MacK_Attack

http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/2008/06/23/rangers_sundin/

That's one of the biggest misconceptions surrounding the Leafs. Nothing would make them more money than up to 16 playoff gates and winning the Stanley Cup. The problem is that the people who own the club have constantly hired the wrong people to run the hockey side of things. That's starting to change because they haven't seen a playoff gate since the era of the $80 million payroll. They're going to be god-awful next year, but that's because it looks like they've finally got it right and decided that they need to start over from scratch, and are shooting to do that with John Tavares.

Montreal's pretty set on the wings, they need a top-notch center. Koivu's a great guy, but he's not the player he used to be. They've got Tanguay, Kovalev & the Kostitsyn's on the wings, along with Latendresse. Their centers are good, but not great. Guys like Plekanec, Koivu & Higgins. Guys you'd like to have on your second line, but not playing 20 minutes a game.

Bingo. But, unless he wants to sit out until he's 36, he'll have to accept a trade sooner or later. Cliff has said that it's not his style to play hardball with NTC guys, but I guess McCabe is a special kind of jackass.

Rathje is off Philly's cap due to a career-ending back injury.

Columbus trades 19th and 67th to Philly for R.J. Umberger & 118th overall.

Montreal will be hard after him if they don't get Sundin.

Tucker is going to be bought out, so the Leafs needed somebody around to stick up for the kids. McCabe & the Leafs are playing a little game of chicken right now. McCabe says he won't waive his NTC, Leafs won't buy him out, but neither side wants anything to do with each other. Leafs want him gone so badly, that they're willing to scratch him every night until he accepts a trade.

Mats didn't play at the World Championships and has, in fact, said that he's done playing for Sweden.

TSN reporting that the Flames & Habs are finalizing a deal that would send Alex Tanguay to the Montreal Canadiens for the 25th overall pick. It is believed that the trade will be announced sometime during the 1st round.

Yeah, but waiting until July 1st allows a lot of other teams to start throwing money and years at Sundin. You run the risk of his asking price going higher, or an extra year being added, by waiting until he's unrestricted.

It's believed that the Leafs would receive Montreal's 2009 1st rounder, along with perhaps another young player.

Per TSN: TO CALGARY: Cammelari TO ANAHEIM: 17th & 28th overall TO LOS ANGELES: 12th overall

What does Mats Sundin owe the Toronto Maple Leafs? Absolutely nothing. He didn't owe it to the Leafs to move on, they owed it to him to let him do as he wishes. Mats gave his best years of his career to the Leafs, they gave him awful linemates. Perhaps Mats Sundin didn't want a team to give up the farm for him and for his heart to not be in it because he wasn't with that team from the start of the year. Pat Quinn signed Mats Sundin to his original no-trade clause. It's not like Ferguson had any sort of leverage to take it away from him. I make no excuses for John Ferguson. He was an awful general manager. But I believe that things are turning around as they're letting real hockey people make the decisions that they want to make now. Cliff Fletcher isn't a 'yes' man. I've covered the McCabe & Kubina contracts before. They're terrible. However, Kubina doesn't have a no-trade clause from now until August 15th, so he's on his way out.

Philly had to jettison some cap space.

Toronto has acquired the 5th overall pick from Islanders.

It's not about this year. The Leafs aren't trying to compete right off the bat. I believe that the Leafs offer to Mats is a goodwill offer that I'm not sure they believe he will take. This is all about setting the deck for next summer when Burke takes over.

Tanguay + '08 5th round to Montreal for 25th overall and '09 2nd round

Luke Richardson. As for one year, I believe it's all the Leafs are willing to do right now because they want to go a different direction soon, and don't want a large cap-hit Sundin on the books beyond one year.

I don't know about that. No matter where Mats is going to play this year, he isn't going to take a discount.

1 year, $7 million

TO CALGARY: Cammelari TO ANAHEIM: 17th & 28th overall TO LOS ANGELES: 12th overall

First official trade, Cammelari to Calgary in a three-way deal.

I believe it's designed to further entice Mats to go to Montreal.

Here's where I have to call you out on that one. The Leafs have their fair share of brain-dead, completely moronic fans. I'll be the first to admit it. However, EVERY team in the league has those fans. The problem is, the Leafs have such a massive fanbase that there's more of those fans and thus, it seems like every fan is like that. I believe the proportion of dumb Leaf fans to smart Leaf fans is the same as any team. It's just sheer numbers. Painting every Leaf fan like that is very insulting to my intelligence.