Who is Jeff Finger and why are we paying him $14M?

I'll admit it. The Leafs just signed a free agent to a pretty substantial contract, and I have no idea who he is.

So I asked somebody who would: the fine folks over at the excellent Avs blog In The Cheap Seats.

Here's their scouting report:

Jeff Finger seemed like he was going to be a career AHL guy until an injury to the Avs earned Finger a call-up late in the 2006-2007 season. He played well and ended up playing 72 games this year, averaging 20 minutes a game.

He's your basic stay-at-home banger. He led the team in hits and he blocks a lot of shots (something the Avs blueliners do a lot). He doesn't fight much, although he apparently has a history with new Ranger Aaron Voros that goes back several years in the AHL. After nearly getting hit in the eye this year with a skate or a stick (I can't remember), he started wearing a visor, but Grapes will probably still like him for the way he likes to get involved in all the little scrums in front of the net.

He's not very fast and isn't so great with the puck, but he does have a good hard right-handed shot that always seems to find it's way to the net, so he could put up some good numbers on the PP.

In short, he's a great guy to have and when the Leafs buy him out in a couple of years, I'd love to see him back in Colorado (we seem to be taking all your rejects these days). $3.5 million is too much money, but if you can get over that, you'll be happy. He's not going to turn the franchise around.

Toronto fans don't ever complain about overpaid, defensemen who like to wear mohawks, right? (Did I forget to mention the mohawk?)

I think that makes me feel a little bit better. Not much, but a little bit.

P.S. Welcome Puck Daddy visitors. Feel free to check out the "greatest hits" column on the right for more Leafs coverage.

We'll learn a lot about Sundin this week

So it's all but official: Mats Sundin will become an unrestricted free agent within a few hours.

No big surprise here. We all know the story of Mats Sundin's Summer of Angst by now. The poor guy just can't make up his mind about what he wants to do next year. Toronto? Montreal? New York? Detroit? Does he even want to play at all?

In a league where atheletes seem to make career altering decisions over the course of a few hours, Sundin's drawn out thought process has been unusual, to say the least.

There are really only two explanations for Sundin's behaviour:

• He's being sincere -- he really doesn't know what he wants to do yet, and he doesn't want to commit to anything before he makes up his mind
  
• It's all been an act, part of either a bargaining tactic or a way to leave Toronto without actually saying he wants out. Or both.

Cliff Fletcher seems to be leaning towards door number two. In a quote that's had surprisingly little play in Leaf Nation, Fletcher basically called B.S. on Sundin while talking to Howard Berger.

“I’ll be surprised if the reason for delaying is that Mats doesn’t know whether he wants to play again after having such a good season with us last year,” said the GM. “He told me he never enjoyed playing hockey as much as he did last season. So, we’ll see where it goes."

But only time will tell. And it will tell this week, because the game changes tomorrow.

Up until now, Sundin's indecision hasn't come with a cost. Well, that's not completely true -- it's probably cost the Leafs any chance of getting anything in return for their departing captain. But it hasn't cost him anything.

That all changes tomorrow. History has shown that free agents who want the big dollars almost always sign on July 1. Sometimes you can wait a few days and still get paid. But once the initial gold rush is over and cap space has vanished, teams tend to get pretty stingy in a hurry.

Every day Mats waits now will cost him. If he waits weeks or even days, it could cost him millions. So put aside whether he signs with Toronto or elsewhere. We're going to learn a lot about Sundin and his summer sideshow this week.

If Sundin is still on the sidelines after this week, we'll at least know that his indecisiveness is sincere. On the other hand, if he's signed on the dotted line this time tomorrow, we'll know it was all a big charade, a public relations campaign to get him through to July 1 and the big money he was waiting for.

What the Leafs should offer Sundin

With July 1 only a few days away, and Mats Sundin still hidden away in Sweden, it seems almost certain the Leafs captain will become an unrestricted free agent. While he'll cease to be Leafs' property on Tuesday, the team can still make a bid for him. And despite everything I've written about him, I think they should bid. And bid hard.

If I'm Cliff Fletcher, here's the offers I send JP Barry at 12:01 on Tuesday.

• A one-year deal, at a salary of $10M. This would make Sundin the highest paid player, in terms of average salary and cap hit, in the history of the NHL.
  
• A limited no-trade clause, as follows:
  
  • On February 1, 2009, the Leafs supply Sundin with a list of ten teams of their choice
    
  • By February 15, Sundin must choose three teams from that list that he would be willing to accept a trade to.
    
  • If at any point between February 1 and the trade deadline the Leafs are among the top four teams in the Eastern Conference in points, the deal converts to a complete no-trade clause
    

To summarize: the highest paid player in league history, and a NTC that covers 90% of the league. Think we'd get his attention with that offer?

It goes without saying that the $10M is a huge overpayment that can't really be justified based on Sundin's play. But that's not what you're paying for. You're paying for the right to trade him in February. Essentially, the Leafs are using their financial muscle to buy a premium package of draft picks and prospects.

The Leafs have plenty of cap room, and it's cap room that they really shouldn't be spending on big name UFAs. This deal would still leave them with enough cap space to sign their key RFAs and add a player or two to fill out the roster.

Of course, there's no guarantee Sundin would accept the deal. In fact, I suspect he wouldn't. That's fine too. If a total NTC is so important to him, or he just plain wants out of Toronto, then let him sign with Montreal or the Rangers for a fraction of what the Leafs offer. That's his call.

But at least if will clearly be his choice. Nobody will be able to accuse the Leafs of not making the best offer, and Sundin won't ever be able to play the "no respect" card. If the Leafs make him this kind of offer and he still bolts for the Habs, fans everywhere will always know that there was nothing the Leafs could have done to keep Sundin. He knew he was leaving all along.

Make the call, Cliff.

Leafs need to tread carefully with McCabe

The Leafs may be getting to play serious hardball with Bryan McCabe. TSN is reporting that the Leafs may be considering telling McCabe to stay home if he won't waive his no-trade clause.

The idea has a certain appeal. For starters, it would finally remove McCabe from the Leafs roster (even though he'd be paid a full salary and count against the cap). It would also send a message to the rest of the veterans that Fletcher wasn't kidding around when he promised to make changes. And after years of seeing players hold out despite holding valid contracts, it would be nice to see the NHLPA have the tables turned.

But the Leafs need to be very careful here.

I'm as tired of McCabe as anyone else. When he finally waives his NTC, I'll be first in line to drive him to airport. I may even slow the car down before I dump him on the tarmac.

But he has a contract, signed in good faith. And the Leafs will be getting into dangerous territory if they decide to punish him for wanting it honored.

We've heard endlessly how players like McCabe and Sundin are just doing what the CBA allows them to do, as if following the strict letter of the law absolves a player of any criticism. The Leafs could certainly make the same argument on their side -- that they're just doing what the rules allow. That argument could even win the day in the courtroom mediation hearing that the case would surely wind up in.

But it's not about being technically right or wrong. It's about perception, and how a move like this will look to players negotiating deals with the Leafs in the future. Will future FAs trust the Leafs when they sit down to hammer out a deal? Is it worth that risk, just to wipe the smirk off McCabe's overpaid face?

Let's be clear: the Leafs should make McCabe earn whatever role he'll have on the team. The days of automatic first-line status and powerplay icetime should be over. If his play warrants a spot on the third pairing, so be it. If he winds up in the pressbox some nights, that's the way it goes.

But as awful as he's been the past few years, McCabe is still good enough to make the team. Sending him home because he wants his deal honored is crossing the line.

Why not Blake?

Plenty of folks at PPP and elsewhere are asking the question: If Tucker can be bought out, why not Blake?

The answer, of course, is that Blake's contract is so terrible that it protects him from a buyout, much like McCabe's. Tucker actually signed a reasonable deal, so he could be cut loose if needed.

The problem with Blake isn't so much the salary, although he's badly overpaid given his production. It's the length of the deal, which still has four years left to run. That means any buyout would be on the books for eight years.

How long is that? Put it this way. If the Leafs bought out Jason Blake, you could actually read this sentence some day:

"The Maple Leafs may be hampered in their efforts to lure veteran unrestricted free agent Steven Stamkos, because they are still waiting for the Jason Blake buyout to come off their books."

Thanks again, JFJ.

I'm going to go lie down in traffic.