I hear a lot of people saying, "Don't blame the players" but you know what, I do blame the players. At the same time they are pledging their allegiance to the only organization that they will ever love, they are also placing a dagger right through the heart of the organization's future. Most of them are staying for the money or are hoping for a buyout to get more money. They obviously aren't concerned about winning the Stanley Cup, otherwise they would welcome a move.
IF you believe the rumors, and assuming that the Frozen Five (Mats Sundin, Bryan McCabe, Pavel Kubina, Tomas Kaberle, Darcy Tucker) did NOT have 'No Trade Clauses', then the future of the Toronto Maple Leafs could have been built around the following:
Mats Sundin for Montreal's Chris Higgins (age 25) + 1st, 2nd, 3rd round picks in 2008
Tomas Kaberle for Philadelphia's Jeff Carter (age 23) + 1st round pick in 2008
Pavel Kubina for San Jose's Kyle McLaren (age 31) - mostly a salary dump
Bryan McCabe for New York Rangers' Petr Prucha (age 26), Marek Malik (age 33) + 1st round pick in 2008
Darcy Tucker for Calgary's 2nd round pick in 2008.
Obviously these are just rumors, but it does go to show that the Leafs could have potentially had a great return for these players. Instead they could end up with nothing. The worst part is that these players are leaving Toronto one way or another but since they chose to be difficult in accepting their current situation, they have single handedly crippled the future of the Leaf's rebuilding process.
Now, what can be done in the future to avoid this kind of situation. Obviously 'No Trade Clauses' are a big issue right now. Players want them, GM's fear them. The only option left is to compromise.
First, eliminate the 'No Trade' clause and create a 'Limited Trade' clause. When a player negotiates a 'Limited Trade' clause into his contract, he must pick a minimum of 5 teams that he is willing to be moved to. Once a year and only once a year, prior to the start of the regular season, the player will be given a small window in which he can change his team selections. The player still has a 'stranglehold' over where he goes but now he no longer has a 'stranglehold' over the direction of the franchise. It's as simple as that.
I'm sure more details and stipulations would be added by the NHL and the NHLPA but at least the basic groundwork is there. The most upsetting fact right now is watching this soap opera unfold for the Toronto Maple Leafs as you basically have the inmates running the asylum. Even worst than that, the inmates will ultimately leave the asylum in ruins when their contracts expire.
Now with Mats Sundin, I do agree that he has earned some control over his destiny. He is my favorite player and I can't imagine the Leafs without him. He doesn't want to be a rental player and winning the Cup is "about the ride". Guess what, if Mats Sundin does not come back to Toronto then he will instantly become my worst enemy. If he retires, why wouldn't he have accepted a trade at the deadline to have a shot at the Cup. If he leaves Toronto via free agency, why wouldn't he have also accepted a deadline deal. So what if he wins the Cup as a rental player. We would still be at this point today irregardless. It doesn't make any sense and the sad part is that he may have possibly stained, even if it is a small stain, what should have been a stellar career as a Toronto Maple Leaf.
Good luck Cliff and Ron, I hope you guys can pull something off.
