Toronto Maple Leafs-will Mats Sundin be back?

The latest news regarding former Maple Leafs captain Mats Sundin, is that he is seriously considering retirement. It has been reported that several sources in Sweden have indicated he does not seem as interested in hockey as he has in summers past, mainly because he hasn't been skating and working out with the enthusiasm he usually does.

I can honestly see retirement as a very likely option for Sundin at this point, though I am still hopeful he will return to the Toronto Maple Leafs. I can imagine he feels disenchanted with the whole Maple Leafs' organziation, given the way he was treated at the trade deadline last season. Some Leafs "fans" remain upset over his refusal to waive his no trade clause, and accept a trade to go play for a Stanley Cup with a bunch of guys he just met.

True, these fans argue Sundin could have helped the Maple Leafs by accepting a trade and bringing in a return. However, it just doesn't send a good message to players across the league if we try and run our best player and longtime captain out of town. I just can't see too many players finding the Toronto Maple Leafs an appealing team to play for if we say, "hey come play for us, and if you do well we will force you out of town!" Not to mention it is not Sundin's job to play General Manager, his job is to help our team by scoring goals and he does that very well. As the captain, he also didn't want to abandon the teammates he was leading since the start of the season. In my opinion, people who are still angry at him need to realize this, and let it go.

Maple Leafs fans await his decision

As the summer months continue, many Toronto Maple Leafs fans, as well as hockey fans in general, are starting to become angry at the fact that Mats Sundin has not yet made a decision. In my opinion, there is no reason to be. Sundin has stated since the end of last season that he is undecided about his future with hockey. He is not under contract, so he does not owe it to any team, including the Maple Leafs, to rush his decision. All the teams who are pursuing him (Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal, and supposedly Colorado) were fully aware of the fact that he is undecided when they tabled their offers. They knew this, so they have willingly accepted the risks of waiting on his decision. To me, this says alot about how much these teams believe Mats Sundin can help them.

As for the Maple Leafs, I see no reason why we should be impatient. There really isn't any free agents on the market that GM Cliff Fletcher is interested in using Sundin's cap money to sign. The only roster moves the Maple Leafs will likely be making are trades. Those can be done any time between now and next season's trade deadline. Training camp does not start until mid-September and the regular season does not start until October. There is absolutely no need for Sundin to rush his decision.

So in my opinion, he can take all the time he wants deciding. There is no reason for the fans to be whining impatiently for him to make up his mind faster, but again, that does show just how much the ticket holders love seeing him play. So here's hoping that when he finally does decide, he will be playing for the Toronto Maple Leafs where he belongs. Although if he chooses to retire, Maple Leafs fans wont hold it against him.

Check back at the Toronto Maple Leafs News Ticket for updates on Mats Sundin.