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Fan Discontent Prompts Leafs' Sudden
Moves
September 10, 2003
Story by: Bill
Martin
Over six days, from Sept. 4 to 9, the Toronto
Maple Leafs settled accounts with Robert
Svehla, re-signed F Nik Antropov, offered
free agent D Ken Klee a contract, renewed
their pursuit of free agent F Magnus Arvedson
and topped it all off with the signing of
free agent C Joe Nieuwendyk.
Yes, Leaf management finally attempted
to tangibly improve the club, just like
Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment Ltd.
president Richard Peddie and Leaf coach
Pat Quinn have all along said they would.
But this sudden flurry of activity, after
a long summer slumber, begs the question
- why now?
The answer on the surface, and certainly
the most convenient one for the Leafs, is
that the hiring of John Ferguson Jr. as
GM on Aug. 29 has allowed the organization
to fully participate in the NHL's off-season.
And while it appears that Ferguson is the
catalyst making things happen, a closer
examination of events suggests something
different.
The Nieuwendyk signing on Sept. 9, a nice
move by the Leafs, appeared to come out
of nowhere. Nieuwendyk and agent Rick Curran
had indicated that he wanted to play in
Toronto and was willing to at much less
than the $5 million (U.S.) he made last
season with the New Jersey Devils. Despite
this, the Leafs displayed no interest.
Dallas was touted for a while as the likely
destination for big Joe, and as recently
as Sept. 8 it appeared that he would sign
on again in Soprano country to help the
Devils defend their Stanley Cup title. Now,
and somewhat surprisingly, Nieuwendyk is
a Leaf.
The Leafs will claim that the opportunity
to land Nieuwendyk came when the frustrated
Svehla filed his retirement papers on Sept.
4, thus freeing up the money needed to clinch
the deal. The impetus for Svehla's action,
however, didn't come from Ferguson, but
rather Svehla himself after growing weary
of the silliness between the Leafs and his
agent, Rich Winter.
And one has to question if the signing
of the 37-year old Nieuwendyk was the result
of Ferguson's initiative because it contradicts
statements he has made since being hired.
It certainly flies in the face of the youth
movement alluded to by Ferguson - the one
that prompted Doug Gilmour to retire on
Sept. 8 rather than wait for a contract
offer from the Leafs that wasn't going to
come. And less than a week before Nieuwendyk's
signing, Ferguson told the Fan 590 radio
station in Toronto that the Leafs had no
interest in the big center.
Most probably, the Nieuwendyk deal was
the handiwork of Quinn. It's no secret that
Nieuwendyk is a Quinn favourite. Quinn selected
him for Canada's 2002 Olympic team over
young studs Joe Thornton and Todd Bertuzzi.
It is reasonable to assume that had the
Svehla mess been cleared up earlier this
summer, Quinn would have convinced Peddie
and MLSEL vice-chairman Ken Dryden to sign
Nieuwendyk well before Ferguson entered
the scene. The signing of D Bryan Marchment
in July showed that a GM didn't necessarily
have to be in place for the Leafs to make
a free agent acquisition.
The re-signing of Antropov on Sept. 5 didn't
need Ferguson to make it happen. Other Leaf
free agents, including Bryan McCabe, were
re-signed before his arrival. Leafs assistant
GM Mike Penney handled the talks with Antropov,
which were free of acrimony, and Penney
indicated in early August that a deal was
close The actual signing may have been delayed
to give Ferguson an early feather in his
cap.
As for Klee, Ferguson initiated then apparently
ended negotiations with his agent before
the Svehla drama concluded. Thus, one can
assume that the Leaf's subsequent contract
offer to Klee on Sept. 8 wasn't Ferguson's
doing. The offer was unexpected. Klee's
rejection of it was not.
Talks with Arvedson had been initiated
in early July. Ferguson simply picked up
where someone else, presumably Quinn, had
left off. The Nieuwendyk signing probably
killed whatever chance there was of Arvedson
becoming a Leaf.
So what appears to be the result of Ferguson's
work is more likely something that is being
made to appear as such. The real impetus
for the Leafs' recent moves has probably
come from Peddie, Quinn and maybe Dryden
in response to the perceptible discontent
and loathing of Leaf fans toward the organization's
inaction and perceived disinterest in winning.
Peddie and Quinn will gladly continue with
the charade of Ferguson being a man of action
if it makes their unpopular choice for GM
more acceptable to the Leaf faithful.
In reality though, it has been the Leafs'
eagerness to make things right again with
their fans, rather than Ferguson's resourcefulness,
that has led to the Leafs cramming almost
three months of off-season into six days.
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