Ouch.
Isn't this like saying "shut-out" or talking about a no-hitter in the sixth inning?
All joking aside, I'm not counting the Sens out. Not by a long shot.
If there's one thing I've learned as a life-long Leafs fan it's this: in hockey, the most likely outcome - the one I can almost always count on - is the one that will cause me the most pain.
Based on this (call it the first law of MLSE) I fully expect the Sens to storm back in Kanata.
| Player | Pos | Status | 06-07 Cap Hit | o7-08 Cap Hit |
| Belfour | G | Year 2 of buy-out | $750K | $750K |
| Devereaux | F | Signed to 2009 | $450K | $650K |
| Kilger | F | Signed to 2009 | $900K | $900K |
| Newbury | F | Signed to 2009 | $450K | $450K |
| Ondrus | F | Signed to 2008 | $475K | $475K |
| Pohl | F | Signed to 2009 | $463K | $463K |
| Ponikarovsky | F | Signed to 2010 | $713K | $2.105M |
| Raycroft | G | Signed to 2009 | $2M | $2M |
| Stajan | F | Signed to 2008 | $875K | $875K |
| Steen | F | Signed to 2008 | $901K | $901K |
| Tucker | F | Signed to 2012 | $1.59M | $3M |
| Sundin | F | Club option | $6.33M | TBD |
| Wellwood | F | Signed to 2008 | $875K | $875K |
| Westrum | F | Signed to 2008 | $463K | $463K |
| Belak | D | Signed to 2008 | $670K | $670K |
| Gill | D | Signed to 2009 | $2.075M | $2.075M |
| Kaberle | D | Signed to 2011 | $4.25M | $4.25M |
| Kubina | D | Signed to 2010 | $5M | $5M |
| McCabe | D | Signed to 2011 | $5.75M | $5.75M |
| White | D | Signed to 2010 | $453K | $850K |
| Wozniewski | D | Signed to 2008 | $463K | $463 |
| TOTAL | *32,965,000 |
| Player | Pos | Status | 06-07 Cap Hit | o7-08 Minimum Cap Hit** |
| Colaiacovo | D | RFA | $825K | $866K |
| Harrison | D | RFA | $450K | $495K |
| Kronwall | D | RFA | $625K | $656K |
| Williams | F | RFA | $570K | $557K |
| Suglabov | F | RFA | $550K | $605K |
| TOTAL | $3.7M** | |||
Salary cap is expected to rise to $47 to $48 million for 2007-08
*initial cap hit does not include club option on Mats Sundin.
** RFAs earning $600K or less, must be qualified with a 10% raise; RFAs earning earning $660,001 to $1M, must be qualified with a 5% raise - these are the required minimums only, players may, can and will likely sign for more.
JFJ went before the MLSE board today and, according to Sportsnet, he will be back as Leafs GM for the 2007-2008 season.
Middling indecisiveness is exactly what's wrong with JFJ's tenure as a GM and, with this decision, it's clear that this malaise permeates right through the entire hockey organization.
This non-decision by the Board is a perfect example of why the hockey side of MLSE will continue to flounder and the team will continue to flirt with 10th place for the foreseeable future.
Hey, MLSE Board: if JFJ's your GM of choice, give him a new contract, get out of his way and let him build his team. If you don't think he's capable of building a cup contender, put a bullet in him and strike up a search committee.
JFJ's sins are legion and his successes are few and far between.
He's all about building talent from within, except for when he's trading picks and prospects for very limited returns. He has a strong eye for fourth line recovery projects and a blind eye for top-line talent.
JFJ may have his plan but, more importantly, the MLSE board clearly has no spine.
This work by M. Forbes is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial-No Derivative Works 2.5 Canada License.
