Fan In Van

How Much Longer?

A full 31 days after Mike Gillis dropped an atomic bomb on the NHL with a 20 million dollar offer for two years  to Mats Sundin, the Swede who has racked up Hall of Fame credentials with the Toronto Maple Leafs and Quebec Nordiques still has not decided on where to go and whether to play.

Call him a Drama Queen if you want, but the experts are right when they say Sundin has earned the right to wait and carefully make a decision. But while he is contemplating his future in Sweden, there are half a dozen NHL teams (three being Canadian clubs) whose teams are being held hostage while Mats waits on making a decision.

For Mike Gillis and the Canucks, the wait significantly handcuffs the team. By refusing to spend that $10M in cap space, the club missed the boat on a ton of free agent talent. And if the season started today, the Canucks would be heading into training camp without a legitimate second line.

I’m hoping the team has a real good Plan B or C in the event Mats Sundin does not sign, because it seems like the longer he takes to make a decision, the more likely it seems he is leaning towards retirement. And clearly, when you have an offer for a deal which would make you the NHL’s highest paid player annually, it seems money isn’t what is most important.

How confident would you be going into the season with Michael Grabner and Cody Hodgson anchoring the second line? Or could you see Mike Gillis making moves to try and keep the club competitive?

So much for the August 1st deadline.