The Rangers and Ducks essentially have no room, and the Canadiens have approximately $1 million.

So what, exactly, makes these “logical” destinations?  Sundin is being offered lots of money elsewhere—that he’ll follow the money seems way more “logical” than whatever reason they’re using for Anaheim (uh, it’s sunny?).

Posted by Earl Sleek from Anaheim, CA on 11/06/08 at 07:13 PM ET

Anaheim, Montreal, and NYR are logical choices based on which teams have a better than average chance of making it to the Stanley Cup. The whole point of this article was Sundin will have to play for less in exchange for the chance to win the Cup with a better team. Not many great teams with tons of cap space. Anaheim is the place where all the “cool” NHLers want to get a fat contract, then get bought out or traded for essentially nothing. Or waived.

Posted by Itlan on 11/06/08 at 08:01 PM ET

Anaheim, Montreal, and NYR are logical choices based on which teams have a better than average chance of making it to the Stanley Cup.

Yeah, I guess so, but what prevents San Jose, Detroit, or Pittsburgh from being logical destinations, then?

Posted by Earl Sleek from Anaheim, CA on 11/06/08 at 08:06 PM ET

The fact that he’s already reducing his contract, pro-rated as it will be due to the time he’s not playing, will help any team sign him.

I still can’t believe the irony that he refused to be traded because he felt it was wrong to join a team midway through a season on the way to a Cup, that it wouldn’t mean much because of that, and here he is, still not suiting up or hanging his skates up.

Posted by SENShobo from Waterloo, ON on 11/06/08 at 10:00 PM ET

...what prevents San Jose, Detroit, or Pittsburgh from being logical destinations, then?

Oh, I don’t know, Earl. Maybe it’s the fact that, according to nhlnumbers.com, San Jose has $165k in cap space while Detroit has $414k and Pittsburgh has $575k. Other than that, I can’t see any reason why they all couldn’t offer Mats the Magnificent the $5+M he’d want for the remainder of the season.

Apparently, it’s not just the main-stream media that can’t do a little fact-checking before they post. But, hey, what can you expect from a LaLa Land blogger?

Posted by OlderThanChelios from Grand Rapids on 11/06/08 at 11:18 PM ET

Thanks for the lip, OTC.  But according to nhlnumbers.com the Ducks have $390k, and they have been picked as a “logical” choice.

I fail to see the distinction.

Posted by Earl Sleek from Anaheim, CA on 11/07/08 at 01:12 AM ET

He already said he wasn’t interested in Detroit, and they don’t have enough roster spots for the forwards they already have in the system.

San Jose is playing great - I can’t see them making any changes at all until people start getting hurt.

I’ve actually seen Pittsburgh mentioned somewhere - I think the argument was for veteran presence, although I don’t know if losing the salary they would need to clear would be worth it.

I can’t see the Ducks as a logical choice, either.  Maybe he went golfing in the area and rumours started up based on that?

It sounds more than anything as though Sundin is not entirely uncomfortable with the idea of retirement, but so many people around him are pushing the idea of playing longer because he is clearly capable of doing so that they are forcing him to consider the idea, if for no other reason than their nagging. 

Posted by Baroque from Michigan on 11/07/08 at 06:26 AM ET

Sundin pulling a Favre is going down as one of the lamest stories of this season.

Give it up already you friggin’ diva - I’ll be instantly rooting against whatever team lands him because he’s going the weenie way out to jockey himself to win a Cup.

Posted by HockeyJoe from Upstate New York on 11/07/08 at 08:24 AM ET

I was not a fan at all of Niedermayer and Selanne waiting until halfway into last season to return to the Ducks. I’m even less of a fan of Sundin waiting to decide where to play, since it’s not likely he’s waiting to ‘return’ to the Leafs. The optics are that he’s waiting to see which teams are legit contenders (hard to do in the offseason, as the Rangers were picked last offseason as the best choice but didn’t get that close).

Posted by SENShobo from Waterloo, ON on 11/07/08 at 09:58 AM ET

Thanks for the lip, OTC.

You’re very welcome, Earl. Okay, my apologies. I didn’t get that you were going for sarcasm in your original comment.

But according to nhlnumbers.com the Ducks have $390k, and they have been picked as a “logical” choice.

I fail to see the distinction. 

The distinction can be summed up in two words: Brian Burke. We’ve grown used to watching him pull one idiotic move after another, so why not again?

He gave away Andy McDonald for a useless rental simply to clear cap space for the return of Niedermayer. And he had to buy out Bertuzzi and practically give Schneider away because he signed them to bloated contracts. So, it seems perfectly plausible that he’d pull another boneheaded move in order to sign Sundin. After all, he won’t be there next year to deal with the consequences, right?

Posted by OlderThanChelios from Grand Rapids on 11/07/08 at 10:53 AM ET

No worries, OTC.  Not the first or last time I’ll be judged by what state I live in.

He gave away Andy McDonald for a useless rental simply to clear cap space for the return of Niedermayer.

You do realize that after that trade, the Ducks dropped a full goal-against per game and played at a pace that would have won them the President’s Trophy and the Jennings Trophy, right?  If that’s a bad Burke move, I’ll take it.

Bertuzzi’s a valid point, but I don’t know if I’m going to pretend that’s Burke’s legacy.  As for Schneider, I thought it was a suitable signing for the prospect of Niedermayer retiring; sure it didn’t turn out roses, but I can’t fault the guy for trying to fill a gap on the blueline.

I don’t think Anaheim’s in any Sundin sweepstakes, really unless the Swede wants to play for near-league-minimum.  That’s been my point all along—I don’t think “Anaheim”, “Sundin”, and “logical” belong in the same sentence.  If he does sign, it’s almost by definition an illogical choice.

Posted by Earl Sleek from Anaheim, CA on 11/07/08 at 11:12 AM ET