Welcome Mats

In spite of the media's proclamation of Mats Sundin's inevitable arrival in Manhattan, he turned around and went west (Northwest, that is). Now the NY rags and radio honks are blasting him, as they are wont to do, but instead of emotional tantrums let's get serious and look at some not-so-small details about Mr. Sundin, shall we?

Mats Sundin has been an outstanding player and is a sure-bet Hall-of-Famer in spite of the fact that his name doesn't appear on the Stanley Cup (The Quebec Nordiques, who drafted Sundin first overall in 1989, traded him to Toronto in 1994 and won the Cup as the Colorado Avalanche two seasons later). In Toronto, Sundin never got close to the Cup finals, and as he started approaching the twilight of his career the last few years, he's been offered several chances to accept a trade to a contender but turned them down. Over the summer, the Montreal Canadiens were granted exclusive negotiating rights to Sundin. He would have been a perfect fit in Montreal and would have made them prohibitive favorites. But instead, he declined a huge opportunity to play for the Cup. You'd think a top player in his position would be breaking down the Canadiens' office doors to sign on the dotted line. Pretty odd choice.

Now, with the New York Rangers and Vancouver Canucks vying for his services, Sundin, after months of hemming and hawing, suddenly didn't give the Rangers enough time to clear the cap space and instead goes, not just where the money is ($10 million), but where he feels comfortable. Sundin has never been in the spotlight before, and Montreal and New York have the brightest lights (and the most pressure) in hockey. However, the Canadiens and the Rangers have a better chance of playing for the Stanley Cup because Detroit and San Jose play in the Canucks' conference.

As you see, it's not the first time Sundin turned down the better chance to win and he may never get these kind of opportunities again. The Canadiens and Rangers could certainly use a player like him, but in this case the pattern is clear and if Sundin didn't want to go to Montreal or New York, then those teams are better off for it.