[The Dude]

Originally Posted by blueandwhite

Embrace the hockey talk, Dude, and hockey will embrace you back.
Yeah the leafs do work well under pressure, when the deadline looms. And the islanders are tanking, so we can move past them - then it's the panthers, the thrashers, the Hurricanes. It's not over yet.
I'm wondering at why it was so damn important to fire Ferguson and bring in Fletcher when Fletcher has done nothing - as far as fans can tell.

Fletcher will do something, don't you worry, were still a good bit of time away from the deadline. I predict a trade of either Andropov(sp?) or he'll talk Sundin into moving to the West.

[blueandwhite]

say it ain't so.
antropov I'd give up. Take kubina. mccabe just not sundin.

[The Dude]

Originally Posted by blueandwhite

say it ain't so.
antropov I'd give up. Take kubina. mccabe just not sundin.

I never understood why Leaf fans seem to think of Sundin as gods gift to hockey. He's an above average player, but he only puts up the points he does because he's the player put in that position.

Take any second tier player, put him on the same line as Sundin, and I predict that they'll score as much, if not more than Sundin does. He's a good player, but on any big team, he'd be nothing more than a support player.

[blueandwhite]

have you ever watched team sweden play, Dude? he's the captain and the star of that team - and there are a lot of great Swedes playing right now.
they won the gold.

[The Dude]

Originally Posted by blueandwhite

have you ever watched team sweden play, Dude? he's the captain and the star of that team - and there are a lot of great Swedes playing right now.
they won the gold.

I've seen a few Team Sweden games yes, but not enough that I can speak of Sudin's quality based on that, but I know thatp laying International Hockey on an All-Star team like Team Sweden is a lot different than playing NHL Hockey.

I still stick by my claim however, that if he was traded to a team like Detroit, Ottawa, and other team already filled with players who are younger, faster and stronger than he is, and already have a strong offensive unit (Like a team that'd be interested in picking him up to bolster their ranks) that he'd be forced into a supportive role.

That's not to say that he isn't a valuable asset, it just doesn't come from his on ice skill. Sundin's real appeal is in his leadership ability, and how well he can rally his team to comeback from the grips of defeat. He's the reason that Toronto's been able to make all of those late season runs, just like were seeing now. There are a lot of teams that would jump at the chance to have an above average player who would be such a great asset to the morale side of a team, which is why I think Toronto will be able to get some good profit if they can talk hiim into getting traded.

[blueandwhite]

I do agree, he's got great leadership skills - he just is a leader - and how it makes him the player he is -so what happens to Toronto's morale if Sundin goes?

[The Dude]

Originally Posted by blueandwhite

I do agree, he's got great leadership skills - he just is a leader - and how it makes him the player he is -so what happens to Toronto's morale if Sundin goes?

Depends. If it's a strong trade and they get someone(s) who'll help them start winning games again, then I think it'll be fine. Despite being in thre middle of the pack for years, Toronto always manages to keep morale high, and I don't see that changing with Sundin gone, even though he is a great asset in that department.

Now though, Sundin and The Leafs need to part ways. The Leafs need to rebuild, and Sundin deserves a Cup, just for doing all he has to keep the Leafs afloat these last few years.

He should move onto a Cup Contending Team (Probably in the West, since IMO, they have the stronger teams) and Toronto should gets some young players and maybe a draft pick to help them build their team back up. They'll still have a few veterans in MaCabe and crew, and they don't have bad youth in the second tier, they just need to make some changes, and I think moving Sundin would be their best bet to a worthwhile trade.

[blueandwhite]

You talk very sensibly, but a huge part of me thinks, why get rid of the best player you have?
Seeing him in another colour- I grit my teeth.
But during the game vs. the red wings, i had a flicker of, maybe we should let him go. Imagine what he may achieve.
The heart and the mind - it's a constant battle.

[The Dude]

Originally Posted by blueandwhite

You talk very sensibly, but a huge part of me thinks, why get rid of the best player you have?
Seeing him in another colour- I grit my teeth.
But during the game vs. the red wings, i had a flicker of, maybe we should let him go. Imagine what he may achieve.
The heart and the mind - it's a constant battle.

He's their best player now, but will he be as good in let's say... 5 years time? If they keep him now, not only does his stock start to go down considerably, as in this "new era" of the NHL, the veteran is becoming less and less appealing (Save a few exceptions) and as his hockey skills begin to decrease as he ages, as do his chances to win the Cup.

He's had an amazing career in Toronto, but ATM, he's only going to slow down the creation of a new Maple Leafs team, a change that the team desperatley needs to make.

Trade him now, they can get some really solid additions to the team, wait too long, and the teams that can spare the talent to pick up Sundin won't want him anymore.

[Seahawker 562]

THe ducks beat the wings at their home 3-2 (kinda late, i know.)

[blazinsabrez61]

wow thats pretty amazing
beating detroit? doesnt happen much unfortunately but lately they are in a bit of a phunk
weird toronto can beat teams like the sens habs and wings but not the sabres