Shell
04-24-2003, 03:46 PM
(I personally think Toronto would have to be crazy to give up Kaberle or Antropov as part of this deal)
LINDROS ON THE BLOCK
April 24, 2003 -- EXCLUSIVE
NY Post
THE Maple Leafs are picking up the pieces yet again after losing in the first round for the first time in Pat Quinn's five-year tenure, after failing to win the Stanley Cup for the 36th consecutive time since 1967. And of all the NHL locations other than Toronto, itself, the ramifications of this latest failure are likely to reverberate loudest in Manhattan.
Well-placed sources have told The Post that Glen Sather is anxious to chat with anyone expressing an interest in dealing for Eric Lindros following a season of deep disappointment that ended with little love flowing from management to No. 88. We're told that the Rangers are unconvinced that the 19-goal, 53-point season was an aberration, and are skeptical about Lindros' ability to lead the team as its first-line center. They're also not thrilled with the contract that essentially guarantees Lindros $9.3 million next year if he avoids a calamitous concussion.
In Toronto, they don't need a first-line center. Indeed, the Maple Leafs are desperate for a second-line pivot to support Mats Sundin and to play with second-line right wing Owen Nolan. And in Toronto, they need to make a major move over the summer to restore belief in the franchise. The Maple Leafs aren't good enough to win, not even close now. The prospect of acquiring Lindros, of bringing the Prodigal home at last to wear the uniform in which he has always dreamed of playing, must be an enticing one. And there will be pressure brought to bear on the Maple Leafs to do so, both from the media and the fan base.
There are, of course, a number of unknowns here. Quinn, who stubbornly refused to complete a deal with Bob Clarke for Lindros leading up to the 2001 trade deadline, may still resist. But maybe not, after this step backward. Beyond that, a new ownership group may force Quinn to relinquish his position as either GM or coach. If Quinn is no longer GM, there's no guarantee that his successor would be interested in Lindros, though Bob Gainey, believed most likely to assume the role in the event of a change, tried to bring No. 88 to Dallas two years ago.
The Rangers are not likely to be major players in the marquee free-agent market. There is, finally, acknowledgment that this route most often traveled isn't the right way to go. As such, the Blueshirts will not be in on either Sergei Fedorov or Derian Hatcher, the biggest names eligible to go free - free? - on July 1. Rather, the Rangers are likely to target role-playing Todd Marchant, who, not yet 30, has both a history with Sather and a pocket full of intangibles. If Lindros is not here, Marchant would thus become the third-line center behind Petr Nedved and Bobby Holik.
If Sather covets Marchant, who will become a Group V coming off a $1.54M salary, he may not need 23-year-old pivot Nik Antropov to be the centerpiece of a package from Toronto necessary to complete a Lindros deal. Rather, the GM would probably seek 25-year-old defenseman Tomas Kaberle, whom Clarke wanted two years ago as part of the bounty for Lindros.
Look, I think the Rangers are better with Lindros than without him. But it's not my opinion that's relevant; it's Sather's. And with the GM willing to be approached by suitors - Washington might well do Lindros and his one-year contract commitment for Jaromir Jagr and the five years at $55M he's still owed, but the Rangers won't - there's only one out there who makes sense.
It's Toronto, hockey capital of the world, now fully two-thirds of the way to 54 years.
LINDROS ON THE BLOCK
April 24, 2003 -- EXCLUSIVE
NY Post
THE Maple Leafs are picking up the pieces yet again after losing in the first round for the first time in Pat Quinn's five-year tenure, after failing to win the Stanley Cup for the 36th consecutive time since 1967. And of all the NHL locations other than Toronto, itself, the ramifications of this latest failure are likely to reverberate loudest in Manhattan.
Well-placed sources have told The Post that Glen Sather is anxious to chat with anyone expressing an interest in dealing for Eric Lindros following a season of deep disappointment that ended with little love flowing from management to No. 88. We're told that the Rangers are unconvinced that the 19-goal, 53-point season was an aberration, and are skeptical about Lindros' ability to lead the team as its first-line center. They're also not thrilled with the contract that essentially guarantees Lindros $9.3 million next year if he avoids a calamitous concussion.
In Toronto, they don't need a first-line center. Indeed, the Maple Leafs are desperate for a second-line pivot to support Mats Sundin and to play with second-line right wing Owen Nolan. And in Toronto, they need to make a major move over the summer to restore belief in the franchise. The Maple Leafs aren't good enough to win, not even close now. The prospect of acquiring Lindros, of bringing the Prodigal home at last to wear the uniform in which he has always dreamed of playing, must be an enticing one. And there will be pressure brought to bear on the Maple Leafs to do so, both from the media and the fan base.
There are, of course, a number of unknowns here. Quinn, who stubbornly refused to complete a deal with Bob Clarke for Lindros leading up to the 2001 trade deadline, may still resist. But maybe not, after this step backward. Beyond that, a new ownership group may force Quinn to relinquish his position as either GM or coach. If Quinn is no longer GM, there's no guarantee that his successor would be interested in Lindros, though Bob Gainey, believed most likely to assume the role in the event of a change, tried to bring No. 88 to Dallas two years ago.
The Rangers are not likely to be major players in the marquee free-agent market. There is, finally, acknowledgment that this route most often traveled isn't the right way to go. As such, the Blueshirts will not be in on either Sergei Fedorov or Derian Hatcher, the biggest names eligible to go free - free? - on July 1. Rather, the Rangers are likely to target role-playing Todd Marchant, who, not yet 30, has both a history with Sather and a pocket full of intangibles. If Lindros is not here, Marchant would thus become the third-line center behind Petr Nedved and Bobby Holik.
If Sather covets Marchant, who will become a Group V coming off a $1.54M salary, he may not need 23-year-old pivot Nik Antropov to be the centerpiece of a package from Toronto necessary to complete a Lindros deal. Rather, the GM would probably seek 25-year-old defenseman Tomas Kaberle, whom Clarke wanted two years ago as part of the bounty for Lindros.
Look, I think the Rangers are better with Lindros than without him. But it's not my opinion that's relevant; it's Sather's. And with the GM willing to be approached by suitors - Washington might well do Lindros and his one-year contract commitment for Jaromir Jagr and the five years at $55M he's still owed, but the Rangers won't - there's only one out there who makes sense.
It's Toronto, hockey capital of the world, now fully two-thirds of the way to 54 years.