On the Mark: The Toronto Maple Leafs Need Mats Sundin More Than Ever

A lot of people were laughing at Paul Maurice when he came out of his usual Maple Leaf press conference, at the beginning of the year.

No, they weren't laughing at his lazy right eye, or the fact that he got drafted last overall by the Philadelphia Flyers back in the 1985 NHL Entry Draft (five spots after John Ferguson Jr., in case you were wondering).

Nor were they teasing him about how his team failed to make the playoffs for the second year in a row, after Richard Park's unlikely heroic performance to put the New York Islanders into the eighth and final playoff spot. Of course, it hurt to know that the New Jersey Devils elected to bench Martin Brodeur for their final regular season game but the Toronto media (and Leaf Fans alike) had already gotten over their latest shortcoming.

It had more to do with his lousy prediction. One that could probably put more pressure on his squad than they already needed too, heading into Maurice's second year as head coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs. 

In his own words, he claimed that the Toronto Maple Leafs would "make the playoffs and compete for the Stanley Cup." He even said that this year's addition was the "most talented hockey club I've coached," in spite of the fact that he had been a Stanley Cup contender with the Carolina Hurricanes, making the Stanley Cup Finals back in 2001-2002. 

Well, low and behold, the 'talent' that Maurice saw in the 2007-2008 Toronto Maple Leafs wasn't enough to lead him to the playoffs—let alone competing for the Stanley Cup. They were back where they started: at home watching the playoffs on TV and without a playoff spot for the third consecutive year in a row. 

A season plagued by injuries, defensive breakdowns, lack of offensive production out of Mats Sundin, and a crowd that seemed lifeless at times was enough to spell doom for the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Bryan McCabe couldn't keep the puck out of his net and Jason Blake's goalscoring prowess that saw him score 40 goals with the New York Islanders the year before had all but vanished. Andrew Raycroft was banished between the pipes for Toronto but it wasn't enough to save the blue and white from the embarassment despite Vesa Toskala's valient efforts.

The turbulent season had Leaf Nation crying out for a total overhaul. Of course, it never helps when your biggest traditional rival (Montreal Canadiens) is flourishing with their own draft picks in the Kostisyn brothers (Sergei and Andrei), Chris Higgins, Carey Price and Tomas Plekanec.

As for Toronto's draft picks? Well outside of Jiri Tlusty and Anton Stralman, there isn't all that much to brag about. Alex Steen and Matt Stajan look as if they will never turn out to be the first line centers that everyone anticipated that they would be. Nik Antropov is still in Toronto but there's still a great majority of fans that don't really appreciate his contributionciti—ng that he's too slow to make a difference in a new league that requires speed and quickness.

With all this to consider, Mats Sundin just had to be the one taking the heat during Toronto's fall to the basement of the NHL. Tough times called for desperate measures and some fans were calling for Mats Sundin to be traded in order to start this rebuilding process.

They said he was too old to be considered an elite forward and that they needed to take a different direction. They said that the only way forward was to take a few steps and trade for picks to build the foundation for the future. With a new in-term GM in Cliff Fletcher, something had to be done about their aging superstar.

Which is why some fans were left incensed when the Leaf captain chose not to waive his no-trade clause.

He stated that he didn't want to be traded to a possible contender and that he was perfectly happy to be playing hockey with his struggling Maple Leafs. He cited that he simply loved the city and hoped that fans would respect his decision. Some came out and called him selfish. Others were left disgusted by their fellow Leaf brethren for their lack of respect towards their captain's wishes.

Whatever side you were on, it was a type of conversation that occured in living rooms scattered across Canada. It didn't really matter whether you were a Leaf fan or not, someone would always have a say on the issure and for the most part, both sides could be right.

Which is something that Paul Maurice hasn't been for much of the gruelling year. But for all the outrageous things that the second year head coach has come out and said, nobody can really argue what he told the media during his Monday press conference.

The Toronto Maple Leafs need Mats Sundin more than the ever.

That's right. No extra draft picks, no freeing up cap space, the Maple Leafs just need their good ole' 38-year-old captain back for another season of NHL hockey.

Because after all, who can really replace a superstar that can still show resilence, leadership and humility even during these times of crisis? Plus, we're talking about a player that can still produce at a point per game pace while staying healthy for the entire season. He's a man that can play in almost any situation and someone who is still miles ahead of his fellow teammates in terms of conditioning.

It's not as if the new 'hot-shot' draft pick can come in and earn the respect that Mats Sundin has for the last decade or so. Honesty and determination are invaluable towards guiding the young NHLer and who better to teach them than your franchise's all-time leading scorer?

Sure, you clear up cap space for that new up and coming prodigy that the Toronto media will dub as the 'new Mario Lemieux or Gretzky' after a two-goal performance but is it really worth giving up a top 30 player like Mats Sundin for the sake of additional cap space and a younger player or two?

We've seen what Toronto is capable of without their captain and it hasn't exactly been the greatest of rides. Matt Stajan and Alex Steen get extra playing time, which is great for their progression, but it really doesn't do much for their confidence if their team is getting pummelled 8-1.

Now, with Sundin's contract set to expire, Cliff Fletcher has to make the right offer to Toronto's classiest and loyal player on the roster. Any offer ranging around 5-6 million should do the trick but if the Toronto Maple Leafs believe their pulling off a clever trick by lowballing Sundin, they've landed themselves in a death trap. 

Only this time, it's even more steps back from where they were initially before. Then again, something tells me that's not the sort of thing Toronto can afford right at the moment. 

That and Bryan McCabe's upcoming $7 million salary for next season.