Rigamarole - A Foot In The Crease - Episode 3.25

www.afootinthecrease.com

Mats Sundin has spent thirteen years with the Maple Leafs organization and in the process, has become one of the best if not THE best player in franchise history. During that time, Sundin became the highest scoring Maple Leaf in goals and points in franchise history all without a top level winger save for Alex Mogilny for a brief time. He’s handled the media day in day out very stoically, never once cracking under the immense pressure of playing in one of hockey’s biggest markets. Last summer, Sundin signed a one year deal instead of a longer term contract because he did not want to burden the Maple Leafs if he could not or did not want to play past this season.

Now with the possibility of missing the playoffs for the third consecutive year – a potential first in franchise history – Sundin is once again being looked at as the man to fix the Leafs problems. The solution this time: agreeing to leave the team he has so obviously fallen in love with. While I do believe it would be in the best interest of the Maple Leafs to trade Sundin, accumulate prospects and picks and then sign him back in the off season, if there is any one player who deserves to decide where he wants to play, it’s Sundin. For a player who has given the majority of his legendary career to a rarely competitive team, it’s wrong for fans and media to put him in an uncomfortable position pressuring him to leave.

So many times in Toronto, our superstar athletes couldn’t wait to leave: see Vince Carter, Tracy McGrady, Carlos Delgado. Now finally there is a superstar athlete who so desperately wants to stay…and what do we as a city do, badger him constantly and suggest he must not be too smart or else he’d want to leave. Sundin obviously loves the city, but keep at it people, you just might drive him away yet. But hey, all that was just rigamarole.