The Toronto Maple Leafs may have had the wrong GM. They may have the wrong ownership, fans who are optimistic one minute and pessimistic the next, and one of the most disorganized front offices in the league.
But at least they have the right players.
Well, kind of.
See, the word around the city is that these players are selfish, self-absorbed, self oriented—however you want to look at it, these players are made to look as if the only people they care about are themselves and their enormous paychecks. Just because of a little "no-trade" clause.
I have a question: Based on what these players are saying, aren't they the opposite of selfish?
In an era where players are itching to get out of losing markets, players like Darcy Tucker, Thomas Kaberle, Bryan McCabe, and Mats Sundin are continually telling the media that Toronto is where they want to be.
They signed on to play in Toronto, they took no-trade clauses in their contracts so they could decide when they wanted to leave, and (so they're saying) they want to be the ones to help turn it around.
Pretty selfish eh?
I mean, Tomas Kaberle is living and dying by the mantra "I signed here, I want to be here". I mean it's not like he still gets his $4.25 million if he gets traded right? Staying in Toronto is the only way he makes the full amount right?
Wait, it isn't?
So why does he want to stay here?
Bryan McCabe has been ridiculed the entire season here in Toronto. From tripping over the net, to scoring on his own goal, to turning the puck over to Mark Streit in over-time for a breakaway goal for a Montreal win, McCabe has said that he's committed to the city and he doesn't want to take the easy way out.
Fans still want him gone though.
So why does he want to stay here?
Darcy Tucker, the man that has been the heart and soul of this team for so long, the man who endeared himself to Leafs fans with that 2002 playoff run. Now he's not producing up to his previous standards.
Up until a few games ago, he was having a miserable season and people were assuming that he was either:
A) Injured or
B) Giving up on the team
So why does he want to stay here?
Then there's Mats Sundin: The man who's accused of not wanting to win—even though he took less money to stay in Toronto so that they could put a winning team around him. The man who's been accused of being stubborn and doing "what's worst for the club".
The guy bleeds Blue and White. He was given a no-trade clause so that he could escape if the exact situation that the Leafs are in now arose.
But he says that, as always, he's here to lead the Leafs from the darkness and to help the team into the future. He is showing a commitment to this team that many "captains" in professional sports are lacking.
Meanwhile, the fans could care less. They say it's not his right and he doesn't have the best interests of the club in mind.
So why does he want to stay here?
The reason these guys want to stay here? It's because they're the right people.
Granted, they may not be the right players for this team skill-wise anymore, and none of them may be the most talented at their positions, but at least Toronto is signing the right kind of players. Players who will stick it out when the going gets tough and have the character to stay around and not take the easy road.
Yes they're worth more to the team if you were to able to turn them into prospects and picks. And yes, that extra cap space would definitely be helpful in the years to come, but if you were to survey players on the bottom five teams in the, how many do you think would rather stick it out with their teams than go off and wind a championship?
Exactly.
So in our cries for a fire-sale—in spite of our languish over the futility in Toronto—remember that these guys are human beings too. Committed human beings who just want to see through what they started.
Sure it may not be the right thing to do with regards to the team's future, but think of it this way—is it more effective trying to escape from prison on your own, or is it more effective trying to escape if you stop laying blame on each other, stop trying to escape on your own, and make it a team effort?
As I said, Toronto has done a lot of things wrong in the past few years—but at least they've got the right attitude.
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