Sports Is Sundin Coming to the Canucks? Garth McLennan sports editor | year as the NHL season approaches the February 26" trade deadline, rumors of prospective blockbuster deals swirl through every city in the league. The Canucks have been known to tinker with their lineups and have added secondary level players such as Geoff Sanderson and Martin Ruchinsky, but Vancouver has rarely done anything truly significant at the deadline to make fans say, this is our year. At the risk of sounding clichéd, this year could be different. Every deadline has its intriguing players up for grabs, but this year, in the middle of a season with virtually no trade activity worth mentioning, there is one player that a number of teams are clamoring to get: Mats Sundin. The powerful Toronto Maple Leafs captain has it all; size, strength, speed, soft hands, excellent passing skills and a wicked shot. He is in the final year of his contract, and this season’s edition of the Maple Leafs isn’t exactly reminding anyone of the 1985 Edmonton Oilers, which makes him available on the market. There are a few obstacles that have to be avoided before Sundin can join a new squad. First and foremost, he has a no-trade clause, which means he can’t be dealt to another team without his approval. Seeing as how Sundin loves Toronto, which could potentially pose a problem. However, Sundin has been the only bright spot in a season that just keeps getting darker for the Leafs. At 36, he is getting on in his career and wants an elusive Stanley Cup. That won’t happen any time soon in Toronto. For starters, the Leafs have mad a number of spectacular bungles that will handicap them for years to come. Giving the keys to the kingdom to Jason Blake, Bryan McCabe, Tomas Kaberle, Pavel Kubina and Andrew Raycroft were all monumental errors. Secondly, while it is common practice for bottom basement teams in the NHL to hold fire sales at the trading deadline to accumulate prospects and draft picks, the Leafs are understandably reluctant to part way with their captain. The slick Swede has been a force for them since coming to Toronto in 1994 and has made sure they are at least competitive in most games this season. Plus, dealing Sundin to a contender forces them to practically give up on 18 this season. Before his recent dismissal, ex-GM John Ferguson was demanding a king’s ransom for the Leaf’s all time leading scorer. This could deter some teams from making a bid for Sundin. It is possible that Sundin could be peddled to a team looking to make a Stanley Cup push for an astronomical amount, and then he could simply sign back with the Maple Leafs in the off-season. This is likely as Sundin is a legend in Toronto. He’s the franchise all time leading goal and point scorer, the only Swede ever to record 1,000 points, and is the longest serving European captain in NHL history. The Canucks, Calgary Flames, Detroit Red Wings and Anaheim Ducks have all expressed interest in Sundin and scouts from all three teams have been spotted at recent Toronto games. The Ducks will be in tough to pull the trigger on a deal for Sundin. They are up against the salary cap wall after the return of Scott Niedermayer and are looking to make room for the expected second coming of Teemu Selanne. They have also had the majority of their young prospects traded away, and Brian Burke will be buddy-buddy with Kevin Lowe before he deals away Ryan Getzlaf or Corey Perry. Calgary successfully acquiring Sundin is a scary thought for Canucks fans. The Swedish wrecking ball breaking through the Vancouver defense and dishing passes off to Jarome Iginla is likely keeping Canucks GM Dave Nonis up at night. But realistically, the time is now for the Flames. Darryl Sutter has done a remarkable job in locking up Iginla, Robyn Regher, and Mikka Kiprusoff, so there will never be a better opportunity for Calgary than right now. The Red Wings are the league’s best team, and Sundin would give them a ridiculous amount of firepower. Detroit has never been gun shy about Europeans, and their dynamic duo of Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg is the best in the NHL. With Datsyuk, Zetterberg, Nicklas Lidstrom, Dominick Hasek and so many more, plus Sundin, you might as well engrave the Red Wing on the Stanley Cup now. The only hindrance for Detroit is that years of success have deprived them of a number of top shelf draft choices, but with all the amazing minds in Motown, don’t underestimate them. Thatleaves Vancouver. Sundin’s size and playmaking would give the Canucks that long sought after power center they’ve craved for years. The large Swedish contingent would make Vancouver an appealing destination for Sundin, and as over half of his $5.5 million salary has already been eaten up, the Canucks have the salary cap space to accommodate him. The window of opportunity may also be closing for Vancouver. The Sedins have just one more season after this one on their current pacts, after which they will rightfully want to be paid in the upper echelon of players with significant raises on their present $3.575 million salaries. Roberto Luongo is halfway through his deal and has two more guaranteed seasons with the club. After that Vancouver will surely be looking to extend his deal, and just like with the Sedins, they will have to show him that they are committed to winning. Picking up a superstar like Sundin at the deadline proves that. Another big reason for the Canucks to trade for Sundin is that it immediately transforms them from a good team to an elite team, and a one- two-three center punch of Sundin, Henrik Sedin and Brendan Morrison heading into the playoffs will be very enticing for Canucks fans. Also, last year’s playoffs proved that teams can shut down the Sedins as Henrik and Daniel were basically neutralized. Adding Sundin will give them a dangerous element that will allow the Sedins more room to play their game, even if they don’t play together. One more exciting aspect of adding Sundin is him playing with Markus Naslund. The Canucks captain was at his offensive best playing with power forward Todd Bertuzzi, who would bull into the slot and drop plum passes to Naslund in prime scoring area; Sundin can fill that role. Naslund has one of the best shots in the NHL, and with Sundin clearing enough room for him to use it, the Canucks have another dangerous weapon. The only thing that could derail the Vancouver effort to get Sundin is the cost. Sundin is far and away the most sought after player on the market this season, and if he is traded he will fetch a hefty amount. Picking him up will require the Canucks to forfeit one or two first round draft picks, one or two good prospects such as Luc Bourdon or Cory Schneider, and a talented young roster player like Ryan Kesler. That is an enormous amount to give up for one player, and an aging player at that, but Sundin has a couple good years left in the tank, and has been among the league’s elite all season long. If the Canucks can sign him to a two-year contract extension as soon as they trade for him and he doesn’t become just another rental player, I say go for it.