TORONTO (July 1) -- Having signed a trio of players on the first day of free agency -- goalie Curtis Joseph, defenseman Jeff Finger and left-winger Niklas Hagman -- Maple Leafs' GM Cliff Fletcher tells me he is not finished bolstering his roster. "We'll be signing a defenseman from Europe that hasn't yet played in the NHL, and I'm still looking to hit a home run," Fletcher said in a brief phone chat Tuesday night. "We obviously need a centre, and that's the area I'll be concentrating on, either in free agency or with a trade. I haven't yet given up on Mats Sundin coming back. But, we've offered him $7 million [per year] and Vancouver has offered $10 million. So, we'll wait it out like everyone else."
Though no one can be entirely sure what Sundin is thinking, it's obvious he is not jumping at the Canucks' mammoth overture. To this point, no other club has offered the long-time Maple Leafs' captain the same wad of cash. "If Mats were to make a decision solely on the basis of money, he'd go with Vancouver's offer, but he has never done that before," said Sundin's agent, J.P. Barry. "He still hasn't confirmed to anyone that he'll play again next season, but if he does, his choice of team will go beyond just the financial aspect. It will have to be a place where he really wants to live and work." Though it's incomprehensible that Sundin would leave $3 million on the table to sign elsewhere, Barry issued a flat "No" when asked if he felt his client's association with the Leafs has ended.
Fletcher still needs a No. 1 centre, and he seems determined to find one... if Sundin doesn't return. "It's not something that has to be done tomorrow or the next day, but it's a requirement before next season," said the GM.
As for his work in Day 1 of the open market, Fletcher claimed he was happy to sign a "shutdown" defenseman, and a "versatile winger" that can also score. "A lot of people in Toronto are asking me, 'Who the hell is Jeff Finger?' simply because they haven't seen him play," Fletcher scoffed. "But, [former Colorado coach] Joel Quennville told me he was one of the five best defensemen in the Western Conference last year. He played against the best players on every other team. [Leafs' coach] Ron Wilson told me he was always on the ice in San Jose games against Joe Thornton. Same thing with Jarome Iginla in Calgary, or the Sedin twins [Henrik and Daniel] in Vancouver. Quennville said [Finger] was his best defenseman in the last half of the year."
As for Hagman, Fletcher said, "he brings speed to our line-up; he's a good penalty killer, and he scored 27 goals for Dallas. There was a fair amount of competition [to sign] Niklas, and there was about 15 teams after Finger. So, we think we did alright."
Doug Armstrong, assistant GM of the St. Louis Blues, traded for Hagman when he managed the Dallas Stars. On Dec. 12, 2005, he acquired the Finnish-born winger from Florida for a seventh-round pick in 2007. And, though Armstrong warns not to expect 27 goals a year from Hagman, he feels the Leafs have landed a good player ."Niklas is a great skater and a tenacious worker," Armstrong told me Tuesday night. "One of his best qualities is durability -- he doesn't get injured and has played just about every game in his NHL career. He gives a consistent effort each night and you know what to expect from him as a coach. He's just a solid utility player that can help in multiple ways."
Indeed, Hagman has been virtually injury-free. In six full seasons, he has missed only 11 games. He played all 82 games for Dallas last season and the one before. And, he actually got into 84 games the year he was traded -- 30 with Florida and 54 with the Stars. He scored a thwack of important goals for Dallas in 2007-08. Of his 27 markers, four were on the powerplay, four were shorthanded, and eight were game-winners. He averaged 15:35 of ice time, and finished the season a plus-4.
The Leafs' decision to bring back goalie Curtis Joseph was finalized last weekend, as I wrote in this space. Of course, Fletcher could not negotiate with Cujo until Tuesday at noon, and it took a bit longer than expected to put a stamp on the dollar figure [700,000] in his contract. This arrangement is likely to extend beyond the one-season Joseph has signed to serve as back-up to Vesa Toskala. It could well evolve into a long-term relationship, in which Cujo works with the young goalies in the Leafs' system, and acts as an advisor to the general manager. But, that's obviously pending the approval of the full-time GM that succeeds Fletcher (could it be ol' what's his name in Anaheim?). In the meantime, Wilson is hoping that Curtis can give him at least 15 quality starts next season.
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