Canucks & Beyond
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Sundin Dollars & Common Sense
by Alanah McGinley on 10/31/08 at 09:31 PM ET
Comments (3)
Thursday in Los Angeles, Mats Sundin attended the Canucks/Kings game in the company of his agent, along with Vancouver’s GM Mike Gillis. Gillis has professed the interaction didn’t include any noteworthy business talk, but that doesn’t mean the NHL in general isn’t a bit intrigued.
Whether Sundin were to join the Canucks or not is a contentious issue—certainly, there are plenty who still feel the Leafs are front-runners for his services. But whether Canucks fans want or don’t want Sundin to join their favorite team, is there anyone that thinks that available dollars is actually the deciding issue for the team?
Matthew Sekeres at the Globe & Mail has the notion that it is:
First of all, the Canucks no longer have $10-million (all figures U.S.) in available cap space, it’s closer to $8.8-million, so their much-discussed eight-figure offer to Sundin has to be amended. Also, because the Canucks are nearly one 1/8 through their season, that must be reflected in the new offer.
But there’s another complication as well. Because Sundin has dithered for so long—remember that the $10-million offer was tabled on July 1—not only would Vancouver have to reduce the compensation it was willing to give Sundin, it must also feel him out on whether he agrees with taking less and allowing the Canucks to make some other moves later this season.
If you ask me (which you didn’t, but hey, what the hell...) whether Sundin takes a contract with the Canucks or anyone else, money isn’t the primary issue; the ability to contend for a successful season, as well as play in a city that he wants to live in, are probably paramount issues in his mind. And that means I’d be putting most of my bets on his playing for the New York Rangers or the Montreal Canadiens by the end of November.
But obviously this is The Real World, too. Money is also relevant and no doubt a big part of how Vancouver got his attention.
Yet money is by no means the only issue for the guy, or he would be playing for the team already.
The season may be 1/8th over but Sundin isn’t exactly ready to return to the NHL by the next game on the schedule. So I submit that you can count on at least 20% of the season being gone by the time Sundin can play a game— missing 16.4 games at that point—and so pro-rating the Canucks $10 million offer would drop the dollars down to $8 million.
Assuming that Sundin may need even more time to prepare—and that he’d be willing to concede the fact that the team does need to preserve some salary cap space (which is in his interest, too, if he wants to find success with the club) I think it’s possible that $7.5 million is closer to the dollar amount he’d ultimately settle on from the team. And less than that if he doesn’t return to the league for 3-4 more weeks.
In such a scenario, that would leave the Canucks with some cash reserves, plus—if you still wish to assume that money is everything to Sundin—give him the largest possible payout that any team is liable to offer him for a shortened season.
Again, I’m not arguing that the Canucks should sign Sundin, just that whether they do or not isn’t particularly a question of money.
Filed in: vancouver canucks | Canucks and Beyond | Permalink
Tags: mats+sundin, mike+gillis, salary+cap,
Comments
I’m not sure his market value has changed… but I’m also not sure his market value was ever an absolute thing, regardless. (Was he ever “worth” $10 million?) But your point is well-taken… his value to the Canucks has certainly changed—due to Sundin’s delayed decision they’ve had to make other choices which have affected the budget, so prorating the $10 million isn’t guaranteed.
But Gillis has stated several times in recent weeks that the offer is still on the table, so my assumption is that any dollar adjustments they make to the original offer won’t be too substantial.
I agree with you - the money is absurd no matter how you look at it. 
Posted by Alanah McGinley from British Columbia on 11/01/08 at 06:30 PM ET
New York and Montreal have little cap space left to sign Sundin. For Montreal it would involve trading Tanguay or Hamrlik. For NY it would involve trading Drury or Gomez. I see it possible if one of these teams has to put a player on long term IR. But the ten million dollar offer that Gillis gave Sundin is going to make it hard for NY and Montreal to be in the same ballpark as the canucks offer. It’s definitely not ‘all about money’ for Sundin, but he’s not going to take 4 million after an offer of 10 in the summer.
Posted by hark from victoria, bc on 11/03/08 at 02:57 PM ET
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About Canucks & Beyond
Alanah McGinley has been blogging hockey since 2003, sharing opinions, rants and not-so-deep thoughts with anyone who will listen. In addition to writing Canucks & Beyond and helping manage Kukla’s Korner, Alanah is one of the founders and co-hosts of The Crazy Canucks Podcast, as featured at Canucks.com.
She has contributed pieces to FoxSports.com and the New York Times Slapshot blog, as well as other stray destinations in cyberspace.
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There’s one other uncertainty: has Sundin’s market value changed? The Canucks don’t have to honor their $10 million a year offer. They might decide to reduce it down to, say, $8 million a year over two years. Which is still absurd (and I don’t favour such a move), but, once prorated, it would leave them more breathing room.
Posted by Darren from Victoria on 11/01/08 at 01:11 AM ET