How Bryan McCabe can fix this

And these were the good times

Right now, it looks like Bryan McCabe is headed for a September showdown with the Leafs. Cliff Fletcher doesn't want him around, but McCabe has a signed contract, and the NHLPA ready to break out the big guns if the Leafs tell him to stay home.

Public sentiment is firmly on the Leafs' side. McCabe has become the poster child for the post-lockout Leafs: a whiny, entitled underachiever who makes superstar money while looking ordinary at best on the ice. Oh, and he has a no-trade clause. That he absolutely, positively will not even think of waiving.

Other than that, he's great.

All this could mean that McCabe is in for a fan reception that will make the Larry Murphy experience seem like Wendel Appreciation Night. It could get so bad that even the 100-level suits may look up from their business deals long enough to boo him.

But it doesn't have to be that way. Bryan McCabe can fix this if he wants. Not all at once, and not to the point that he'll be welcomed back to Toronto with standing ovations. But he can defuse what's shaping up to be a nasty situation if he's willing to swallow his over-developed since of pride.

Here's the five-step plan.

1. Acknowledge why the fans are angry

It's time for McCabe to stand up and take some responsibility for this mess. No, it's not his fault that John Ferguson whimpers like a schoolgirl every time an agent looks at him sideways. But he signed a big ticket contract that created expectations, and his play hasn't lived up to them.

The first step in any sort of McCabe reclamation project should be some sort of statement to the fans. Not an apology, of course -- that would asking too much. But at the very least, McCabe needs to acknowledge that his play over the past two years has been a disappointment, to the fans and to himself. The fans have a right to expect more of their highest paid player, and he should promise to work hard to make sure they get it.

Which means...

2. Enough with the whining and excuses

Less of this...

McCabe has always been known as a crybaby on the ice. He's yet to take a minor penalty he felt was deserved, and seems to spend half the game waving his arms around in mock frustration. That needs to stop. From a fresh-faced rookie, it looks bad. From a so-called veteran leader, it's pathetic.

Worse, McCabe has developed a maddening habit of insisting that the Leafs are a good team, despite all evidence to the contrary. He seems to think this makes him sound like a team-first, never-say-die warrior. It doesn't. It makes him sound like a delusional half-wit. Leaf fans don't need more smoke blown up their behinds -- that's Richard Peddie's job.

It's time for McCabe to drop the excuses. No more talk about injuries (every team has them). No more complaining about bad bounces (good teams make their own luck). No more whining about the officiating (stop clutching and grabbing and maybe they'll stop calling it).

McCabe's a 12-year-veteran. It's time he started sounding like one.

3. Tell the fans why he wants to stay

Yes, he has a NTC. So does half the league, but players still accept deals. What makes him different?

McCabe has never really explained his insistence on staying in Toronto, at least in any detail. He should. We've heard vague talk about liking the city and having family commitments, but that's just generic agent-speak. If McCabe is being sincere and not just stubborn, he should explain himself.

If he loves the city and can't imagine leaving, he should say so, and why. If he's always wanted to be a Maple Leaf and can't bring himself to play for another team, he should say so. If his wife is still working through her medical issues, he should say that.

Right now, the best explanation fans have heard is that the McCabes want to stay close to her family. And while that may be admirable on some level, "I can't accept a trade because my in-laws won't let me" isn't going to do much for your reputation in the sports bars of Toronto.

4. Settle down and play the system

McCabe has never been considered a great defensive defenceman, to put it mildly. But his reputation in Toronto as a pylon is at least somewhat unfair because he's never played for a defense-first coach.

Pat Quinn had a system: score, score, score and let Cujo and Eddie do cartwheels at the other end. He won a lot of games that way.

Paul Maurice had a system: Scowl, grimace, and then say something funny for the media. He didn't win many games, but he made Rosie DiManno's tummy flutter.

For the first time in his stint with the Leafs, McCabe will be playing for a coach who preaches defence. He should listen. McCabe never looks worse than when he's trying to do too much. He should focus on settling down and making the safe play.

5. When in doubt, drop the gloves

More of this.

It's true: Leaf fans love guys who fight. Wendel, Tie, Bomber, Tiger, Darcy, Belak, Roberts, Stumpy... heavyweight or welterweight, if you drop the gloves and your name isn't "Marchment", you'll never have to buy your own beer in Toronto.

McCabe used to fight semi-regularly, but as I pointed out in the Leafs are the softest team in the NHL post, that stopped once he signed his big contract. He fought 55 times before inking his deal, and only four times since.

There'd be no quicker way to feel the love from Toronto fans again than to get back to his old ways. Next year's Leaf squad will be young, fragile, and possibly even softer than last year's model. What better way to send a message that things really are different than with a big-ticket veteran sticking up for this younger teammates early on?

There you have it, Bryan. From rabid hatred to mild scorn in just five easy steps.

And if that doesn't work, here's one last step tp try: Waive the damn NTC and get out of town while the mob is still gathering pitchforks.

NHLPA ready to rumble over McCabe

I wrote a post last month about whether we'd see Bryan McCabe sent home by the Leafs. I warned against the idea because, as much as I'd like to see the guy brought down a peg or two, it wouldn't be a good long term business move for the Leafs.

Well, Howard Berger had an excellent column yesterday that confirmed my fears. Berger asked new NHLPA director of player affairs Glenn Healy for this thoughts on the Leafs possible stance.

The entire thing should be mandatory reading for any Leaf fan who thinks Fletcher should play hardball, but here are some choice quotes.

"They do not have the right to destroy Bryan McCabe’s career. They gave him as restrictive a contract as there is in the NHL today. If they want to go to the most extreme of situations and tell him they will pay him to stay at home, the artillery will be released from our end. The P.A. will back Bryan to the grave, I guarantee it.”

“Bryan McCabe has lots of hockey left, and the Toronto Maple Leafs are not going to tell him to stay at home… not a chance... You can’t destroy a player’s craft by sitting him at home and basically telling him, ‘your career is over.’ That type of action would be something for the legal minds at the P.A. to deal with...

With that type of a welcome mat, I can’t see why there isn’t a rush for all the free agents in the world to come and sign with the hockey club. I mean, that’s just a wonderful way to treat a player...

But, there will be absolutely no limit to what the Players’ Association will try to throw at [the Leafs]. We’ll go at it hard."

If you're a Leaf fan, that last line should scare you. I don't claim to be fluent in Healey-ese, but when he says there's "absolutely no limit" to what the PA would do, I get very nervous.

Would the PA actively discourage future free agents from signing in Toronto? We know that the PA has leaned on players in the past to make sure they got maximum value on their deals. Would they try to keep top players out of Toronto as retribution for McCabe's treatment.

Is it really worth it for the Leafs to find out?

Credit where it's due

A few days ago I wrote a post called "We'll learn a lot about Sundin this week".

The basic idea was that we'd find out whether Sundin was sincere about "needing more time" to consider his future, or whether the whole thing had been a sham to drive up his asking price. I didn't come right out and say it, but I strongly implied that I thought Mats was playing games and would jump at the first big offer he saw.

Well, he didn't. And yesterday, he released a statement that he still hadn't made up his mind and didn't plan to any time soon. In doing so, he apparently walked away from a $20M offer from the Canucks.

Unlike the usual mainstream media suspects, I have no problem admitting when I'm wrong. So here goes: Sorry, Mats. When you said you needed your time, you really meant it. We're still not sure what it's all about with you, but apparently it's not just the money.

If you sign with the Habs or Wings next week I still reserve the right to be pissed. I won't forget the Deadline '08 debacle. And I stand by most of what I've said in the past few months.

But for today, at least, you're a better man than I thought you were. Good work, Mats.

Sens sign Jarkko Ruutu

Wait, Jarkko Ruutu was a free agent? I didn't even realize that. And it makes me angry, because it represents a missed opportunity.

How is it possible that no team went out and signed Ruutu, Avery and Tucker to play on a line together? That would have been the most entertaining line in hockey history. I would have bought a Center Ice pacakge just to watch those three go from town to town and incite bench clearing brawls.

Geez, you could have even called them the R.A.T. Line.

Once again, the NHL misses a marketing opportunity.

It's weird how "Finger defenceman" sounds OK as a noun...

(Yes, I'm now stealing Demetri Martin jokes in an attempt to feel better.)

So I've spent the last 24 hours trying to talk myself into the Jeff Finger signing.

It's not working.

I read through Steve's analysis and MF37's mostly positive thoughts. I put on my nicest pair of homer goggles and stared at the TSN.ca home page for hours. But it's not helping.

This contract is a mistake. And the last thing the Leafs need is more bad contracts.

Finger certainly has his share of positives. In The Cheap Seats gave him a final grade of A-, noting that he was only a minus player in five games all year. He led the Avs in hits and was an excellent shot blocker.

But it's one thing to block shots and throw hits when you're a career minor leaguer making the league minimum. It's quite another to do it when you're a millionaire with a long-term deal. We'll have to see if he can summon the same fire with the Leafs that he showed last year.

Fletcher defended the signing by pointing out that Joel Quenneville loved him. But if that's the case, why did Quenneville banish him to the press box for half the teams playoff run? (Answer: here's why.)

Yes, everybody gets overpaid in free agency. We've known that for years. And Finger has enough positives that I can maybe, sort of, possibly understand why some team would offer him $14M.

But not the Leafs. They may have wanted the guy, but they didn't need him. When you're a rebuilding team, you need to have the discipline to walk away from the table when the numbers get crazy. Fletcher failed that test yesterday.

The worst part of this deal is that it's the first serious crack in Fletcher's armor. We've let him off the hook over a few odd moves because, after all, he's Cliff Fletcher and he saved us all once before. But this signing has to throw up all sorts of red flags. Maybe, just maybe, we wound up with the Phoenix Coyotes version of Fletcher.

I have to go drink now.