Fletcher Limited By Salary Cap, No Trade Clauses
Posted January 23, 2008 12:00 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
During Cliff Fletcher’s first tenure with the Toronto Maple Leafs, he became well known for his ability to pull off blockbuster trades — the kind that brought stars like Doug Gilmour, Grant Fuhr, and Mats Sundin to town. But fans expecting to see similar results may be disappointed this time around. It’s not necessarily that Fletcher has changed, but the league has.
Post-lockout salary caps have limited trade activity and more 100 of the N.H.L.’s 700 players have no trade clauses written into their deals. Mats Sundin, Darcy Tucker, Bryan McCabe, Pavel Kubina and Tomas Kaberle all have no trade clauses in their contracts, limiting Fletcher’s potential moves.
So rather than plan a blockbuster, Fletcher wants to quietly assess the team while he ponders the future.
“I’m going to meet internally with the coaches, the management group and the scouts, and get their opinion on how they see the team playing, where they see it can progress to, rate all the players in terms of value, and eventually come up with a consensus and a plan in how we’re going to attempt to move forward,” Fletcher said Wednesday.
There have been rampant rumours about Sundin’s future. The 36-year-old captain becomes an unrestricted free agent on July 1 st, and should he waive his no trade clause, the Leafs could cash in heavily with draft picks and prospects, setting the stage for an inevitable rebuilding process.
But Sundin maintains he doesn’t want to leave Toronto , and his teammates believe him.
“I don’t think he wants to go somewhere and be a rental player for two months. I think that’s a sign of a good leader right there, one that’s not going to abandon the team that goes somewhere where the pastures are greener,” said Wade Belak. “I think he wants to ride this thing out and win a Cup in Toronto . He’s said that since he’s been here.
“I can’t see him waiving his deal at all just to go somewhere just to satisfy his need to win a Cup when he really wants to do it here.”
