Mats Sundin Today:

''The Leafs gave me a chance to think about it and all that but as I said my position hasn't changed since the start of the year....I have to do what feels right in my heart. I just don't think I can go to another team if I don't want to play for another team. That wouldn't be right to myself. That's how I feel right now.''

Did anyone out there expect anything else from Mats today? There were two possible quotes for Mats to give. This one or one saying, "I look forward to my new team for the next two months."

I am all the more confident on theory that I put out today...(see below)

5 Simple Facts....

1. No one can debate that Mats loves Toronto.
2. No one can debate that Mats knew this was coming and had time to "consider" this option for over a year now.
3. No one can debate that Fletcher was brought in to trade Mats Sundin.
4. No one can debate that trading Mats Sundin is vital to the future of this team.
5. No one can debate that Mats and Cliff are working in tandem on this, because both want what is best for the Leafs 08-09 roster.

What Mats did today was help Cliff and the city of Toronto out. What we know by what was said today is that the deals aren't strong enough yet, or at least Cliff is going to try and get more. Which as I wrote this morning is Cliff's MO. Mats didn't have to add "right now" to the end of this statement for any of this to be true, but the point he did shows more about his character. Forsberg used "I have not given teams that I would go to AS OF NOW" countless times last year all the way up to the point he was moved.

If Mats had come out and said he had waived his Not-Trade Cliff would have been essentially backed into a corner. Leverage would have been gone. I have talked to more than a few GMs this year who are in on this, and all have said they are being told, "it's up to Mats at this point."

That is the perfect play from a wise old GM like Cliff Fletcher.

But any who is naive enough to believe that it is "OVER" or to say "THAT'S THE END OF THIS STORY" really hasn't spent enough time around hockey or any other business for that matter.

SHOULD Mats not be traded as of 3pm Tuesday it will not be because Mats stopped it, and I truly believe that Fletcher will NOT throw this icon under the bus and imply it is. It will be because teams offered up nothing that made any sense and Cliff has to not just "take anything" lest he hurt his ability to negotiate future deals.

So either way Leafs fans, and I talked to far enough people in the last hour to safely say this, Mats is not going to do anything to hurt Toronto.

Mats has spent as much time playing for team Sweden as he would have to play over the next two months. If he was NEVER willing to go elsewhere, we would have known that when he and Cliff met a few weeks ago if not LONG before that...and Cliff Fletcher may not have even been brought in.

IN OTHER NEWS.

A hot rumour I am following that would send Ruutu and Khabibulin to Ottawa for Emery, a prospect and a pick...

I am in Nashville now and looking forward to tonight being part of the broadcast team.
See below.

Program Note:>>>>
FlyersBuzz TV re-airs tonight 11:30pm ET on CN8 for those of you in the Philadlephia area.

FROM EARLIER TODAY>>>>


There are many that feel that if Sundin plays for Toronto tonight he will NOT be moved.

This is the timeline I have pieced together...

1. Mats and Cliff met weeks ago to discuss this and said they wouldn't talk until after the deadline.
MY TRANSLATION: Cliff is brought in and sits and talks strategy. It is obvious that Cliff's main job is to get the most he can for Mats. Mats knows this. They leave the whole thing "up in the air" so Cliff has bargaining power and can say, "Well, I cant trade Mats unless Mats agrees." This covers everyone.

2. Cliff said he would only approach Mats if he had a deal for him to consider.
MY TRANSLATION: exactly the same, but by putting it out there this again allows Cliff to negotiate from strength

3. On Thursday Cliff approaches Mats (the spin was to ask him about waiving his NTC, but I am curious why no one is mentioning what Cliff said about NOT approaching him until he had a deal)
MY TRANSLATION: Cliff had a deal he liked.

4. On Thursday night I hear that Mats is upset, can't decide, and the board is upset that they waited to long.
MY TRANSLATION: Mats said no to the deal due to it being a team he didn't want to go to. The Board, realizing that they are 5 days from losing this asset demand that the teams be known that Mats will go to


5. On Friday TSN reports that they have asked Mats for teams he would go to.
MY TRANSLATION: Cliff now knows what teams he is dealing with and will take this as far as he can. People close to Cliff tell me that this is his MO and that Cliff will take it right to the wire on Tuesday

Mats will be a Leaf tonight....probably

A good source last night tipped me off on this one (thanks), and a few calls to a few sources this morning and this is a very hot rumour. The question is can the Habs get past their last date with the Stars that didn't end so well...Ribeiro.

Also this morning more and more Brad Richards stuff out there. Vancouver is still the heavily rumoured team. Also look to Minnesota and Columbus and Philadelphia.

I am pretty amazed at how much I am hearing Phil Kessel's name out there right now. I have heard a few teams that turned down a few offers. I do still think that Hossa for Kessel is the most likely scenario. The book on Kessel is that he is one dimensional. BUT HE IS 20! I talked to a source today who agreed with me noting another twenty-year-old who was given the same label: Steve Yzerman.

Now I am not saying that Kessel will be anywhere near Stevie Y, but I do think he is FAR too talented to be traded for a rental player or some of the other player, even to teams Boston could play in the playoffs that he has been offered to according to reports.



Note to GMs:

NO ONE IS ALLOWED TO MAKE A TRADE BETWEEN 11:30AM and 1:00Pm TODAY.

That is the time I will jetting my way to Nashville today. Tonight I will be joining what I consider to be one of the best broadcast teams in the NHL, Pete Weber and Terry Crisp for their broadcast of the game. Should something go down during the game tonight I will be talking about it, and I'll also be taking questions via email from preds fans during the game.

I will be updating continuously for the next four days, and I will be in the hockeybuzz chatroom during the game itself. I will also be doing several live podcasts where I will talk to you all and take your calls...and this all leads up to Tuesday's BIG show, the first ever LIVE INTERNET STREAMING VIDEO TRADE DEADLINE SHOW PRODUCED IN AMERICA AND SHOWN TO THE ENTIRE WORLD WITHOUT TERRITORIAL RESTRICTIONS.

COMING FEBRUARY 26, 2008: AND STREAMING TO THE ENTIRE WORLD (NOT JUST CANADA)...

THE HOCKYBUZZ TRADE DEADLINE LIVE VIDEO PODCAST


The Show will be hosted by Eklund, Kevin Lee, Andy Strickland and many more from Hockeybuzz. We will be not only reporting our own rumours/trades we are hearing, but commenting instantly on whatever is being reported by TSN, Sportsnet, The Score, The Team Websites, etc. We are also going to be scanning all the other major team and hockey websites. Basically, we want to be your one stop spot for information from everywhere.


To get your ticket to watch the big show, become a: SEASON TICKET HOLDER TO HOCKEYBUZZ.COM

THE BENEFITS TO OUR SUPPORTERS ARE NUMEROUS AND INCLUDE:
ACCESS TO THE FULL TRADE RUMOUR CHART

ACCESS TO EKLUND'S CHAT ROOM

FREE MOBILE TEXTS OF ALL TRADES ON DEADLINE DAY

AND AN ENTRY IN THE FUN-FILLED TRADE DEADLINE PICK 'EM GAME> where you can win prizes on Deadline Day..

Yes you will have to be a season ticket holder to watch the show, simply because we pay by the person and by the hour and there are a lot of persons and a lot of hours!

However for those of you NOT wanting to pay the twenty bucks we are re-designing the site for deadline day to be optimized for increased traffic and like the deadline TV show we are doing we will not only be reporting on what myself, Kevin, Andy, and the other hockeybuzz bloggers are hearing...thanks to our Canadian Dish, we will be monitoring TSN, Sportsnet, the Score, and scores of other outlets to report EXACTLY what they are reporting as they report it. So if you watch us you wont have to channel hop (Not that you could in America anyway). Hell, we won't just be reporting on the trades they report, but we will be discussing the rumours they throw out there. Our job is simple. Give you it all.

So feel free to continue the discussion regarding what you Leafs, Habs, and Sens fans will feel should Sundin be a Hab or Sen by tonight's games.

I am going to the airport "REALLY" early, and I will Update the Blog from there with all the latest prior to my 11:30 departure.

SO hunker down for a NON-WEEKEND here on Hockeybuzz, and watch the Preds/Stars on your center ice package tonight. where I will be updating live on TV.