PLANTATION, FLA. (Feb. 27) -- I found it interesting to arrive at my hotel here last night; turn on my laptop, and read Cliff Fletcher's remarks in his post-trade-deadline media conference at the Air Canada Centre. Having spent the afternoon and early evening on an interminable flight from Montreal to Fort Lauderdale, I did not see Cliff's press gathering, but I had a strong sense that he'd be pissed off.
In a brief phone conversation with Fletcher before I got on the plane -- around 12:30 yesterday afternoon -- he informed me that Pavel Kubina changed his mind about a pledge he made Monday night to waive the no-trade clause in his contract. And, though Cliff did not get into specifics, I sensed that Kubina put the kibosh on the only significant deal Fletcher had a chance to make before the 3 p.m. cutoff. While he stopped short of expressing anger or disappointment, I could tell that the Leafs' GM was terribly annoyed. It therefore came as no surprise when I discovered that he repeated, to the assembled media, what he told me on the phone Monday afternoon: That the Maple Leafs would be a vastly different club next season, whether or not he could achieve significant results before the deadline. To me, this is not a veiled threat.
As I make my point here, I want to emphasize, once again, that none of Kubina, Mats Sundin, Darcy Tucker and Tomas Kaberle did anything immoral or dishonourable by exercising their no-trade privileges. These were contract terms negotiated in good faith -- some, in lieu of higher salary -- and each player had the unquestionable right to take such action. Bryan McCabe's stance was that of leaving the door slightly open to waiving his restriction, while simultaneously giving every indication that he'd reject a trade proposal. So, Fletcher's hands were bound as tightly as the masses predicted they would be.
Today, however, the rope has been severed. And, no one should be surprised if Cliff comes out swinging.
Latching onto a no-trade clause is a selfish act, simply beacuse it cannot be anything else. Such a provision is geared solely to the individual, and has no bearing on any sort of team concept. Given that hockey is a team sport, these stipulations can be extremely damaging. Rarely, has this been so pronounced as with the 2007-08 Maple Leafs -- a floundering team that has not bettered itself one iota beneath the weight of these clauses. In fact, they have proven to be of no value whatsoever. When we cut to the chase, the undeniable fact is that Fletcher wanted to trade all five of his "restricted" players. He pledged to eviscerate the club when he arrived back on the scene in the third week of January, and the Leafs might have been thoroughly unrecognizable if he'd had his way. Sundin, Kubina, Tucker, Kaberle and McCabe, however, chose to bat 1.000 in the "we ain't going anywhere" sweepstakes, leaving Fletcher to stockpile draft picks for Wade Belak, Hal Gill and Chad Kilger. As a result, all bets are off from this day forward.
Fletcher will more than likely take the opportunity to exercise his own provisions, guilt free. What would have seemed, for example, a callous move to waive and possibly demote Kubina or Tucker, now looms as a distinct possibility. Buyouts, reduced ice-time, and any other tactic that might achieve the intended result, are all fair game. Cliff wanted to re-arrange this asylum and the inmates wouldn't allow it. So, the gloves are likely to come off.
This is of particular merit if you consider the following: Ask yourself what you honestly believe would have been the reaction from these players if they did not have contract protection. All five might well have been traded and, in my estimation, only Tucker would have felt any pangs of regret. In fact, Darcy might have been crushed, given how intensely devoted he is to the franchise, and the enjoyment he seems to derive from being a Maple Leaf. The others -- including Sundin -- would have voiced some appropriate drivel while only requesting that the door not smack them in the ass on their way out of town.
That's why Sundin, Kubina, Kaberle and McCabe are being villified in some circles today. All four have left the impression they chose to stick around mostly for their own convenience. That may not be entirely fair, or accurate, but perception is often reality.
Something tells me that Fletcher is now priming to do what is only convenient for he and the hockey club. And, it could get messy.
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