An excerpt from TSN:
“I will make a decision in the end of July or beginning of August,” Sundin told the newspaper. “If I am going to play it’s for the full season and I want to be there from the beginning of August.”
The Canucks and Montreal Canadiens have long been reported as the leading suitors for his services, and the 17-year NHL veteran hasn’t ruled out his former team either.
“The Maple Leafs are not out of the picture if I decide to play,” he told Aftonbladet. “They made me a very good offer, even if it isn’t even close to what the Canucks have offered. But I have been in Toronto for 13 seasons and it is like home to me. Nothing is out of the picture. I got a very good offer from them as well as one from Montreal. But Vancouver’s contract was in a class by itself if you look only at the money.”
“It is very flattering at my age,” Sundin said of the Canucks’ deal. “And it unusual to offer a two-year contract to a 37-year-old. But I will start thinking of the offers the day I decide to go on for another season. I have to be sure that I have the energy to go through another season at this level.”
Habster:
Sundin isn’t coming out and saying he doesn’t want to play in Montreal but if you read between the lines, the Canadiens aren’t mentioned very prominently in his comments:
“I got a very good offer from them (Toronto) as well as one from Montreal.”
Not exactly an encouraging or glowing endorsement which is rather frustrating for Hab fans when you consider the Canadiens are the defending Eastern Conference champions and a legitimate Stanley Cup contender. Why wouldn’t Mats Sundin want to play for the Canadiens for a real shot at winning the Cup and being involved in the Canadiens centennial celebration year?
He also talks in more depth about the Vancouver offer as being “in a class by itself” and that he has not ruled out a return to the Maple Leafs, “The Maple Leafs are not out of the picture if I decide to play”.
Why in the world would he want to return to a re-building team like the Leafs at the age of 37 especially how they handled last year’s trade deadline situation. I guess familarity breeds loyalty and Sundin’s choice isn’t about winning a Stanley Cup. He has won an Olympic gold medal and world championships throughout his international career so winning a Cup probably isn’t a priority or big deal for him.
There are the tax and media issues which have limited the Habs’ ability to attract high end UFA talent but I’m sure this isn’t or shouldn’t (???) be about money or the media at least not for one year. It should be about winning an NHL championship at the twilight days of a great hockey player’s career, something Sundin has never accomplished in his 17 year NHL career.