above - pipedream that after a trade which nets all kinds of goodies in return for Sundin, he will then re-sign with the Leafs after the season ends. When/if he is traded, he will never return to Leaf land. Once he's gone, he'll be gone. Think about it. Once the deed is done and you've been convinced/forced to go elsewhere, would you be in a hurry leave a contending team in the twilight of your way-above-average career to rejoin the Leafs? At any price? Me either.
  37. Verona Raven from United States writes: "Once he's gone, he'll be gone. Think about it. Once the deed is done and you've been convinced/forced to go elsewhere, would you be in a hurry leave a contending team in the twilight of your way-above-average career to rejoin the Leafs?"

    Ask Wendel Clark...
  38. Bergeil DeBungie from Victoria, Canada writes: Super Troll for Prime Minister, he tells it like it is. PM Troll has a nice ring to it lol.

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