Now what?

quick question - does free agency start at midnight, july 1st (tonight) or at noon, july 1st (tomorrow)? and on top of that, will many moves be made immediately (like at the trade deadline) or will most of it happen slowly, during the day? i was glued to my computer/tsn all day last year but i can't for the life of me remember how everything played out.

according to rds sundin will not sign before july 1st

To think Bob doesnt have a Plan B or C and D is ridiculous. The smart thing was to get the exclusive negotiating rights to execute Plan A at no cost. This gives Bob a heads up if plan A will work and if necessary move to plan B July 1. Whether Mats is trying to screw the Leafs or not is speculation but I'm sure he has an idea of what he wants to do and probably has told Gainey as well. The problem is Gainey is not a Salesman. He fails to sell "playing for the Habs" as a good destination for UFA's. Look at freaking Tampa Bay....the owners are involved attracting players. We need George to "sell" Mats and/or others into coming here. Tradition is not enough....where the bleep is the Marketing department??? I've got my fingers crossed Mats signs with us but if not, we've already improved by adding Tanguay. A.Kostitsyn will sign, not Paul Carter money, after the Sundin drama is known and what its going to cost one way or another. Either way, Gainey has done a terrific job rebuilding this organization but we need another voice in selling it to UFA's. Bob should not be the lead guy in this department.

The leafs do treat their star players like trash, unfortunately the habs arent any better in that respect.

Why would Sundin be loyal to the leafs? Last year they made him feel like an unreasonable traitor for not wanting to be traded. Sundin may owe the leafs fans, but not the organization.

Hab-professor, your theory about Sundin is good I think. Its what I would do.

A few posters below, Wencz and Smart Dog, were discussing the the blocked sale of the Predators to Balsillie by Bettman from an article at Hockeybuzz. It's funny how Bettman (who I don't trust much either) gets blamed for a lot of what is done on behalf of the NHL. The thing to remember though, is that the President rarely acts singularly in many cases. He works for the NHL owners and often does what he is asked or ordered to do. Going all the way back to the formation of the NHL in 1917, things such as this went on. There were always backroom deals with owners plotting out ways to get what they wanted. The NHL was actually formed that year as a means for owners to get rid of an unscrupulous Toronto Blueshirts team owner named Eddie Livingstone. Since they were powerless to revoke his franchise, they conspired to form a new league without him, and left him in the one team team NHA. Livingstone, in this type of shafting, was unable to sue them. Around 1938, the NHL also blocked the sale of another team - surprisingly our Montreal Canadiens! The Canadian Arena Company, which owned the Forum and the Maroons, had visions of selling the Canadians to Cleveland or St.Louis as the city of Montreal could no longer support 2 NHL teams. There were maybe 2000 fans showing up to fill the 13,000 seat Forum at the time. The Maroons had just won a Cup in 1935 and it was thought that they ought to be the team that was kept afloat. The sale of the Habs was proposed but blocked by the league governors, because they were convinced that the Canadiens were the stronger gate attraction for the league south of the border. Their distinct "Flying Frenchman" brand had remained a distinct curiosity and selling point for the team and the league with fans in other city. The Habs also had a lengthier and more storied history as the NHL's oldest team back then. Selling off the Maroons was the less financially viable option for the Forum owners and there were set to get more cash from selling the Canadiens. The man who did the convincing and stopped the NHL and the CAC from killing off the Canadiens was none other than Maple Leafs owner Conn Smythe! Smythe felt, and rightly so, that the NHL needed the Montreal Canadiens to survive. He wasn't wrong.

Here's what I believe will happen: Sundin gone. Hossa gone. Rolston gone. And AK46 possibly gone, which means BG can take draft picks and then go after another UFA. Which UFAs would you like BG to go after is this is the scenario on Tuesday?

There is logic/reason behind all this madness and agony we are going through with the Sundin project. There is a massive rift that was formed between Sundin and the Leafs...simply the leafs wanted to trade away their leader for picks or anything and that stung Sundin the wrong way...very bad. Sundin will sign with the Habs, but only once he is a free agent - that way the Leafs get nothing. He will see this through so that the leafs get nothing, and there is no other path for Sundin...he has damned the leafs. thats my opinion...so relax.

I was just figuring out what a 460% raise would do to my income, and I came to the realization that Campbell's current contract of $1.75 would be still 5X's what my larger than mine, even with the hefty raise. Makes me feel much better about playing on the Net around deadlines.... LMAO

Does the trade of Visnovsky lead to the resigning of UFA Rob Blake as the Kings must be breathing much easier after trading away Visnovsky's ridiculuos contract.

Ok Mats, your so called "loyalty" you showed to the leafs fans was basically confused with the lack of passion you have to win the cup, and by you not giving anyone an answer on your current status and by risking the chance to a part of a solid contender, you have just confirmed my thoughts of you.

News Flash: TSN reporting that Mats Sundin has agreed to terms with the Montreal Canadiens for 2 years/16m dollar deal... ...then I woke up!

How about Jason Williams? 36 points in 43 games (that's a 70 point pace, folks), plays right wing and centre. Only 27 years old, coming off a back injury (don't know if he's still hurt), and shoots right.

I know that many here are critical of hockeybuzz.com, but I recently read a blog on there by Daniel Tolensky regarding the sale of the Predators organization and the backroom deals involving Gary Betteman and other NHL owners; extremely interesting stuff that stinks to high hell. Maybe it has already recieved attention on HI/O, but for those of you who are interested in the political economy of the NHL, this is a very intriguing story. Tolensky has followed it very closely and has done some excellent reporting. If anybody is sick of the Sundin/Hossa talk, but you still need some hockey, I highly recommend Tolensky's blogs about the Preds sale.

The Lightning Bolt Effect : Tampa Bay has upset the NHL apple cart with their surprise moves lately and they haven't even addressed their top priority which is "D" men. They have sent the Ave's scrambling to resign Liles and Foote and the Oilers trading for an overpaid "D" as teams know no matter how poor the UFA "D" men crop is this year their value will increase drastically at noon tomorrow.

I stumbled across HockeyBuzz.com. For two days they have had the Sundin deal with Canadiens done or near done. It constantly uses the word "sources" when dishing out their info. Completely unreliable information on that website. And it isn't just the Sundin situation. The beauty of the Internet...

Ugh, I hate to be an arse like this, but Campbell, if paid $8 mil per season, be getting approximately a 360% raise (not 460%, as stated). Sorry Mike. But the math teacher in me had to do it.

Hey Boys & Girls, Cats & Dogs, A little investigative journalism by the Smart Dog reveals the REAL dirt on Mats - not joking. First, check out this little note from an article a few months back: "And although he wouldn't tip his hand on his NHL future, he did suggest that retirement to married life was on his mind." Now use your noggin: Mats had a long-term relationship end in 2006 and got engaged to his new GF this past January after a year together. It would make sense that he's much more concerned about doing the right thing for his personal life than he is about anything else and in that case, she's just as in charge of where they go or if. His new wife-to-be is from a small Swedish town but now lives in Stockholm. She seems to love the USA - or at least the flag (suddenly I'm liking that flag more too) and the beach. My guess is retirement, but now I can see why Florida is in the mix...sure Montreal and NY are both fun cities, but I bet she doesn't speak French. Either way, he's not deciding alone, and he showed us last year that a cup is not his priority... which points in the same direction - family, a life. And we know what his priority is - personal life, and possibly, getting cozy with the good ol' US of A - or at least the flag... or maybe just staying in Sweden with his family, he family, and doing what the heck he feels like. Given that Mats has options, and is family-bound with a hot young chiquita, why not take his time, enjoy summer and go to Tampa. LOL... or where-ever he feels like it, when he feels like it - IF he feels like it. And that Boys and Girls, is what I would do. ~Listen to the smart dog!

What other teams really have a shot at Sundin? I'm guessing he has little interest to go back to the Laffs who are doing their best to land a lottery pick next year. If the Rangers resign Jagr (as they apparently are trying to do), do they then have the cap space to land Sundin at $8M per year? Is Detroit really that interested in Sundin at that Price? I mean they just won the Cup without him and need to resign some players. No idea if Ottawa has any interest in him. Ditto for the Sabres or anybody else playing in an area close to home for Sundin. With very few potential destinations, I'm hoping Gainey tells Barry that if he has no positive news from Sundin by this evening, he will go on the record saying he has no interest in him as a UFA. Let's not be used again to ramp up a guy's salary. _____________________________________________________ Remember February 19th: The Comeback

UFA or SFA...another classic. Why do people wonder if Gainey has a plan B? Or whether he's focussing 100% on Sundin and forgetting AKoz? Do you folks think he sits around all day waiting for Mats to give him a call? I'm sure he has more irons in the fire than people realize. _____________________________________________________ Remember February 19th: The Comeback

Two things: One, I think Gainey's acquisition of Tanguay has saved him from the SFA title. Tanguay might not be Sundin, but he's a career nearly point-per-game player. The team that won the East last year with the best powerplay and offence has upgraded, since it carried an underachieving Michael Ryder on the second line for much of the year. Two, NO HOSSA! Hossa is a very good winger, true. But the Habs don't need another winger. They need a centre or nothing. Adding Hossa means that Tanguay, Hossa, Kovalev, the Kostitsyns and Higgins are competing to play with Plekanec and Koivu. Somebody has to play with Lapierre and/or Chipchura. Throw in a third good centre and you're looking at three balanced scoring lines. Otherwise, you're heavy on wingers and thin up the middle. Plus, I don't think it's wise to spend the kind of money and term it would take to sign Hossa. It would be detrimental to the long-term plan to keep the team's core together. http://habsloyalist.blogspot.com

Aside from AK46, I'm less worried about who Bob signs than I am about who I hope to God he doesn't sign - Slowinski, Breezer, Streit, Bert, Denis... Please Bob, no 2nd rate GAMBLES!! Save the cap space for opportunities later! PS: does free agency really begin at midnight? what time zone? ~Listen to the smart dog!