Sundin Refuses To Trade

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Those who had hopes of their NHL team picking up veteran scorer, Mats Sundin will have to wait til possibly next year after the Maple Leaf Forward today refused to waive his no trade clause.

Sundin, a Maple Leaf all his professional hockey career does not want to leave the team he has dedicated his life to for the last 13 seasons.

“I have always believed I would finish my career as a Toronto Maple Leaf so the actual request was still a very difficult one for me to contemplate,” Sundin said in a statement released by his agent J.P. Barry on Sunday night. “I have spoken to and listened to my family and those closest to me about this issue. In the end, there is no right decision in a situation like this one.”
- NHL @ Yahoo

The Toronto media has not been easy on Sundin over recent weeks, with some sources claiming his refusal to waive his no trade clause will damage the team in the future.  The fact is, while the media and fans may complain about his refusal to be traded, they are forgetting that Mats Sundin IS the face of that franchise, and he has more than earned his right to stay in Toronto.

Due to his age, a trade would have put Sundin as a rental player, something Sundin himself completely disagrees with.

“I have never believed in the concept of a rental player. It is my belief that winning the Stanley Cup is the greatest thing you can achieve in hockey but for me, in order to appreciate it you have to have been part of the entire journey and that means October through June. I hope everyone will understand and respect my decision.”
- NHL @ Yahoo

The club now faces a major decision to make during the upcoming off-season.  Do they opt to re-sign Sundin, or let him go into the Free agent market?  Realistically, the best option for the Leafs would be to sign him for another year and let him finish out his career with the team he knows and loves.

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Is There More To Forsberg Not Returning?

We finally have an end to the ongoing Peter Forsberg saga.

Today it was announced by Forsberg’s agent, Don Baizley, that Forsberg has chosen not to return to the NHL this season, due to him not having enough confidence that his ankle / foot injuries are up to NHL standards.

To quote Yahoo Sports;

His agent, Don Baizley, told teams Forsberg did not have enough confidence in the strength of his surgically repaired right foot to play this season.

“He’s been hopeful that he would get the level of confidence that he needed, but he can’t,” Baizley said by phone. “I don’t know how close or how far away he feels. He was hopeful up until this weekend that he would be able to do it.”
- Yahoo Sports

As one who never shy’s away from controversy, i have to ask the question; is this the real reason Forsberg has chosen not to return to the NHL?

Numerous news sources have reported that there was a big race on to sign Forsberg, and that at least 8 different teams were trying to get him signed.  Dallas, Detroit, Calgary, Ottawa, Colorado, Philadelphia & Nashville to name just a few.

We know that Forsberg turned down offers from Dallas and Nashville recently, the reason is rumoured to be that they did not offer enough money.  In fact, sources claim that Forsberg, who is a high-risk injury player was asking for $5 million for next year and $2 million for the remainder of this year.  In the world of the Salary cap, that kind of money for a semi-broken, often injured player is, in a word, crazy.

Is there a chance then, that due to offers from NHL teams being “less than desirable” for Forsberg, he has chosen to wait out the rest of the year and try his hand at the Free Agent market during the off season.

This hockey fan definitely thinks this is something to ponder.

Tags: agent, ankle, cap, chance, Colorado, confidence, controversy, Dallas, Detroit, fact, FAN, foot, Free, hand, hockey, injury, kind, level, market, nashville, news, NHL, Ottawa, peter forsberg, Philadelphia, player, question, reason, remainder, rest, Salary, season, something, strength, today, Weekend, word, yahoo, year