TORONTO (Sep. 16) -- For those who believe I incessantly tease die-hard fans of the Maple Leafs, let me begin by saying how impressed I am with e-mails I've received about the latest proclamation from Mats Sundin wanting to remain a Leaf for life. Sure, there are some on the forever-delusional side who swallow anything that has a positive ring about the hockey club and, in this case, are convinced Sundin's words indicate that he wants to stay in Toronto because he knows the Maple Leafs are mere months away from ending their interminable Stanley Cup drought. Others, however, are legitimately questioning both Sundin's motives and his sincerity.
Let's get a couple of things straight. First, Sundin doesn't have to go anywhere at the trade deadline this season, which happens to fall on Feb. 27 -- roughly 10 days earlier than in past years. He has a no-trade clause in his contract and can play on his own terms until next summer. That is when the Leafs regain a measure of control. They hold a club-option on Sundin for the 2007-08 season and general manager John Ferguson has not yet indicated that exercising that option will be a formality. Why would he? The decision is still a long way down the road and it's not at all prudent to make a statement he may have to wiggle out of when the time comes. If the Leafs are floundering in February and decide that peddling Sundin is in their best interests, they must ask the captain for his consent. For the delusional element that cannot envision Sundin in another NHL jersey, let me assure you that this scenario is not out of the realm. If Ferguson has proven anything during his reign as GM, it's that sentiment has never been a factor in club-related decisions. Nor should it be. Then again, if the Leafs are struggling again as the trade deadline nears, it's quite possible that someone other than Ferguson will be calling the shots. And, it's unlikely that person would look upon the 36-year-old Sundin as a cornerstone of any re-structuring plan.
So, when Sundin tells reporters: "If the club wants to trade me, there's not much I can do about it", he is being disingenuous. He knows he has contractual authority over any movement this season, just as Bryan McCabe and Tomas Kaberle do in their new deals. The question here should be: Does Sundin really want to stay in Toronto so badly that he'd counter management's possible desire to deal him by leaning on his no-trade clause? And, if so, what does that say about the long-time captain? This is where most of my e-mails are impressive. Many are from dyed-in-the-wool Leaf fans, who revere Sundin for his years of service in less-than ideal circumstances. As they should. But, even they are questioning his competitive instincts at a late juncture in his career. There was a time for many years when Sundin would proudly proclaim that his overwhelming number-one goal is to win a Stanley Cup before he retires. He always made sure to add that he'd love to do so in a Maple Leafs jersey, but his desire to play on a championship club seemed to override any choice of location. Has he somehow lost that desire, and is he willing to merely play out the string in Toronto? Does he bleed Blue and White to the extent that he'd continue with the Leafs, even if the club is hopelessly out of Cup contention? Or, is he just full of baloney?
This is not the most content period of Sundin's personal life (if there ever has been such a interval). He is an intensely private man who simply will not discuss any element of his existence away from the rink, and that's his prerogative. For many years, reporters would occasionally tease him -- at some risk -- for having "cold feet", as he spent the better part of a decade living with his girlfriend, Tina Fajerstrom. That union has recently dissolved, and many among us can relate to the emotional trauma of breaking a long-term relationship. There are issues involved with co-habitation over a period of years that bind a male to the same financial obligations of a marriage. And we all know that Sundin has a fair chunk of coin under his name. The point is: Maybe this isn't the optimum juncture to be asking the big Swede what he'd like to do with his future. Believe it or not, hockey players have lives away from the arena. And, those lives are affected by the same issues of people who don't make millions of dollars.
In a perfect world, neither the Leafs nor Sundin will have any complex decisions to make late this season. Sundin will pick up where he left off when we last watched him, and will spectacularly lead the Maple Leafs back into solid playoff contention. Ferguson will keep his job and will likely seek to extend Sundin's contract for another season or two. In an imperfect world -- where the Leafs have almost always resided since 1967 -- things won't work out quite as swimmingly. And, both sides will be forced to make some difficult calls before the puck drops a year from this autumn. As such, I put little stock into words that are spoken right now. Way too much is liable to happen between training camp 2006 and the summer of 2007.
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