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Dithering continues in Sundin camp

TIM WHARNSBY

From Tuesday's Globe and Mail

Latest comment posted at 1:14 PM EST 01/07/08

‘Mats is still deciding on whether he will play again,' agent says ...Read the full article

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  1. Pat Billings from CDN, Canada writes: Other than Hossa and Campbell, it's a pretty thin crop of UFAs this year.

    Sundin should be able to take his time and still decide where he wants to go.
  2. Scot Loucks from Pickering, Canada writes: Billings.. this habit of agreeing with you is getting annoying... kinda like Miller. Hope it breaks soon.

    Neither Sakic nor Sundin need the money. I'd suggest (and agree with both of them) that they are waiting to see what their respective teams do in the off season.

    They will play for relative peanuts (compared to their market value) if they like what management does..... if not... they can retire.

    Cheers
  3. Rene L from somewhere, Canada writes: Its quite clear at this time that Sundin will not be signing with the Habs... too bad but it was a decent try by Bob to try to sign him.
  4. Popeye Dillon from North Vancouver, Canada writes: Sundin is hoping the Wings will offer him a one year so he'll have a chance at a cup. No call yet right Matts? Another Leaf captain who'll be a footnote in a few years.
  5. Rene L from somewhere, Canada writes: My bet is the Rangers sign him...
  6. Hap Stokes from Canada writes: Scot
    Burnaby Joe has a hell'va large following in the Lower Mainland.
    Gets standing 'O's in Vancouver quite often
    Sakic may retire (but he's too good yet).
    Or may re-sign with Avs to end his hockey days there.
    Sakic has only played for one club (Nordiques/Avs)
    And he once declared on TV he wants to retire with one team only.

    But I have a gut feeling he wants to play at home B4 he finishes.
    Joe is the Kleen/Cut Mr Canada type, like Trevor Linden was.
    Canuck fans just love those Mr Canada types.
    Now that Linden's gone, Sakic would be a hell'va substitute for Trevor
    Plus Joe scores more than Trevor
  7. Scot Loucks from Pickering, Canada writes: Signs with the Leafs... or he retires.

    Cheers
  8. Rene L from somewhere, Canada writes: Hap Stokes ---- No way Joe signs with anyone else but the Avs if he doesn't retire. You can make up any BS you want but those are the facts.
  9. Rene L from somewhere, Canada writes: My last post for the night... here's what the Leafs should do, sign Mats to a one year deal ( approx. $7M depending on what he's asking ) and let him know he is/was appreciated by the organisation/fans in his last year as compared to how he was treated this past year. That is what a truely classy team would do as opposed to having him leave on a sour note.
  10. Scot Loucks from Pickering, Canada writes: Hap Stokes... two of my favourite all time players... Sakic and Sundin.

    Sakic in Vancouver would be great.... man I would love to see that. Game two on CBC on Saturday night would be fun again.

    Totally off topic.... but Hap you asked me about my baseball career on another thread.

    Twas my best sport. Won OBA three times when I as 13 to 15. The Pirates (this was the early seventies) brought us all to tryout camps. I passed as a prospect. Twas kewl.

    Moved to Kitchener that summer and blew my knee out playing football..... that was 1973... screwed both my hockey career (Juniour C) and football career but I thought I could still play ball. Tryed out for the Kitchener Inter city team..... bunch of premadonnas and a clique... turned to fastball.

    Played inter county for about 10 years... blew out my shoulder and moved to T.O. :)

    Funny thing .... 51 years old.... hockey skills going down.. baseball has gone.. and my golf game is getting better. :)

    Cheers
  11. R Miller from Canada writes: Oh me nerves! The drama is getting to me...

    Actually take your time, Matts...

    Rabid Hab fans can be more than patient --

    In fact, that's how Gainey built this current team...

    Patience!

    BTW Loucks -- Just for the record... In the event that the Hab fanatics and Leaf fanatics do match up on the ice in Halifax, can you be a bit more specific about which knee is your bad one.... :)

    Cheers.
  12. Scot Loucks from Pickering, Canada writes: Both of them now Miller.... Me thinks though you should be worried about which shoulder :)

    Cheers
  13. steve allan from Welland, Ontario, Canada writes: The sordid business of professional sports. I won't be watching much NHL hockey this year. The whole thing is just one big turn off.
  14. Scot Loucks from Pickering, Canada writes: steve allan.. totally hates golf and doesn't like hockey.... I am guessing a recent immigrant that wasn't cheering for Spain :)

    Cheers
  15. R Miller from Halifax, Canada writes: Scot Loucks from Pickering, Canada:

    Both knees --- Ok, I got that...

    Which shoulder ?

    BTW Hating golf I can understand, but hockey ???

    That's unconstitutional, I think.
  16. Steve Church from Canada writes: Rene L: On the radio today, they said the Leafs did offer Mats a 1 yr @ $7mil with a no-move clause. Looks like the tug he's having is whether to retire as a Leaf when he might have some gas in the tank; or do the Salming/Sittler route and finish out with another team. If he's waiting for something, it may have more to do with who he plays with than the money or the franchise. He had a migraine year in TO. If you go back over the feedback, he didn't appreciate the org leaking his injury last summer (it eventually forced his season to switch off); the Org didn't respect his contract (but they did honour it ... because they had to ); and the locals reduced him to product with an expiry date. The idea of bringing back to make nice is great - but come the spring he'd go through the same grind as this year, wouldn't he?
  17. dc abrahamson from Nishi Iya, Japan writes: On the surface, if the leafs are totally committed to rebuilding there isn't much need for Sundin...that money could be spent on trying to find deals somewhere else, either on prospects or rehabilitation projects...

    ...however, with an eye on the future, offering Sundin on contract on more or less his terms would be a nice statement to future URFA that the organization can, despite its history with Keon, Sittler et al, show some class and be an accommodating place for skill and excellence, much like Detroit is now (can you picture Detroit playing hardball with, Yzerman?)

    ...besides, it's only for a year...

    cheers
  18. R. Carriere from Maritimes, Canada writes:

    Hmmm....interesting.

    I don't believe for a second that Mats doesn't know what he wants to do. He looks and sounds like a pretty smart guy. Perhaps the "loyalty-respect" thingy went out the window at the trade deadline last year.

    Next, if he wanted to retire, he would have announced by now, so his options are open. There is always this huge "pride" factor with pro athletes, so maybe he wants to see who wants him and at what price.

    Options?

    1) The Detroit Swede Wings: If he really, really wants a true shot at a Cup, and be with some familiar home faces, that is where he goes, but the big question is, does Detroit really want him? They won the Cup without him, and he will take minutes away from the younger guys and cost a lot of money. Maybe that's the stumbling block.

    2) He sits out until Christmas time, gives his 38 year old body a break, sees how teams look, and makes it easier for any team to gobble up only half a salary Cap hit.

    3) If he wanted to play in Montreal, it would have been done by now.

    4) Longshots? Perhaps the Rangers with bigger longshots Pittsburgh or Washington-I just don't see him in the west with the exception of the Swede Wings.
  19. Tim Cares from Canada writes: How is he dithering? He can take as long as he likes and that is what he's doing.
    Just because he is not doing things the way you want him to doesn't make it dithering.
  20. Frank Godfrey from Canada writes: Just go fishing, Mats.
  21. Verona Raven from United States writes: Frank Godfrey from Canada writes: " Just go fishing, Mats."

    He's definitely used to long periods of that come spring.

    Why go to a winning team when you enjoy a nice long summer vacation?
  22. dc abrahamson from Nishi Iya, Japan writes: ...man I sure wish I could treat making $7million a year (for playing hockey in the city of my choice no less) as an intriguing afterthought or perhaps as an option just in case I happen to catch my pickerel limit early...
  23. Pat Billings from CDN, Canada writes: Sundin or not.....the Habs should be a playoff team.

    Leave some cap room and make a move during the season. By Xmas, there is always a few teams who are on the skids and willing to part with some salary....then there is the trade deadline but that typically comes at a hefty cost.
  24. R A from Canada writes: Does anybody know if Sundin does decide to play and plays for Montreal if the deal between the Habs and the Leafs is still binding - or was that null and void as of today?
  25. Richard Keho from Canada writes: Well Matts shows his appreciation to the Leafs by letting the time go by so that they don't get anything from the Habs. Good going Matts. He'll sign with the Habs because he has to stay in Canada because he has investments here and they have the best chance of going deeper in the playoffs of any Canadian team. He'll sign for 2 yrs. in Montreal and of course the Leafs get nothing in return. Kinda like at the trade deadline?
  26. Earl Anthony from Canada writes: Sundin's best bet is to become a free agent and then he can negotiate the best price for his services. If Montreal wants him and if he wants Montreal then Gainey's got to pay the market price.

    I'd be surprised if he ended up back with Torontp after the way they treated him this past year. Fletcher wasn't exactly being supportive of Matts in giving the Habs talking rights either.
  27. jimmie rabbit from toronto, Canada writes: sundin is a class act - not so the leafs
  28. Tax my toilet paper, please Dion - I will use less from Canada writes: Sundin would have an exciting year in Montreal. The team is young, fast and is only going to get better. After years of being in a waste-land, Sundin would finally play some real hockey.

    But, as in all things, the almighty dollar rules. Can't really say I blame him if he goes where the big $$ are, esp. as his career comes to a close.
  29. Dave The Rave from Ottawa, Canada writes: Larry Brooks of the New York Post offers another perspective, byline today. " It is believed that Sundin will ultimately choose between the Red Wings and Rangers, though he is not expected to make a commitment today. A meticulous man, Sundin essentially will decide whether he'd like to complete his career playing for hockey's Swedish-North American franchise in Detroit - and the NHL's model organization - or playing in America's most glamorous city. Sundin for weeks has been telling his friends in Sweden that he wants to live in New York. But the defending champion Red Wings clearly give the 37-year-old pivot his best chance to win the first Stanley Cup of what has been a distinguished 17-year career."
    Happy Canada Day!
  30. wayne powers from saskatoon, writes: This thing about Mats being 38 is nuts. As you get older the game seems to move slower, but it's just that your brain reacts faster than a 25 year old.The young kids has speed size and good skills but his brain is still learning the way a game flows and the way other players react. Go and tell some guy who has to do physical labour that he's washed up at 38 and he will laugh at you. At around 40 you know what your body can do and how to take care of it. Where is the 25 year old player at 1:am, at a strip club getting loaded, where is the 35 year old (excluding Fleury) in bed sound asleep.
  31. Jim Labidio from Delhi, Canada writes: So because Sundin doesn't adhere to the NHL's artificial deadline, he's dithering? Dude's getting married soon, wants to figure his life out.
  32. Jeff Smyth from Oakbank, Canada writes: Mats Sundin has been a class act through his entire career but I have to wonder about his drive. He had the perfect opportunity at the trading deadline to select 3 or 4 teams that were contending for the Cup that he would accept a trade to. He chose to stay with the laughing stock of professional sport...in other news... to settle the Bryan McCabe issue the Leafs will try to acquire Sean Avery and offfer him a 5 year no trade no movement contract at 5.5 million per season. His roomie on the road will be Bryan McCabe.
  33. R Miller from Halifax, Canada writes: Pat Billings writes:

    "Sundin or not.... the Habs should be a playoff team..."

    Spot On!

    I see Sundin as somewhat irrelevant to the upcoming future success of the Habs ...

    If Sundin wants to be with a contender, that's certainly his decision to make.

    I think that it would be kinda cool to have a third national team Captain on the Habs for the upcoming season (Kovalev-Russia, Koivu-Finland, Sundin - Sweden,) but even that could even be a case of too many Captains...

    There are certainly other fish in the sea (Jagr, Hossa, etc.).

    In Bob We Trust.

    Happy Canada Day all.

    Cheers.

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