TORONTO (July 6) – The most common reaction among hockey media to the Maple Leafs’ free agent acquisitions last week – particularly the signing of little-known Colorado defenseman Jeff Finger – is one of derision. It is the judgment of many hockey writers that the Leafs have again overspent for underwhelming talent. Here are some examples of opinion:
LARRY BROOKS, NEW YORK POST: “The Scott Fraser Award for Least Understandable Free Agent Signing of the Year goes to the Maple Leafs for giving Colorado defenseman Jeff Finger four years at $3.5 million per. Shocker, the Leafs winning that one, all right.”
ERIC DUHATSCHEK, GLOBE & MAIL: “Let’s see… $14 million for Jeff Finger; $12 million for Niklas Hagman. [Mats] Sundin’s likely departure. Uncertainty and hard feelings over Bryan McCabe. A second-round draft choice in 2010 for Mikhail Grabovski. Conclusion: The Leafs are overpaying for free agents and mortgaging the future… again. Some things never change.”
STEVE SIMMONS, TORONTO SUN: “It’s now official. The Maple Leafs have given their fans the Finger. Jeff Finger. Ever heard of him? Didn’t think so. When I first saw he signed a four-year, $3.5-million contract, I thought it was $3.5 million for all four years. It’s a lot of money for a late-blooming defenseman who was benched in the playoffs.”
KEVIN PAUL DUPONT, BOSTON GLOBE: “And in a flight of fancy to Bizarro World, Jeff Finger, the 240th pick in the 1999 draft, popped up in Toronto with a four-year deal worth $14 million. Indeed cheap when compared to those other puck luggers. But, raise your hand if you’ve ever heard of the Michigan-raised Finger. Thought so. Heck, Bowie Kuhn once raised a flag over this kind of behavior, preventing Charlie Finley from selling Rollie Fingers and Joe Rudi to the Red Sox, ruling it was not "in the best interests of baseball." To see the Maple Leafs finger Finger as their guy, I mean, what's happening up there? At some point doesn't Gary Bettman step in for the good of the game, before Blue and White Nation uppercuts him and Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment with a class-action suit?"
If you’re a fan of the Leafs, you may choose to dismiss these viewpoints as the work of “typically negative” writers, and perhaps you’re correct. Then again, you may be rationalizing, which is a template of Leafs Nation. Bottom line is, we won’t know exactly how to gauge the Finger-Hagman-Grabovski acquisitions for some time. Ultimately, payment is determined by performance, not prophecy. If, two or three years from now, the Leafs are a strong playoff contender; if their salary cap structure is under control, and the abovementioned trio is actively contributing to the depth of a winning club, then compensation will not be an issue. Conversely, if the Leafs continue to wallow, and the newly acquired skaters are bogging down the cap structure with term and salary [ala the veteran players from last year’s team], the media personnel quoted in this blog will be bang on.
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The reaction to Glenn Healy’s comments in my submission here on Friday was predictably intense. Healy spoke out blatantly in support of McCabe when I questioned him about the potential stalemate between the long-time defenseman and the Maple Leafs. A few things to keep in mind. First, Healy didn’t phone me to let off steam. Nor did he track me down to volunteer his feelings. I called Glenn to comment on the McCabe issue because he is now a high-ranking member of the NHL Players’ Association; he has always been extremely loyal to his employer, and is never shy about speaking his mind. Many Leaf supporters were angry at Healy for his strong remarks and that, too, was predictable. Nothing bothers Leaf fans more than a media figure painting an accurate picture of the club, and Healy did that, without reservation, as an analyst for TSN. So, he’s forever a bad guy. Secondly, most Leaf fanatics want McCabe off the team – his contract rights be damned. So, any person speaking out in defense of the veteran player is also a non-desirable. Given the extremes of emotion that accompany most Leaf-related issues, it isn’t odd that Healy’s message was blurred.
On several occasions, he purposely used the phrase “if” in discussing the so-called worst-case scenario between the Leafs and McCabe. He never said the Leafs would instruct McCabe to stay away from the team, but he acknowledged – as do I – that it has been discussed, and remains a last-resort option. Glenn also made a point – twice in the blog – of emphasizing his belief that Fletcher and McCabe can reach an agreement, pointing out there remains ample time this summer for a truce among two reasonable people. He said he “respects” both individuals. His opinion that Fletcher is indirectly harming McCabe’s trade-market value couldn’t be more accurate. So, this was a “rant” only among those who continue to view all things Leaf through the perspective of delusion – a group that never has never been in short supply.
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