Article of the Morning….

Elliotte Friedman’s blog on the Vinny situation is as good a read as I have seen. The only thing missing from it is an accurate read on how dire things are in Tampa Bay. Elliott’s analysis of the current financial implications and the realities of a trade of this magnitude are bang on.

“So, how many teams are really in this race?

Montreal, for sure. Vancouver definitely could be. It has cap room and prospects. Toronto has cap room, but no prospects. It fits Edmonton’s profile, since the Oilers threw bags of cash at Jaromir Jagr and Marian Hossa. I also wonder about a Colorado, a Dallas, or an LA.”

Take the Leafs out of the picture. It’s not happening. Could you imagine Vinny in Vancouver with Sundin??? Almost happened in TO!

“Lecavalier is a great talent, and a durable one, too. Only twice in his nine seasons has he played less than 80 games – 68 in 2000-01 and 76 in 2001-02. Those two things are extremely attractive to any GM interested in anyone with a long-term deal. But you know what’s become even more important to these GMs? Flexibility.”

Damn straight. Look at the ducks current cap situation, ummmm, who made that mess again ? 🙂

“Other execs are wondering what Chicago is going to do with Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook – tough choices despite Nikolai Khabibulin’s $7 million per season clearing this summer. Even Detroit, the model franchise when it comes to drafting, developing and getting players to take hometown discounts, has team-altering decisions to make. Henrik Zetterberg, Marian Hossa, Johan Franzen and Jiri Hudler (restricted) are all up, and Zetterberg is testing the Red Wings’ limits. (They gave Hossa a one-year deal equal to Nicklas Lidstrom’s $7.45 million, and a 10-year, $75 million offer to Zetterberg has apparently been rejected.) The Lightning themselves are in this situation because of the Stanley Cup gifts awarded to three players, Lecavalier being one.”

Folks- this is why it is good to be a Maple Leaf fan right now. Keep your heads up. If Burke plays this right he is going to be able to have a buffet of choices for top players fairly soon. Be patient. Wait until the cap goes down, then watch teams squirm to get under the cap! This is going to be interesting as hell.

“Then, there is the economic collapse. Teams are under the impression that, at best, the cap will stay the same next season, before decreasing in 2010-11. From Oct. 1, 2007, until the financial lunacy began in mid-September, 37 NHL players signed contracts of at least five years in length. That’s an average of three per month. Since then, there have been three in total .”

That’s right. How would you like to the Isles with a goalie tied up for 13/15 more years who has suffered long term injuries of late. The goal is to build properly. Our building is full every night. MLSE is patient enough to get this built properly.

“Managers exhibiting buyer’s remorse are recognizing a painful reality – that if you want to trade one of these contracts, you’re going to have to make the kind of deal that is difficult to explain to your fans. What they’re hearing from potential partners is some variation of this: “If you want me to help you take this contract off your books, well then you’re going to have to take my brutal contract. Oh, you don’t want to do that? Well, you’re going to have to take something else I don’t want – like a middling prospect or a later-round draft pick. You’re not getting anything of value from me for an asset you’re desperately trying to get rid of.”

Keep an eye on guys like Jason Blake and even, gulp Sean Avery…..These are guys who’s contracts get moved in order to accommodate other moves.

The focus in the trade market has changed drastically.:

“As much as Senators fans are making Jason Spezza the scapegoat, how happy would they be if Bryan Murray traded him for a mid-level prospect and a draft pick that wouldn’t be in the first round? A couple of different executives said unless Murray is willing to take on an ugly contract in return – and he probably isn’t – he may not get much more for his best centre. If you believe the whispers, that’s why number 19 remains in the nation’s capital. A harsh reality for the Senators and their fans. But, if you think trading Spezza is going to bring in the players who will start an immediate turnaround, you’re mistaken.”

This is the reality of life in a cap world. In the NBA they talk of trading salary slots. The NHL is moving towards that. For those who love trades and banter, it’s boring as hell.

“Considering some pretty smart hockey people are now saying they knew about the captain’s availability a week ago, chances are the Lightning know all this already. They might as well roll up the sidewalks outside the rink if they screw up this one. Maybe they can’t afford to keep him. But they can’t afford to trade him for what’s being made available, either.”

I am not so sure on this one. If things are as bad as I am hearing (and who the hell am I?) then I cant imagine how bad things really are.

Under 50 days to go until the deadline…. Buckle up!

Kaberle, Modano, Hull, Avery, Rentals, Caps & Raps… Oh My

I love this quote from Bruce Arthur. Can’t you just picture the scene in the Leafs locker-room, all the regular’s are gathered around Kaberle’s locker, they ask him about his NTC:

“”We haven’t spoke about anything, and obviously my status stays the same,” Kaberle said with an air of finality. “We can talk about tonight’s game if you guys want to.”

After a pause, one sharp reporter said, “Not really.”

That is right out of a SNL skit… whom do you think the “sharp reporter” 10:1 Howie 5:1 Jonas

Oh to be on the Dallas Stars next flight with Modano and Brett Hull… Let’s see, sitting in 11 a is Mike Modano, here is your boarding pass and in 11 C is Brett Hull, here you go…

“”I think we would have analyzed (the signing) a little bit more over the summer before you go into the free-agent market. Do a little more homework and detailed analysis (and get the opinions) of players who have played with him, or how guys feel about it,” said Wednesday the 19-year veteran.
“It could have been avoided, I think, but I think (co-GM) Brett (Hull) felt having him as a teammate (while with the Detroit Red Wings), he saw something in him. “Talent-wise, he’s a very skilled kid. But I think character-wise and his personality didn’t blend with the criteria that we’ve always had as Dallas Stars. Since Bob Gainey was here, we implemented a kind of personality and character-figure in Tom Hicks. That’s kind of where it went off and tail-spinned, and got corrected.”

One word…. Ouch…Gotta love when a guy like Modano suggests that maybe, just maybe it would be a good idea to do some , ummmm, what’s the word for it, oh yeah HOMEWORK before signing a player…. The fact that he references Bob Gainey is even more classic.

Good job of accumulating a list of rental players from Kevin Allen in his USA Today hockey blog:
Jay Bouwmeester (Florida)
Keith Tkachuk (St. Louis Blues)
Mathieu Schneider (Atlanta)
Andy McDonald (St. Louis)
Nik Antropov (Toronto)
Doug Weight (New York Islanders)
Bill Guerin (New York Islanders)
Gaborik (Minnesota)
Maxim Afinogenov (Buffalo)
Sean O’Donnell (Los Angeles)

Another great quote: “Citing declining sales, the CBC has pulled out as a carrier of Toronto Blue Jays telecasts.” William Houston, Globe and Mail. There is no surprise that the CBC balked at a rate of $150k per game to broadcast the Jays games. “Beeston said 145 of the Jays’ 162 games will be televised, 125 on Sportsnet, which is owned by Jays proprietor Rogers Communications, and 20 on TSN.” By the way, did anyone else here this gem from Mr. Beeston while on with Pad Thai (Watters) and Brady ” I am almost finished writing up the job description for Blue Jays President.” Please, someone tell me just how long that should take and what Mr. Beeston (whom I am a huge fan of) has been doing since he took the job???? I guess with the rate of signings and trades he realizes there is no rush to do…..ummmmmm, anything

A subject that drives Howard Berger nuts seems to have been resolved in the media’s favor in Montreal:

“Growing weary of widespread rumours and gossip surrounding injured players, Canadiens coach Guy Carbonneau on Wednesday said anyone sidelined indefinitely will now have the nature of their injuries released to the media. No longer will the team report such players have upper- or lower-body injuries.Carbonneau said the decision was reached following a meeting between himself, general manager Bob Gainey, vice-president (hockey operations) Julien BriseBois and the team’s communications department.”

I have heard the arguments from both sides. The anti-reveal argument is if you reveal a player’s injury the opposing teams will attack that injury every chance they can. The pro-reveal argument is simply, we have a job to do and you shouldn’t hide information from us. If the former is true then the injuries shouldn’t be revealed, the hell with the latter.

Tonight’s shows on both stations were the worst I have heard since I have been pre-viewing/reviewing the drive home radio shows on both the Fan and 640, The interview with Steve Nash was pretty dull and almost unlistenable seeing how Nash sounded like he was in an aquarium for it. Kudos to Mccown and Kelley for interviewing an athlete (they rarely do) and for admitting that they taped it earlier (not that it would have made a difference to any of us listening), which they also rarely do. Those who preceded Nash and followed were equally as uninteresting. Over on 640 the lineup with the exception of Dean Lombardi was really dull. Perhaps it was the cold weather, but it seemed to be a night when both stations should have punted. Here’s hoping tomorrow is better.

You know the old saying about a sucker being born every second…
“Sources say the team is expected to be sold within the next two months with current owner Jerry Moyes retaining as much as 20 percent.” That according to Darren Dreger, speaking on the issue of the Phoenix Coyotes. With all the issues facing this team, most importantly a 30 year lease with brutal terms (no parking revenue for the team AND a share of each ticket sold being shared with the city) it’s hard to phathom who would buy the team. That is not to suggest that the team isn’t valuable. Truth is many would leaf fans would gladly change rosters wth the Yotes in a heartbeat… Why someone would buy this team is beyond me…especially right now…

Hats off to Jay Triano for finding Andrea Bargnani’s game. Man, anyone else see him put up 31 tonight in another loosing effort?? Quite an impressive showing for the Big Euro.

If you are a hockey fan, you had to watch, with a smile on your face the play as the Caps defeated the Pens 6-3 tonight. Way to go AO and my adopted 2nd team the Washington Capitals!

Have a good night all

The Maple Leaf Crystal Ball

Mike Ulmer, writing on the Leafs website does a nice job predicting what the Buds may look like at the start of the 2011 season. Here are a couple of highlights:

“Going into tonight’s contest against the Montreal Canadiens, the Maple Leafs are 16-18-6, 10 points out of the basement, 25 points away from first.”

Always good to have some perspective don’t you think?

“The Leafs desperately need to get younger. To that end, I have limited the top two lines and top two defensive pairings to players 25 years or younger on opening night. Keep in mind, there will always be room for productive older players. Nik Hagman will be nearly 32, but it’s hard to think his game would not be welcome somewhere on the roster. ”

God I hope he is right about the age thing….

“On defence: Luke Schenn. He’s a sure bet. A little below Schenn, put Jeff Finger in the depth chart. Anton Stralman has the talent to be a top four defenceman but it’s impossible to accurately predict whether he will make the jump. I like Jonas Frogren’s mean for the third pairing and based on his ever improving play, Ian White might be considered in the mix. ”

So we are 1/4 right now. I love that Finger is still here if to only shut up a lot pundits.

“At forward: Well, Mikhail Grabovsky is the one sure bet. Nikolai Kulemin is in the minors right now, but he remains a good prospect for second or third-line status. Veteran Nik Antropov would be welcome, but he was a free agent back in 2009 and who knows where he is in 2010.

Ummm I think he is putting that at 1/4 (maybe 2 if you count Nikolai), which is 1 more then anyone would have said at the beginning of the season. No one expected to Grabovsky to be as good or at least to look like he has the upside that he has shown thus far.

In net, Ulmer correctly has a question mark.

“Realistically, the Leafs need nine players who can play on the top two lines and three more defencemen who can man the first two pairings.”

That is going to be a tall order. These players, according to Ulmer have to be under 25. Finding that many players under 25 isn’t going to be easy. I hope the pundits remember this as they grade Mr. Burke. Think about it. You don’t draft players in their young 20’s. Schenn is the exception, not the rule. I am sure the good folks over at PPP can tell us the percentage of players drafted in the first or second round play meaningful games in there first 2 years. I am willing to be it isn’t that high.

“That means the Leafs must depend on a steady flow of players from the development end, the Marlies. They must gamble draft choices for ready for prime time players (hard to find someone who begrudges the second-rounder Cliff Fletcher gave up to land Grabovsky) or trade.”

All this means that Mr. Burke is going to be very busy between now and the start of next season.

You can read Ulmer here

Brooks is Freezing; Simmons Aint Buying; Sundin’s Poker Face

A happy Sunday afternoon to all. Anyone else noticing that the city seems to have already started the winter break? People aren’t calling back, traffic is down, certainly seems like people are away pretty early.

In NY, NHL hater (and i can’t for the life of me understand why someone so biter covers the NHL as Brooks does) Larry Brooks wants the Count to initiate a league wide price freeze on single, season and playoff tickets. Not a bad suggestion, but what about the UNION Bob Brooks? I mean Larry Goodenow? How, pres tel can the UNION allow this? I mean what about the PARTNERSHIP, the MISTRUST, the HATRED you spew every week in your columns. Certainly the league can’t do this without the UNION’S permission. Funny how you don’t mention that one little peace in your article this week. This would have a direct impact on hockey revenue which would have an effect on the UNION. Had the league done this before Larry Goodenow, I mean Bob Brooks suggested it, we all know he would have been hopping up and down about the UNION…..

A rather dull week for Steve Simmons’s again. One part worth noting, Simmons is bang on when he asks just who is going to be buying Blue Jays tickets this year when the manager has given up the season already. Trade Doc, and announce a year to rebuild and I will buy tickets. Keep trying to be half pregnant and count me out. What JP and Rogers are selling, I am not buying.

Mats Sundin is in NYC to meet with the Rangers and of course play poker. The Sens are out of the race, and word is so FINALLY are the Leafs. The other team that is out is Chicago. For my money I would love to Sundin in black and red. As I wrote earlier this summer, the only team Sundin actually contemplated waiving his NTC for last season was the Rangers. I am moving my chips to the team Bob Brooks, I mean Larry Goodenow covers. Which is good so I can hear EYE and LT chear while a few others boo.

I don’t know about the rest of you, but I really missed the Leafs last night. Felt like i lost an old friend….

Larry Goodenow, I mean Bob Brooks can be found here…

Schenn(Calder?) and Burke(2 the Habs?) in the Boston Globe

Two interesting quotes from today’s Boston Globe:

“Brian Burke’s stepping down as general manager in Anaheim was abrupt but not unexpected. Look for the ex-Boston agent to get into serious talks in Toronto this week about taking over the Leafs. If there is a hiccup (read: money too light), watch for either the Blackhawks or Senators to get after him. Total dark horse: Habs.”

Habs? Habs? Habs?? I have heard lots of dark horses, but the Habs???? That would shock the hell out of me.

“My early candidates for Rookie of the Year: Forwards Derick Brassard (Columbus) and Kris Versteeg (Chicago), and defensemen Drew Doughty (Los Angeles) and Luke Schenn (Toronto). All except Versteeg were first-rounders.”

Kevin Paul Dupont seems more impressed with Luke then most of the Toronto Sports Media is, are any of you surprised by that????

Read Kevin here…

Quote of the night

“Joseph ended up with 11 saves and no goals allowed. Not bad for an old guy, and probably enough to get some nuts calling for him to play instead of Toskala Monday night.”

Damien Cox…

Interesting also that a few of you whom I heard from during the game were bitching that the vets were brutal, and Cox seems to agree:
“Stajan just looks lost, as does Alex Steen, and it was the same for both in Detroit on Thursday. If the Leafs were hoping the two would be leaders this season, they’ve got to be sadly disappointed.”

Anyone surprised by their poor performance so far?

Expect Gloating In The Press

So with a thorough thumping at the hands of the habs, expect there to be lots of gloating by our favorite scribes….

I didn’t see the game (was eating turkey dinner) so I can’t comment….from what I heard it wasn’t pretty….

Is The NHL Facing A Money War?

Interesting times in the world of money indeed. Let’s not talk about the world markets here, it is enough everywhere else. However, the Globe is running a pretty interesting story on the hockey $ markets, and it has me thinking, that this could get ugly….

“According to information compiled by The Globe and Mail from various sources, the six Canadian NHL franchises contributed more than $40-million (all figures U.S.) to their fellow owners last season, and about $50-million when playoff revenues are taken into account.And at the other end of the spectrum, several teams are becoming increasingly frustrated at the skyrocketing salary cap, which now forces teams to carry a minimum payroll of $40.7-million.”

It is amazing how the times have changed and how different things are in the various leagues. The Blue Jays rely on revenue sharing in MLB. Yet in the NHL, the Leafs (12m) Habs (12.5), Canucks (10), Flames (6) Senators (1)and Oilers (800k) are the ones shelling out the dough.

“Another part of the problem is that some teams build their business models around their revenue-sharing windfall and strive to keep their own revenues below the threshold where they will have to contribute. The Buffalo Sabres and Nashville Predators, like other teams who spend near the midpoint of the salary-cap range, are often singled out as examples.”

So, lets get this straight, you plan on making just under the limit to ensure you get the handout from the league????? What a great way to run a business… No wonder the PA is suspicious….

“”The cap was supposed to solve everyone’s problems, but all it’s done is prevent six or seven teams from spending $80-million,” said an ownership source who exchanged candour for anonymity. “Some folks are pretty upset: We sat out a whole year to get the cap, and some people are saying, ‘Well, why?'” As one long-time executive with an Eastern Conference team pointed out, the bottom of the NHL salary scale now exceeds the top-end figure from the first postlockout year ($39-million).”

Next to the “player to be named later” the “anonymous source” is my favorite sports character of all time. It is wild when you think that the league floor on salaries already exceeds the first year cap.

“”Some teams are pretty pissed off at the whole thing: We didn’t manage to get rid of salary arbitration, and some teams just can’t afford to pay their restricted free agents or arbitration-eligible players,” the executive said. “There are probably 10 to 12 teams that can’t afford a $40.7-million payroll,” added a source with extensive knowledge of league operations.

So, one has to ask the question then, what now???

The Canadian dollar exploded today (so much for a soft landing). The Canadian NHL teams will be taking in a devalued Cdn dollar and paying out in USD. Ouch.

You know who is going to pay for this???

“For example, Daniel Briere and Scott Gomez each earned US$10 million last season. They’ll both get back the $950,000 they paid into escrow plus interest and an additional $48,000 or so to cover the shortfall in overall salary payments.”

Remember, the league witholds, almost like a tax a certain % of each player’s paycheck as an escrow to ensure “cost certainty”, that is that salaries don’t exceed the threshold of hockey revenue…So guess what will happen when the canadian dollar heads south and the Canadian teams don’t make as much money or gulp, lose money? Guys like Daniel Briere and Scott Gomez aren’t going to be getting their 950k back. That will be a big issue when Paul Kelly contemplates re-opening the CBA…

So we are clear, the owners aren’t happy, the players certainly aren’t going to be happy, why did we have this lockout again??????

Mike Brophy on Sundin…Bang On

Finally, a great article on the Mats Sundin affair…

Leave it to Mike Brophy to hit one out of the park on this issue:

“When you thumb your nose at Bob Gainey and the Montreal Canadiens, who are legitimate Stanley Cup contenders and will be celebrating their 100th anniversary season this year, it says a lot about your desire to win.”

I know, I know, hie heart may still be in Toronto…however it says here that the guy isn’t the typical NHLer who wants to win a cup at any cost….He made that evident last trade deadline….. Do you want that guy on your team? Not me. Not at this stage.

“Some have speculated Sundin will take part of the year off and then return to the Leafs mid-season. If that is the case, then what was all that nonsense about the journey being important to him when he refused a trade to a contender last season? The Leafs are in a rebuilding mode and are long shots to even make the playoffs. There will be no significant journey this season.”

No, I didn’t write that for Brophy!

“GM Cliff Fletcher says he is open to having Sundin return if he gets the desire to play again, but I get a sense he says that because he doesn’t want to be known as the guy who shut the door on Mats. New coach Ron Wilson claims Sundin has lots to offer the team’s young players in terms of leadership, but again I get a sense he’d rather move forward minus Sundin. Wouldn’t it be better for everybody involved if Fletcher and Wilson united and said the team was no longer interested in having Sundin return? Thanks for the memories, Bub, good luck with your future.”

They should and perhaps they already have….I think it is becoming clearer every day he is going to retire…

“Also, I have never bought into the notion that he is a great leader. Too often during his tenure as captain of the Leafs there were negative forces inside the dressing room that Sundin sat by quietly and allowed to wreak havoc. A true captain would have put certain third- and fourth-liners in their place for the good of the team. Sundin was never a rah-rah kind of guy.”

Ok, this one will call on lots of fodder, but I agree with the guy and I think that is the type of thing Wilson has alluded to in his comments about leadership. That doesn’t mean he wasn’t a great leaf or a good captain…. I think he doesn’t have the makeup of the guy that was needed over the last couple of years.

I really hope he doesn’t come back to Toronto. It’s not that I don’t like him. It’s the opposite. I would lose a lot of respect for him coming back mid season because i took him at his word last year for not going at the deadline. He would also come back and be the captain of record of the first team to not make the playoffs 4 years in a row (most likely). Not a great destiny if you ask me. I would much rather see Mats retire then come back and take a team that should finish near the bottom, and make them finish a few seeds higher…what good is that?

Keep up the good work Broph, in this town we need more articles like this without the hyperbole

Has Mats Sundin Finally Made A Decision?

Kudos to kuklaskorner.com for finding this, as my regular trip to the NYpost this am came up empty. Finally there is a, ummmm, credible source reporting on a Mats Sundin rumor. As much as we loathe him, Larry Brooks, when it comes to rumors is much more tuned in then most of the guys we love to hate. Fact of the matter is, when it comes to rumors, he is more often right then wrong. One reason is that unlike Hanky he doesn’t report millions of them. I think he has real credible sources, and he checks them pretty carefully before putting finger to keyboard.

So when we read things like “Free-agent center Mats Sundin has declared his interest in playing for the Rangers New York Rangers this season, well-connected sources have told The Post. ” We shouldn’t dismiss it as quickly as do stories that emerge from plumber’s, boat mechanics that are most likely the realy source of Hanky’s stories. Brooks has written throughout the summer on varying interest from the rangers in Sundin and vise versa.

“J.P. Barry, who represents the elite, 37-year-old former Toronto pivot, has been in constant communication with Rangers front-office personnel this week, The Post has learned, though the conversations have not reached the stage of a contract negotiation.”

This certainly would be interesting to say the least.

” We’re told Sundin, who recorded 78 points (32-46) last season, has no interest in returning to the Maple Leafs, who have offered him a one-year, $7M contract to re-up. Sundin apparently has negligible interest in joining Montreal, which has been chasing him since February, or Vancouver, which has offered a two-year, $20M deal.

Indeed, sources report that No. 13’s second choice is Philadelphia, whose GM, Paul Holmgren, has been aggressive in his pursuit of the first-line center who could swing the balance of power in the East. ”

The swipe isn’t unexpected, Brooks hates Toronto. Who, knows Sundind list could be as Brooks suggests. Damien Cox astutely said this week that in his years of covering Sundin, he has never caught Sundin in a lie, so if Sundin says he hasn’t decided then Cox believes him. To that extent having this secret list would be a surprise….but who knows.

The 2 million dollar number mentioned by Hanky is dismissed by Brooks, and clarified as the current space left under the rangers cap. Indeed, Brooks says they haven’t talked turkey yet. Not sure how that is possible but I digress. Brooks says, as he has in the past that the Rangers will need to work (and they will) to clear space for Sundin.

I for one would love to see Mats go to the big apple. One, it has him in the east and means he will have to play at the ACC. Secondly, I would love to see him play in a market where he will get attention like he has never had before. As bad as we think Cox, Simmons and Berger are, they are NOTHING compared to the big apple. More importantly, we leaf fans are suckers. We have cheered Sundin from the moment he got here. He has never been booed. Just wait till he has an off shift or night at MSG. He will hear it. Something that he hasn’t experienced in a long long long time.

So, on this gorgeous Sunday, when traditionally things have been very quiet, perhaps we are all getting the gift of an end to the Sundin saga. Let’s hope so.

You can read Brooks here…