MacK_Attack

Correct, you buyout players who contribute negatively to your team, who have horrendous contracts and that would be a negative influence on your younger players. Darcy Tucker could fit into all three of those categories. There was clearly four players that they targeted as being a negative force around the team, those being Wellwood, Tucker, Raycroft & McCabe. They weren't bad enough to get the 1st overall pick....they are now.

So what they should do is keep the core together that has failed to make the playoffs for three straight years? The last thing Kyle Wellwood has ever been is a heart & soul player. Tucker hasn't been a heart & soul player since 2004.

The reality of NHL business dynamics when it comes to young players now is that you have to pay players based on potential once their entry-level deal is up.

I don't think anybody in the Sundin camp has ever said or insinuated that Detroit would be a good fit. However, a weak free agent crop and the fact that Mats has yet to experience a drop-off in play means he's going to get top-dollar for his services. But, Mats has always stated that he doesn't want to be a guy hanging on to his NHL career, that if he wasn't the top guy on the team, he would pack in it. As quiet and reserved as a guy like Mats is, he's got an ego and so does pretty well anybody else in the NHL. He took his paycut last season, now he's looking to get his last big contract before his career ends.

http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=242044&amp...os=secStory_nhl

Can't argue with that. Not really an issue for Sundin. He's said that he's so "Canadian" now that he even thinks in his head in English. It's said he would prefer to avoid the Western Conference travel. Also, I don't think he's too worried about coming back to Toronto as a visitor. Mats has always maintained that he wants to be a go-to guy on any team he plays for and doesn't want to be a second-fiddle type of guy. Has said he would retire rather than not play on the first line. Doesn't really have any family in Toronto. Just his fiance, who is Swedish. He's not taking a paycut, he's getting a raise. He hasn't turned down Montreal yet, as he hasn't given them a chance to formally make an offer. The Sundin side is waiting to see what the Rangers offer.

Zetterberg said he thought Mats would re-sign with the Leafs, and that really doesn't seem like the case.

Apparently, Sundin's first choice is the Rangers.

I would think that they'll be targeting Redden. Campbell might get too much coin for their liking. I could also see them trying to land Pavel Kubina.

Watch out for Nikolai Kulemin next year. Does Doug Gilmour ring a bell?

Ballard, Boynton and 49th Overall to Florida for Jokinen

They had a deal to get Jeff Carter & 1st round pick at the deadline last year, but Kaberle wouldn't waive his NTC. However, if (when) the Leafs miss the playoffs this season, Kaberle's got the same stipulation in his contract that he loses his NTC for the summer of 2009. That's when he'll get shipped off. 29 teams will be lined up to get a crack at Kaberle at $4.25 million.

According to her ass, the lifeguard.

They're blowing up a core that hasn't worked for a long time. They aren't going to lose for the sake of getting the 1st overall pick, they're going to lose because it takes little while to overhaul a roster and make it competitive again. ...Harry Neale is no longer associated with the Leafs and is barely associated with Hockey Night in Canada.

That's fine. They'll get something for either McCabe or Kubina, maybe both. They'll be in a position to get either Tavares or Hedman in next year's draft.

But they're FINALLY doing it right. They're finally starting from scratch. This is something a lot of fans have wanted for the past half-decade or so. Tucker's not the player he used to be, and this further removes any traces of John Ferguson. Next up, Pavel Kubina & Bryan McCabe.

Sundin played on a line with Andreychuk & Gilmour when he first came to Toronto. That was probably the best line he was a part of.

Sundin's bitter at the Leafs for letting the trade speculation run as rampant as it did when he told them in January that he was not going to accept a trade. He's also apparently ticked off at Fletcher because Cliff repeatedly asked him to waive his no-trade even after Mats had told him he would not be traded. There's more to it than just leaving for the sake of going to a contender. Also, I believe it was Fletcher who leaked that he had offered Sundin the $7 million on a one year deal, not J.P. Barry.

He's never said that.

I'm not sure where you got your numbers, but Sundin has not put up fewer than 72 points in any of the past five seasons. In fact, he's never had a season with fewer than 72 points, save for the lockout-shortened 1995 season, when he had 47 points in 47 games. The lack of top-end players on the free market means there will literally be dozens of bidders for Sundin.

You guys should be looking at a guy like Alex Auld. He'd be pretty solid for you.

Being on the open market should get him at least $7.5 million per year for two years. There's also still the potential of a sign-and-trade with Toronto after July 1st.

Wellwood's got all the skill in the world, he can stickhandle in a phonebooth. Problem with him, is that he doesn't give two you-know-what's about conditioning, and he gets hurt in a gentle breeze. Also, his defensive game is non-existant and he tends to float more often than not. Really good little player when he wants to be, though.

You can have him.

He takes his sweet-ass time making decisions. I'm sure Mats will wait until 11:59pm on June 30th to decide if he's going to go to Montreal.