Excerpt from Toronto Star (Kevin McGran):
While the Maple Leafs began to prepare for life without Mats Sundin, the Montreal Canadiens sounded increasingly like they were preparing for life with him.
Insiders say Habs general manager Bob Gainey will travel to Sweden this week, likely Wednesday, to have a one-on-one chat, having been granted the exclusive rights to speak with Sundin.
“Anything is possible,” said Gainey, who added he didn’t talk to Sundin yesterday. “Mats may decide (his future) today, or Monday
Habster:
At first, I was very skeptical about Bob Gainey chances of getting Mats Sundin’s signature on a contract and while nothing is written in stone (pardon the pone!!!), you have to be more optimistic with the news of Gainey heading to Sweden to talk to Sundin.
Sundin must feel the love and the fact Gainey is heading to Mats’ homeland is a very strong indicator how much the Canadiens want him in the Bleu, Blanc et Rouge.
The fact that Sundin hasn’t come out and said he isn’t playing next year or he won’t play for the Montreal Canadiens is a good sign that he is seriously considering the option.
There are also quiet whispers within the hockey community that have indicated Sundin’s preference to stay in the Eastern Conference with the Canadiens being one of the teams he would like to play for if he decides to return next season. Cliff Fletcher isn’t a dummy and certainly knows he has a better chance of making a deal with a team Sundin wants to be with.
There are rumours that Gainey has dangled Mikhail Grabovski and/or a second round pick in front of Fletcher if Gainey signs Sundin. There are also rumours of Christopher Higgins going to the Leafs but you could forget about that happening simply because Gainey and Carbonneau love Higgins’ leadership and solid two way play. Giving up Grabovski isn’t a bad investment for an impact player like Mats Sundin!!!!!
Just a little point from the land of the falling Leafs. the Fan’s Leaf reporter says that the Habs are the only team Sundin wants to play for if he plays.
When asked on the air why Fletcher did the deal with Mtl he said it was because of the above. That is the only reason Fletcher dealt with Mtl in the 1st place, better than not making the deal and lose him for nothing after July. He believes he will sign with Mtl, if not then probably retire. So I beleive you can go and buy that #13 in red white & blue.
Also he says Mats wasn’t very happy with the way the events around the trade deadline was handled, that his not waiving his NTC, should not have been public and Fletcher’s reaction at the press conference, after the deadline passed.
Hey h.i.l.l,
Nice to here from a diehard yet realistic Leafs fan. I wasn’t aware Cliff Fletcher had made those comments….usually I’m on top of all media interviews but I guess the Fletcher one escaped my view.
As far as “buy that #13 in red white & blue” is concerned, time will tell but if anyone can get a commitment from Sundin, it’s Bob Gainey.
Gainey may not have the most outgoing persona but he understands loyalty and how to keep his players happy.
When I heard Fletcher’s post trade deadline media scrum, I couldn’t believe how he threw Sundin and the remaining “NTC” players under the bus for not waiver their right, it was badly handled by Fletcher.
In conclusion, keep your head up, h.i.l.l as the Leafs had a very good draft weekend (Schenn, Hayes and Stefanovich are going to be good players) and are fianlly starting the re-building process which should have been done two years ago.
Sorry Habster, but no way am I a leaf fan, H.I.L.L. stands for Habster in Leaf Land. I would swear off hockey before making them my team. Especially after 1993, I still hear 15 years later that they would have won it if it wasn’t for the “non-call” on Gretzky.
Also those comments were from Howard Burger of the Fan 590 radio station here. He is the leafs reporter and and the comments about Sundin wanting to come to Mtl are his. How he knows that you can only assume he has contacts in and around the leafs and Sundin.
I believe that the timing of his being named GM for the remainder of the year and Sundin leaving is too much of a coincidence.
Hey H.I.L.L,
First off, let me apologize for the tardy response to your comment……work tends to have a way of getting in the way of one’s passion but I digress!!!
I also want to state how sorry I’m about mistakenly thinking you were a Leafs fan…..wow, talk about the ultimate insult to a Habs fan or any hockey fan for that matter!!!
Unfortunately, when you wrote H.I.L.L, it didn’t quite click in my little brain.
H.I.L.L, what’s your gut say about the Sundin situation?….let me know what you think as you’re one of the more knowledgeable All Habs readers.
To be really honest I’m not too sure what Mats is going to do. What is funny is alot of Leafs beat writers and reporters are on both sides. Some say it is only a matter of time for Sundin to decide if he is playing or not. That Habs are a perfect fit for him and vice versa. So it is either play with Habs or retire. But there are also some who agree and therefore say if he hasn’t decided already he probably doesn’t want to go. My gut tells me he is deciding whether he wants to play again or not. I believe he has pretty much ruled the leafs out for what happened last year and what we see is happening this off-season there. I also believe the Leafs aren’t really serious about resigning him since they want Tavares and Sundin would get them out of the Lottery, or close to it. So it will Come down to whether he wants to play or not and is Mtl. where he wants to go? I beleive it will come down to Mtl, Ottawa, Detroit or Rangers. If the Rangers sign Jagr, I think they will go after something cheaper. Detroit is an interesting option but you keep hearing that he wants to stay in the East because of the travel involved and at his age it is an issue. Ottawa is a team no one is talking about and one which may come into play depending on their cap room.
I think it may come down to Ottawa and Mtl. because intially reports was he wanted to stay in Canada and in the East, so that leaves 2 teams. And it depends on who is looking for something after the 1st week of free agency because 1 thing is for sure if you follow his previous tendencies, he won’t decide before July 1st or anytine soon after.
Sorry for the long winded answer but when it comes to Sundin there are no simple answers. Let’s keep all our fingers and toes crossed that he chooses Mtl.
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