Draft Schmaft?

If you only read one article today (besides this one of course) check out the hockey news story by Ryan Dixon. It’s another story on how securing a top draft pick is not the only way to build a winner:

Consider if you will:

” the more you look around the league, the more you realize the folly of this sentiment. High picks are to NHL GMs what miracle diets are to the lumpy couch potato; sure, they can give you an immediate jolt, but if you want sustainable results, you have to hit the gym. In the case of NHL GMs, you need your scouts to scour gyms, arenas and any other place you’d expect to find a burgeoning hockey player who has yet to be spotted or has, at the very least, been underrated. That way, your ability to select impact players isn’t restricted to the 20 minutes immediately following the chorus of boos Gary Bettman receives right after saying, “Welcome to the NHL draft.”

There is no question about this. It’s never about 1 guy, it’s a team game and you will win and lose by your roster.

“Want three examples of why you don’t need famine in order to feast in the NHL? Start with Detroit, San Jose and Boston, also known as the three best teams in the league. The highest any of those clubs have chosen since 2000 is No. 5, which is where the Bruins got Phil Kessel in 2006. Boston has selected in the top 10 on two other occasions over that time frame, while San Jose has three top-10 picks, the highest coming at No. 6 (Milan Michalek). Detroit, as you’d expect, has none.All of those teams got to the top – and can expect to stay there – because they’ve done an exceptional job of drafting in the mid-to-late first round and beyond.”

Keep in mind folks this is in the new NHL era. It is the one reason I have hope. The old days of building teams are over, the need for an influx of new minds is every present.

“Once upon a time, the Sens were among the NHL’s best at unearthing draft gems. In 1997, they nabbed Marian Hossa with the 12th overall pick. Two years later, with the 26th selection, they grabbed Martin Havlat. But Ottawa’s depth has been undermined by its inability to continue finding players of that quality. In the virtually idiot-proof first round of 2003, Ottawa drafted Patrick Eaves 29th overall. Boston took Patrice Bergeron with the 45th pick and Nashville hit a home run with Shea Weber four slots later at No. 49.
The year before that, in 2002, Ottawa took Jakub Klepis No. 16 overall. Oops.”

Again, stories of pre salary cap NHL aren’t overly relevant. Teams operated completely differently back then (look at our leafs). The Sens much like the leafs (but to a different degree) haven’t adapted to the post war era. Their GM is still stuck in the old mindset. He has over priced talent that he can’t move and remains steadfast in their value despite their lack of production. Detroit isn’t a fair comparison. They were SO bad for so long that when they started to get it right they had built a system that was for lack of a better word recession proof. The machine was built pre Cap and still works post Cap. Let’s see what they do next season and the season after. The pressure will be higher because expectations are high AND the cap isn’t supposed to increase, rather it’s supposed to go down. The pressure to draft properly especially from the bottom of the rounds will go way up.

“I completely understand why bottom-feeders like the Islanders, Atlanta, St. Louis and Toronto are drooling at the prospect of drafting a John Tavares or Victor Hedman. Those teams are, to some degree, devoid of talent and need a new cornerstone around which to build. But being bad and picking very high for a number of years does have its perils. First of all, the boom only comes after a bust and who knows how many fans a prolonged down cycle alienates if you’re not in a market where hockey is the undisputed No. 1 sport.”

Thankfully that isn’t a Toronto problem. At least not right now. We have suffered so long without a marquee name (an elite, best of the league type) for, well almost ever! ( i know certain Sundin lovers will throw shit at me for that, but the truth hurts).

“Secondly, at some point you’re going to be paying out a huge amount of salary to a small portion of your team. For example, the Chicago Blackhawks will have to pony up for both Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews after next season when their entry-level deals both expire.”

Having two young studs is a problem I can live with. Dixon brings up the Pens with this problem too. I have a difficult blaming the fact that they have 2 guys who are going to make big bucks as the problem. It’s a problem when you don’t have a GM who knows how to put the right pieces around them. I mean no disrespect to Detroit’s grind line, but they are the type of team that they are because their muckers and grinders- Plumbers as Burke calls them are better then anyone elses. That’s where the good teams make the big difference. Great players are great. It’s the guys who get dirty where you need to seperate yourself from the pack.

“Fans of struggling teams can cry for a complete rebuild if they want, but a steady diet of top picks can leave you with nothing more than a bloated salary cap if you’re not supplementing it with a nice dose of hidden gems.”

Or some great plumbers!

you can read the story here…

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!

Article Of The Day…. A Little Late

I had to take the little TSM’s to school this am and with work and of course the weather I got bogged down. I didn’t see this article until just now when I sat down to read the Post. This whole Maple Leaf thing is really not that complicated. It seems that the Toronto Media (print especially) is LOST (sorry, I am so psyched for next week’s premiere). The season is playing out (results wise) as many of us had hoped. The team is playing well and losing lots. With the exception of a few games the effort has not been the problem, it has been the lack of talent. Unlike in years past when the talent appeared to be there but the attitude and effort weren’t. So, why, after everyone, and I mean everyone called for the blowing up of the team, is the concept so hard to grasp. The same guru’s who said it wasn’t going to be easy, who said it was going to be ugly, are now crying because it is painful. As I have said all along. The fans have no problem buying in. We have sucked for so long, what’s another season or 3. At least this time we are being told the truth! To quote PPP, we don’t boo the losing, we boo the lack of effort. Really, it’s just not that hard.

One guy who finally seems to be getting it is Bruce Arthur at the National Post. So while Gary Lowen is off….ummmm, well I am not sure what he is doing, maybe watching old re-runs of the Golden Girls or something,Bruce is paying attention:

“So you move into a new house, and it needs some work. The previous occupants had pretty much trashed the place – scraped up the floors, disconnected the plumbing, sunk the foundations, blew off the roof. It’s all painted blue and white, and it’s a mess. To be fair, there are some saleable items left. A Kaberle-brand dishwasher, an Antropov barbecue, a Kubina TV, a Ponikarovsky rug. But they’re only really useful if you can sell them off to pay for the real reconstruction, and that’s what you would like to do.”

Wow, now that is actually worth chuckling over- better then that moronic Gilligan’s Island cast story…..

“Because they are part of this franchise fixer-upper, the media only half-heartedly grills various Toronto Maple Leafs players about the spate of slow starts, or quizzes Nik Antropov about his 10-game goalless streak, or corners Tomas Kaberle in the locker room. It all feels like we’re killing time, on temporary duty, waiting to be reassigned to a different team entirely.”

WAIT a minute. the media only what?? Sorry Bruce, perhaps you haven’t been paying attention to this group. This “grilling” is as good as it gets! You weren’t expecting in-depth analysis where you? The hardest question asked by a beat reporter last year was are you going to waive your no trade clause? That is no joke…

“If there’s a temporary feeling, there’s a reason,” Leafs general manager Brian Burke says over the phone from Boston, on his way to the Providence-Boston College hockey game last night. “A team with our number of points, with our record, it should feel temporary.”

It is, what it is…It is what we were told it would be……

“It’s guys throwing anchors at people,” Burke says. “And they’re not even embarrassed. People figure if you’re struggling, you’re desperate. And we’re struggling. It’s not even offensive to me.”

This suggests two things to me. The current cap system is going to change so that the logjam blocking the transaction section of my newspapers will once again flow properly. Secondly, NHL GM’s should be seeing a ton more of junior’s and pro players then they used to be. There is no real reason to stay home. I mean cellphones keep you in touch anyway, but if there is no chance of a deal now, may as well be on the road looking at players, right?

“Struggling team or not, Burke is less than two months into a five-year contract, so he is not desperate. So he waits. He has truly taken inventory, now. He would like to replace some of the draft picks that were missing when he arrived, and he needs young players. It may not be in Burke’s DNA to lose games, but it is in his interest. “It’s not just a DNA question,” Burke says. “This is the tightrope you walk as the general manager of a team that’s struggling. There’s a difference between tanking and putting a young lineup on the ice that’s going to have some trouble. I think people can accept [the latter] and support that.”

It’s like the old SCTV skits, 3D house or horrors- where John Candy would move an object in and out of the camera… How does someone who is “trained” to win, resist the urge to do all he can to win. Burke isn’t used to standing by and watching his team’s season going down the pike. That, is for guys like Bryan Murray (sorry, couldn’t help myself). Burke knows what we have suffered through here and knows what has to be done. Anyone who suggests a quick fix solution to make the playoffs this year is a moron.

“Every Toronto Maple Leafs game is by definition a big game to somebody out there, but right now, what’s the point in getting exercised over stuff like scoring slumps or the penalty kill? The floors may be scratched up, but they’re going to be replaced.That – and the four-year contract – may be why coach Ron Wilson doesn’t have to sugarcoat his public assessments of his team. Yesterday alone he uttered the following sentences: 1. “We are what we are.” 2. “We know what we are as a team. We’re not a team that’s built [to], or that should be, scoring five or six goals a night, plain and simple.” 3. “I personally think we’re not surprising anybody any more, and that’s the realistic version of it.” 4. “It’s a rebuilding year, period.”

That’s right. Lay the foundation this year. It’s too cold to build yet. Pour the foundation, set the tone, start to change bad habits. Eradicate the pests and vermin. Then as winter starts to thaw in say 50 days (god shoot me if it stays cold that long) we can start the building…

“Burke says he loves some things about this team: The work ethic, the way they don’t get discouraged when they fall behind, their general adherence to the structure Wilson has put in place. Add talent, and they might have something. “I think people in Toronto have witnessed since 1967 that anything but a long-term approach is doomed,” Burke says. “I think people get it.” And so we wait. It’s probably for the best.”

It is definitely for the best. Even if we don’t win the cup as a result. There are no harm in doing what we are doing. It won’t be worse then what we had, that is for sure.

You can read Arthur here…

Watters vs. Kypreos – MUST SEE TV

This is the best ever!

McCabe Returns- Canada Wins and more

Canada won gold at the WJC…yadda yadda yadda. Congrats to all the kids and to good guy Pat Quinn. I really hope this lands you back in the NHL to a team of your choosing. Personally, I would love to see you in Pittsburgh Pat, a box of Cohibas if you go there and not Ottawa (but that is illegal jerry!)

Our old friend Bryan McCabe returns to the scene of the crime tomorrow night. Amazing how quickly the guy turned south. Acquired for Alexander Karpotsev and a 4th rounder, McCabe quickly became a fan favorite. Then 3 things happened. One the league rules changed, one change banned his favorite move, the can opener and two the guy got a BIG contract. The rest as they say is history. Someone out there will remind me of another player who fell from grace so quickly, but I can’t name one. To me, McCabe lost my respect when during the lockout he stated that he would rather retire then accept a salary cap, and that the PA would never, ever accept one (that is not a direct quote by the way). Of course, Caber didn’t have to waive his no trade clause that JFJ gave him but his unwillingness to do ensured his place in TML fans hearts forever.

It’s nice to see that Mccabe still has the brains “”The only thing that kind of stinks [in South Florida] is there aren’t too many people in the building,” said McCabe, who mostly has been paired with the shot-blocking Skrastins. “You miss the buzz, the sold-out, loud building for every game. But I don’t miss 30 people in the media scrum every day.” I am sure the 2 people who read Florida papers are gonna love that (even though it is true). No offense to Panthers Fan, but, ummm, when $17 buys you a ticket, parking, food and a gas card and you can’t fill a building the writing is clearly on the wall. At 80.6% of capacity on average, the Panthers are above only the Trashers and Bluejackets as the worst drawing teams (based on % of capacity).

So, there I was watching the NBC pregame for the big NFL tilt over the weekend and whom do I see in the studio??? Matt 0-16 Millen. Come on folks. This has to be a joke. Did he offer to do the gig for free??? How does a guy who’s record as GM was 31-97, the worst 8 year tally since World War II, get a gig on national TV. This isn’t the WFL, or the Arena league, this is the NFL. How does he have any credibility? Shame on NBC for putting him in the box and my sincere apologies to those who had to work with him. That crew’s credibility just nosedived.

Then on my drive home from cottage country I got to listen to one Jonas Siegel in studio hosting a show. The guy certainly is trying hard, I will give him that. Man is he green. He needs to be a little bit more confident and start to use his own shtick. His referring to Ottawa in the same tone as Wilbur is beyond lame. He does this all the time and it really needs to stop. Be original, come up with a catch phrase, a name or two of your own… Here is the reality, he has a job that many of us would kill to have. He follows the buds on a daily basis. His competition is Howie. He travels with the team. No one cares that he was a closet JFJ lover. Either spend a lot more time in front of the mirror or ask some of the folks at your station for some lessons. I can’t imagine that the flagship station of the Leafs is going to be much more patient with the guy. Having said that, based on his A&F wardrobe maybe he is an intern!

640 Toronto's Jonas Siegel

Speaking of creating names for folks, we have a new co-host with Jack Armstrong on the after lunch show on the Fan. The show is now hosted by Jack Armstrong and Richie Rich. Seriously, this show would be FANTASTIC, as in really, really good if Richie could, for one segment STOP talking about all the money he has. Has anyone else noticed that besides the phrase “back when I was a GM” his references to his money is his favorite moniker??? Instead of Hey Now Hank, it’s I’m loaded Doug “Richie Rich” MacLean.

Anyways, I can’t wait to hear what Archie Bunker has to say tomorrow night on 640!

Bill Watters

No Conflict In Leaf Land

Seems to be a common theme today that there is this great conflict in leaf land on how to proceed in the second half of the season. To me that is utter BS. There is no conflict. The goal is to build a team that will compete for years, not to sneak into the playoffs (maybe) and roll the dice. We have seen that play a few too many times. Players are nothing more then assets. You accumulate assets when value is low and try to move them when at their highest or until such a time you decide they retire in your uniform. Good teams realize that, so do smart fans.

I love this gem from Berger’s recent blog:

“We have season-ticket holders to consider when making moves with the hockey club,” he recently said. And, there is much prudence in that remark.”

The “He” is Brian Burke. I can assure you they do have to think of those who pay the bills when making moves. Those paying for tickets don’t want to see a quick fix or anything done to jeopardize the future building. I doubt there is a single season ticket holder with a brain in their head who is rooting for the buds to make the playoffs this year, or at least to make moves to ensure they do. I have said this from the time Cliff came on board. Get younger, get cheaper and lose the country club atmosphere. With the expection of the Sens games, lose every game for all I care, but try hard.

Every game I watch (Sens being the exception) I just want them to try hard. I really don’t care about the outcome. I think the season ticket holder (the ones i know for sure) don’t want to pay for 1 round of shitty playoffs year in and year out.

The time is right, the guys you want to move are actually starting to play well. Throw them overboard and load up on picks and young talent. This talk of conflict is garbage. As is this talk about Cliff building a team that would win because of his ego or reputation. The reality is, he took out “cornerstones” of a franchise that were devalued everywhere around the league and built a team that is outperforming teams it has no business outperforming (tampa and ottawa) to name only 2.

Sens Vs. Leafs- Stanley Cup For Leafs

Don’t really care the outcome of many games this year. Happier when they lose as opposed to when they win. With the exception of those games against the Sens. If the Leafs lost every game they played this year but beat the sens every game they played them it would have been a perfect season. So in this year of shooting for the bottom, games like these vs. the Sens are our Stanley Cup.

The Leafs are supposed to suck and are pretty damn mediocre. The sens are supposed to be in the hunt for a cup and well…..

Random Thoughts On A Snowy Toronto Sports Night

Some things have been going on that I think need commenting on, call me crazy (lots of folks do)

The Toronto Sports Fans apathy to the Raptors is at an all time high. The team is in a spiral and not too many people seem to give a rats ass. There is more noise made about the Jays when things go south then there is right now for the Raptors. I heard and read more comments about the Argos dismal efforts then I am noticing with the Raptors. Ask anyone in the sports industry what the worst thing that can happen to an organization and they will tell you fan apathy. The fact that this team is performing so poorly without a whimper of discontent does not bode well for the Raptors. I am stunned that more of the usual suspects haven’t come out a swinging at Bryan Colangelo. I guess the reason they don’t is that they can’t. None of them really know the game well enough to comment. I know, they don’t know hockey either, but with hockey they THINK they do. Kudos to Bob McCown for watching last night’s game(Monday’s) on Raptors TV repeat. The game was on TSN2 which I believe is only available via illegal means here in the GTA. The bobcat was playing scrabble with his son during the live event. Hey at least he watches games on tv!

Could anyone have predicted a less exciting start to the Brian Burke era then we have seen. I know, I know his trading embargo is in place and he is in a new gig learning about his new team, but man what a buzz kill. The build up to his reign was so HUGE that the fall off the cliff was due to be big but man has he been quiet.

Speculation is abound as to what Burke’s first move will be. Berger thinks Burke’s first move will happen between the pipes for the leafs. Dreger thinks it will be for toughness. Dreger even suggests that Burke has an itchy trigger finger so long as teams aren’t asking for Luke Schenn.

Speaking of quiet, serious props to the first radio station in town to get Sam Mitchell on the air. No coach has been more entertaining in recent memory then Smitch. I can’t imagine pleasant things being said if he ends up on 640 before 590.

I love what Ron Wilson is doing. You know that by now. However, I am starting to get a small sense of where things went south in San Jose in how he is speaking, at least publicly about Jason Williams. “Right now I’m watching him under the microscope,” said coach Ron Wilson. “If I see him get comfortable then we’re going to yank his chain around.” Nothing wrong with being a hard ass, but geeze, give the guy some credit. You call the guy up and all he does is score in every game. Would it kill you to give him a small pat on the back? I get the message and I am sure Williams does too.

You know I love the Globe and Mail Sports section. Clearly the most improved in the city. Not sure who wrote this gem as a byline to David Shoalt’s piece “Winger scores on fourth shootout attempt to ensure Toronto doesn’t lose to its former AHL goaltender “. Look Scott Clemmensen deserves a ton of credit. Why? He is making the most of his opportunity. Raise your hand if you think for one second he would see the playing time but for the injury to Brodeur. There are a ton of mistakes the leafs brass has made over the year, letting Clemmensen is not one of them. Claiming that the Leafs would or should be embarrassed to lose to New Jersey and their ex goalie is just baloney. New Jersey is, even without Broduer a pretty amazing team and their record shows it. Losing to them is nothing to be embarrassed about. Given the Leafs squad it is almost expected. Extra kudos to Wilson’s boys for eking one out in a shutout.

Things that make you go hmmmmmm. If Scott Clemmensen carries the Devils far this year does that diminish the accolades of one Martin Brodeur? My favorite New Jersey Devil of all time, ex head athletic trainer Bill Murray (no joke).

Successful sports franchises are those that appreciate the window of opportunity and just how small it is. In each league only one team wins the big one every year. Bad teams are unable to realize just how hard it is to be a champion. It is the smart GM who knows when it is time to admit the opportunity with a certain bunch has passed and make the hard and sometimes unpopular decision to re-tool. Recognizing that you won’t with a group of players who may be fan favorites or good regular season performers is hard. Actually pulling the proverbial band aid off an trading or releasing those assets is really what defines a champion. With that in mind, anyone else think that maybe, just maybe, the ship has sailed for some in Ottawa?

I say it enough times, I am not a basketball guy. However 6 NBA coaches fired so far this season and a combined worse winning percentage then their predecessors tell you something. Perhaps those teams are talent deficient and the coaches are the sacrificial lambs to pacify fans and owners. I agree with Jack Armstrong who said tonight that if he owned a team he would tell a GM before hiring a coach, when you hire this guy you are tied to him. If you want to fire him down the road, you go too. I know it would never work, but man it sounds good doesn’t it?

I am biased, but I really like former University of Vermont Captain Jamie Siffers. Reminds me of all the games he pummeled those nasty Terriers!

Sorry to hear about the 600 layoffs at the Sun’s parent company. People losing their jobs this time of year is beyond sad. If rumors are true that one of those gone from the Sun is Scott Morrison then I have to wonder who is making the decisions at the paper Little TSM loves.

Anyone else wonder what Jeff Marek was thinking jumping off Wilbur’s wing? I don’t know the guy, have nothing against him personally either. Since he left talk640 I have not seen or heard him and I thought he was pretty funny. I know he is on Sirius hockey night in Canada radio. Anyone listening to that? I sometimes tune into the XM hockey channel. I know that I am in the minority when it comes to satellite radio in this town….Not that it is entirely an indicator of performance (and certainly not of Marek that is for sure) but with the Sirius/XM stock at .15, that’s right fifteen cents things aren’t looking for rosy for the satellite radio folks.

Our respects to Ducks goaltender Jean-Sebastien Giguere, who’s father died Monday. From the articles I have read, it sounds like his father was an amazing man and even better father. Here is hoping JS and his entire family are able to make it through the holiday season with only great memories of Claude Giguere.

I love to ski. So reading of an accident involving chair lifts scares the hell out of me. (It also does make me think of that awesome episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm. When does the next season start anyway? ) Seriously. I can’t wait to take my kids to Whistler skiing and I have been on the Excalibur lift many a time. I hope that those hurt are ok and that the cause is soon discovered and repaired. For those who don’t know,” The RCMP say at least 10 people were hurt in the accident that happened at about 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, though none of the injuries are believed to be life-threatening. Fifty-three people were rescued, some after spending three hours in the air.”

Have the Blue Jays done anything, no literally anything to make you want to consider buying a ticket? Me neither.

Congrats to TFC for selling all 16,000 season tickets. In this economy that is, in a word, awesome.

I read tonight that the Yankees have replaced GM with Toyota and Audi as a sponsors of the team. In other news, Barack Obama was elected President of the United States. Could you imagine if GM were still the automobile sponsor of the Yankees. We need a bailout but…..

True story, I was offered a full page ad in this year’s superbowl game day program and 2 lower level premium seats for $40k with any payment terms I want through the end of 2009. Is it just me, but doesn’t that seem really low?

Have I missed anything? Oh yeah our first reported major snow storm is apparently here. I have a brand new snowblower in my garage. I was pretty psyched to fire it up. Then Joe Sakic had to ruin it for me…. Safe travels tomorrow am all.

OH wait, I know what I forgot, Thursday is Mats Sundin Day. Question, won’t it be interesting if he goes to a team other then the NY Rangers. You know I love McCown. He may still be right. What happens if he doesn’t sign with the Rangers? I know the world won’t end but someone will have some splain to do. For my part, “oh well, my sources were wrong” won’t just cut it. If I were Rick Toccheting on a prognosticator I would go with Hanky. I am pretty sure he has had #13 going to every team in the league at some point so he has to be right. One last Sundin thought for the night. Riddle me this. Do we get a farewell press conference in Toronto. Will we not get the tearful goodbye so many people here want and deserve?

Interesting To Watch Burke Towards 2010/11

If you haven’t already read it, get ready, it’s going to be everywhere. You will hear that the NHL salary cap will not go down next season, as for the season after, all bets are off. Remember that the Cap is based on the previous years’ hockey revenue. Given that much of the hockey type revenues for this year are already accounted for, next year’s cap is pretty safe. Next year when sponsorships are expected to shrink, along with ticket sales and luxury suites, the size of the pie to split up for the following season (2010/11) is going to shrink dramatically. So while Cliff did a nice job hacking and cutting the payroll and salary commitments for both now and tomorrow, the pressure is really going to be on Burke to act accordingly so that his team isn’t prevented from doing the things he wants at the time this franchise should be righted. In simple terms, you don’t Burke’s hands to be tied be salaries and contracts that aren’t movable nor desirable internally. Assuming Sundin signs elsewhere this season, we could be looking at multiple seasons where the Buds are significantly below the ceiling. Also Burke’s ability to pedal players this year and next off-season could be dramatically hindered by the almight dollar and teams’ need for cap precious cap space.

Going into 2010-2011, as the leafs sit right now , they are in pretty good shape. 5 committed contracts carrying a cap hit in total of $18,725,000. Jason Blake($4,000,000) and Niklas Hagman($3,000,000) are the only 2 forwards with contracts in that season. On the blueline, Tomas Kaberle($4,250,000), Jeff Finger($3,500,000) and Luke Schenn(2,975,000) are the only players with contracts. The Buds will still be on the hook for Darcy Tuker’s salary at the time, taking a cap hit of $1,000,000. Of all those players (Tucker excluded) I am only comfortable that Schenn will still be here. Hagman’s no trade clause expires after this year and there is no guarantee that come next deadline he couldn’t be a valuable trading asset. Despite a few good games, I am not convinced that Jason Blake will be here by then. Be it the minor’s or re-callable waivers, I am comfortable that he won’t be here. On D, I don’t have to get into Tomas Kaberle as his story has been well documented this past week. The jury is out on Finger. I wouldn’t be stunned if her was still around in 10/11, nor would I be stunned if he were elsewhere.

So, as the NBA sits back and waits on 2010 does the NHL too? How much does this effect what Burke wants to do. At some point down the road, Mats Sundin needs to be replaced. A franchise player is going to have to be acquired. Ideally this will happen in the draft. More likely, this player will come via trade/free agency. As the calendar progresses from year to year the age limits on free agency seems to get lower and lower, which should have resulted in more and more free agents. Instead, thankfully, I think for the leafs, teams have been locking up their younger players to long term deals at big money. How is that to the Leafs advantage? Well, if the cap goes down, teams are going to have to look to trim payroll. The value of cap space at that time will be at an all time premium. The less payroll a team has tied up, the more flexibility they will have. It really is that simple.

Tampa Bay, for example has 34,502,273 already tied up in salary in that year in 9 guys. The New York Ranger’s have 34,782,143 tied up in 7 guys…ouch! The Ottawa Senators have 30,526,496 tied up in 7 players and 1 buyout (emerson). The Flyers have 42,145,833 tied up in 10 guys. Burke is in good shape compared to some of his compadres. Does this guarantee success? Of course not. What it should mean is that if Burke is smart at the time he wants to add those extra pieces to get to or over the top, the could very well be pretty affordable.

These are interesting times indeed. I am interested to see how this plays out. I doubt that the Jeff Finger’s of the world will realize the huge dollars that they saw this past summer when free agency opens up this summer. That is not to say there won’t be a lot of movement. I think the top guys will get their money. Maybe not at the pace as in years past, but the big dogs will eat.

salary info form nhlscap.com

Wilson Gives Tlusty The Finger…

Sorry, couldn’t help myself. In any event. It was only yesterday that a few media darlings where asking why or how Ron Wilson can continually punish only the veterans when guys like Jiri Tlusty have been equally as bad in some games. Well the media will got it’s wish with Jeff Finger coming off the injured list and being activated for tonight’s game vs. the Sens, Wilson and or Fletcher sent Tlusty across town to the Ricoh centre to play for the Marlies….

Interested to see how many minutes Finger gets and what Tlusty does in the minors. Here is hoping Killer can help him out.