From The Fourth Period [FULL STORY]:
As a number of clubs wait on Mats Sundin’s decision, Canadiens head coach Guy Carbonneau is confident his team will win the race, the Montreal Gazette reports.
Carbonneau told the Gazette he believed Sundin will eventually sign with the Habs.
“The Rangers and the Maple Leafs have signed players and don’t have any cap room,” he said.
The Canadiens have supposedly offered Sundin a two-year deal in the $7 million range.
The Canadiens have supposedly offered Sundin a two-year deal in the $7 million range.
Sundin’s biggest offer, which still stands, comes from the Vancouver Canucks, who offered a two-year, $20 million contract. Carbonneau, however, isn’t worried.
“It’s not all about money with Mats,” Carbonneau told the paper. “I’m sure he has plenty put away over the years.”
Habster:
I love Guy Carbonneau’s confidence or should I say cockiness but as I’ve said before, Mats Sundin can be an unpredictable/strange duck at the best of times and he has shown it on numerous occasions.
As stated above, the Canucks offer is still on the table and there is the possibility (as improbable as it may seem) he will return to the Maple Leafs……don’t ask me why??!!
Carbo is right when he says the New York Rangers have very little cap room to sign Sundin with only $647,824 left to play with.
He is also correct when he says: “It’s not all about money with Mats” because at this point in Sundin’s career, it’s more about the chance of winning a Stanley Cup ring. He can accomplish this goal with a very talented team like the Canadiens who have incredible depth and talent which Mats hasn’t had the opportunity to play with the last 10-12 years. Can you imagine the possible line combinations with Sundin at center in the Habs lineup:
- Tanguay – Sundin – Kovalev
- A. Kostitsyn – Sundin – Kovalev
- S.Kostitsyn – Sundin – Kovalev
- Tanguay – Sundin – A/S. Kostitsyn
- Tanguay – Sundin – Higgins………….you get my point……are you drooling like me!!!!!
Here are the biggest questions that need to be answered by Mats Sundin:
- Is there still a burning desire to play for a Stanley Cup?
- Will he feel a sense of loyalty to the Maple Leafs?
- How receptive is he to playing on the West coast with a non-contending team like the Canucks?
- Does he think playing for the Canadiens will change his legacy as a Toronto Maple Leaf?
I certainly like the Habs chances of signing Mats Sundin at this point in time as opposed to how I felt on July 1st. Though like any Canadiens fan, there is a part of me that doesn’t want to get my hopes up and be disappointed in the end. It’s just the usual insecurities about UFA rejections that go with being a Montreal Canadiens fan.