Man, is it quiet. With just over two weeks to go before the NHL trade deadline, general managers are moving little more than office furniture (tossing desk chairs in frustration?), further underscoring that the new collective bargaining agreement has turned the building of roster chemistry into strictly a midsummer exercise around free agency.
Not that clubs are without needs. Anything but. That's another function of the CBA. Because of salary cap spending limits, and the penchant of GMs to invest huge money in a handful of players, just about every club can use something, or a couple of somethings. Oh to be a puck-moving defenseman or a top-six forward. Or perhaps better stated, oh to be a GM with a spare puck-moving defenseman or a top-six forward.
For the moment, the market has a couple of important asterisks attached. The first is attached to Peter Forsberg, the second to Mats Sundin.
Forsberg will land somewhere soon, perhaps within 48-72 hours. Sundin, a fellow Swede, remains in the employ of the hapless Maple Leafs, with neither he nor his current boss, Cliff Fletcher, saying what is in store for the Toronto icon.
For longtime Bruins observers, Sundin's case is nearly a mirror image, a painful one, of Ray Bourque's final stand on Causeway Street in March 2000. Tortured over the prospect of leaving, but also unable to summon his best stuff for a franchise going nowhere, Bourque finally asked out of town. Had he not left, Bourque figured, he would have retired a month later. But rejuvenated in Colorado, surrounded by a dynamic cast, he returned to play one more season, and called it quits weeks after hoisting the Cup with the Avalanche in June 2001.
Right now, with Sundin about to turn 37 Wednesday, he is showing more pop and pluck in his game than Bourque, then 40, was showing at the end with the Bruins. In fact, after scoring in the Leafs' 3-2 overtime victory over the Red Wings yesterday, Sundin has 23 goals and 58 points in 57 games, which if nothing else, given his surrounding cast, ought to qualify him for the lead role in "Survivor."
His last words on the subject of a potential trade had Sundin remaining loyal to the end, not wanting out of Dodge. But he's not talking about it anymore. Ditto for Fletcher. But two GMs, unwilling to speak for the record, in recent days said they believe Sundin has given his blessing to go - provided it is to the "right" team.
In this case, "right" is likely code for Detroit, a club that could win it without Sundin, and one that becomes a prohibitive favorite if he has the Winged Wheel on his chest. The Ducks could become instant co-favorites to repeat if Sundin went to Anaheim, where the image of him feeding Teemu Selanne borders on the obscene. It's a far better bet that Sundin, even though he has never won a Cup in his 16 seasons, would opt for the closer, almost sure bet in Motown rather than Ducktown. Detroit is so much closer to Toronto, and it's all but certain that he'll sign again with the Leafs in July, unless he gets intoxicated with seeing his reflection in the Cup when he hoists it over his head.
Forsberg, still training in Sweden, began notifying clubs last week where they stood in the "Foppa" sweepstakes. The Bruins did not enter a bid, aware that the world-class forward had only sure contenders on his list. By the end of the week, Forsberg let the likes of Nashville, Dallas, Detroit, San Jose, Pittsburgh, and Calgary know not to keep a No. 21 sweater at the ready.
So, who's left? The list surely includes former Foppa spots Philadelphia and Colorado, as well as Ottawa and Vancouver, and perhaps Anaheim. The Canucks were the first to make their pitch last summer, when fellow Swede Markus Naslund hooked up GM Dave Nonis for a meeting with Forsberg in Sweden. Among the attractions in Vancouver: Naslund and Swedish twins Henrik and Daniel Sedin. The Canucks, though, had won only three of their last 14 entering last night's game, and they may be too much of a turnaround for the 34-year-old Forsberg, who reportedly wants a 2008-09 contract as part of this short-term rental run.
Once Forsberg makes his decision, and Sundin follows, that will ignite whatever trade market exists. It also could create a series of micro-storms, presuming the clubs that acquire Sundin and Forsberg look, in turn, to move salary or redundant pieces.
But for now, we all sit and wait, with the Swedish national anthem, "Du gamla, Du fria," playing softly below our fantasy pools and Stanley Cup wishes. When the music stops, maybe there will be a trade partner or two left to dance.
Go to sweep, says Turk
Count former Bruin Derek Sanderson among those who feel the lost art of the sweep check, once his trademark, should be rediscovered by the NHL.
"It's just a forecheck, but with a little turn," said the 61-year-old Sanderson, these days an investment adviser with Howland Capital. "Once the puck-carrier looks up to make a play, there's just that fraction of a second there where he doesn't guard the puck. And that's when you lower your body, reach out with the stick, and the key then is, turn the blade over and use it to hook the puck and take it back - hey-hey - and you're gone with it."
Just one caveat, said the Turk.
"In the old days," he recalled, "there was some danger involved with the tube skates. When you got down low to hook the puck, the other guy's skate could come up and catch you and rip your jaw out. The design of the skate blade is much different today. You might get nicked, but the blade's pretty well covered now. The chance of getting ripped open really isn't there anymore."
Too often, said Sanderson, the forechecker doesn't consider stealing the puck, opting only to make the big hit. Better, he said, for the forechecker to fake the hit, force the puck-carrier to make a move, and then strip the puck with the sleight-of-hand sweep check.
"A lot of people play the body and not the puck," he said. "Well, you have to play both. And if he's going to accept the check, then hey, don't hit him. It's right there that you make your move."
Toronto center Dave Keon, seven years older than Sanderson, inspired him to learn the tricky move.
"He was really good at it," recalled Sanderson. "I can remember sitting at home with my dad, watching the Leafs on 'Hockey Night in Canada,' and Keon would be out there stealing pucks with it. My dad said, 'Hey, Derek, that's something you should be able to do.' "
Selling points make Europe a wise investment
Pittsburgh tough guy Georges Laraque is less than enthralled that his Penguins will open the 2008-09 season in Stockholm with a two-game set against Ottawa. Meanwhile, the Rangers and Lightning will open their season with a pair of games in Prague.
By Laraque's eye, the NHL has enough issues to overcome in North America, and taking the game across the Atlantic won't make for better days in Canada and the US.
"Playing in Sweden isn't going to make the NHL any bigger," Laraque said.
The reality is, global is the way to go, for a number of reasons.
TV ratings here in the US, on both Versus and NBC, only reaffirm that the NHL is a very narrow broadcast sell on this side of the North American border. That's not news. And while there remains some hope that ESPN will get involved again - perhaps picking up a weekly game - that also is no panacea.
Europe makes great sense, if for no other reason than it puts the product in front of real hockey fans (see: Canada with its 33 million puck-lovers). Sounds simple, doesn't it? Those European fans, if captured by what we believe is the best hockey on the planet, become potential buyers of the NHL dry goods that stock the league's pro shops and Internet buying sites.
More sales mean more money into that shared annual gross revenue fund of $2 billion-plus that, in turn, determines each season's salary cap. The cap, by the way, is expected to increase next season from $50.3 million to upward of $53 million.
From a starting cap point of $39 million (post-lockout), a jump to $53 million would be an increase of some 36 percent over three seasons. According to a number of sources, the NHL's annual gross revenue, even before the lockout, was within a half-billion dollars of the NBA's. There is decent money in the NHL market, which is why pharmaceutical magnate Daryl Katz last week agreed to pay $200 million for the Edmonton Oilers, about 10 years after they were all but tapped out and ready to move to Houston.
Also at play in Europe is the potential for the NHL putting franchises over there. That could come via expansion. Or it could play to another point that Laraque mentioned, regarding underperforming US markets. The day could come when the NHL finally gives up on markets such as Nashville and Sunrise, Fla., or maybe even Newark, and "shifts" some of these franchises to the Stockholms, Pragues, Moscows, Helsinkis, and Londons of the world.
Etc.
The Russians are coming
If the NHL is going to get serious about expansion in Europe, it might have to get the plans into high gear soon. Big-money Russian interests put a foundation in place last week with the Russian Hockey Federation, with an eye on Russian Super League teams forming a league with other elite league teams throughout Europe. Could be that the Russians close the door before Gary Bettman and his brothers find a place to stake the NHL flag. Don't bet against Bob Goodenow, tossed out the side door as NHL Players Association boss amid the failed labor talks of 2004-05, being key in attempting to block NHL expansion interests over there. The Yanks might have to counter by rolling Mike Eruzione over the boards to set them straight one more time.
Time is money
Dion Phaneuf's new six-year deal in Calgary, worth an average of $6.5 million, includes $9 million in signing bonuses, payable up front in Years 1, 3, and 6. For instance, the young stud backliner will pocket $3.5 million prior to next season, then make an equal sum over the course of the season. When he reports to the Flames' 2013-14 camp, when he's only 28, he will pick up a $2 million bonus. Meanwhile, the Panthers no doubt will look at Phaneuf's deal as a means of finding common ground in a new pact with standout Jay Bouwmeester, now making $2.25 million and due to become a restricted free agent July 1. Headed into yesterday's games, the 24-year-old Bouwmeester was third in total ice time this season, with Chris Pronger ($6.25 million) first and Nicklas Lidstrom ($7.6 million) fourth. Phaneuf ranked fifth.
Unwelcome sign
Islanders icon Pat LaFontaine, who abruptly resigned amid the front-office charades that left GM Neil Smith out of a job, was twice denied a seat in Nassau Coliseum Tuesday with the Ducks in town. A request for a seat in the press box was turned down. A request to sit in the Ducks management box also was kiboshed. Finally, the Hall of Fame center, who joined the Isles directly from the 1984 Olympics, squeezed into a booth with the Ducks owners. Proud Yank. Dignified, well-spoken representative of the club as player and adviser. And no room at the Uniondale Inn. Shabby.
Mocked man
Ex-Bruins goalie Andrew Raycroft, in Year 2 of a three-year, $6 million pact with the Maple Leafs, hasn't won a game in Blue and White since Nov. 6. He finally saw some work last Tuesday, in an 8-0 blowout loss to the Panthers, when the former Rookie of the Year relieved Vesa Toskala after the fourth goal. By the end of the night, fed-up fans were cheering every puck that went behind Raycroft. "Clearly worse than booing," said Leafs coach Paul Maurice. Raycroft's line in 2007-08: 2-8-4, a 4.07 goals-against average, an .868 save percentage. And in many ways, Razor is the least of the Leafs' problems.
Flame-out
Just over two weeks to the trade deadline (Feb. 26), and Alex Tanguay is still a member of the Calgary offense. But with Phaneuf's new deal in place, look for GM Darryl Sutter to move Tanguay (56 games/11 goals/45 points entering last night), either now or in the offseason. He is on the books for one more season at $5.375 million, and is not in a Calgary core group that includes Jarome Iginla, Robyn Regehr, Miikka Kiprusoff, and Phaneuf. Too pricey for a club that has his money factored in a payroll already at $45.5 million for next year. Look for Tanguay to go, sooner rather than later, with Montreal the likeliest landing spot, perhaps for fellow UFA-to-be Michael Ryder.
Loose pucks
Ex-Bruin Rick Tocchet, another of the busts brought to Causeway Street late in his career (see: Paul Coffey and Kevin Stevens), got back on the job last week as associate head coach in Phoenix, following a two-year absence stemming from illegal gambling that came to light on the eve of the 2006 Olympics. Tocchet was hit with two years' probation for promoting gambling and conspiracy to promote gambling. Old pal Wayne Gretzky held the job for him in Phoenix. "I should not have gotten involved in illegal gambling," Tocchet said. You think? . . . Ex-Flyer GM Bob Clarke termed this year's Canadiens "scary good." Although, added Clarke, "That's a great, great team for Montreal. I'm not sure it would be that popular in Philadelphia." The Habs succeed on speed and skill, while the Flyers continue to prefer the forearm to the opposition's head . . . GM meetings are a week from tomorrow in Naples, Fla., where Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli plans to lead a discussion in how supplemental discipline might be modified when dealing with players charged with causing head injuries (see: Patrice Bergeron and Andrew Alberts). "I'm not sure what the answer is," said Chiarelli, "but I do know we have to talk about it." Chiarelli will find ample support in the discussion, given the increasing number of concussions throughout the league . . . Hockey East's Joe Bertagna, along with commissioners of the other top college leagues in the country, also will be in Naples to engage the GMs in a discussion over the dicey issue of college kids turning pro. Division 1 coaches, noted Bertagna, "feel the NHL squeeze" in a couple of ways. There is the old battle, which has clubs trying to sign blue-chip kids before or during their college careers. And there is also the issue, in some cases, of NHL clubs steering prospects to junior hockey rather than college. "The NCAA won't want to get involved at this level," noted Bertagna, "but perhaps the commissioners can be a negotiating party."
Kevin Paul Dupont can be reached at dupont@globe.com; material from personal interviews, wire services, other beat writers, and league and team sources was used in this report.
