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Howard Berger from Toronto's Fan590 seems to think so...from his blog:
Maple Leafs And The Sedin Twins
CHICAGO (May 23) — Having covered 16 playoff games in nine different cities so far this spring, the chatter with hockey people in press boxes is non-stop, and the speculation is all over the place heading into another busy off-season.
Recently, however, I have been warned by several impressive sources not to underestimate Brian Burke’s resolve in pursuing the Swedish twins he drafted to the Vancouver Canucks almost 10 years ago. Daniel Sedin and Henrik Sedin can become unrestricted free agents on July 1st if the Canucks do not re-sign them, and hockey fans in British Columbia are justifiably anxious to see whether or not their team can afford its two best offensive players.
If the twins are on the market when the free agent sweepstakes begin, Burke is likely to be front and center on behalf of the Maple Leafs.
“He has to go after them,” one of hockey’s most recognizable faces told me Friday at the United Center, prior to Chicago’s overtime victory against Detroit in Game 3 of the Western Conference final. “The Leafs are one of the few teams that will have the money this summer to accommodate the Sedins and Burke is being smart by talking about making the playoffs next year. This is the type of big-time move he has to make.”
The conversation occurred one night after a hockey executive in Pittsburgh told me Burke is “salivating” over the chance to bring the offensive spark of the Sedins to Toronto. Of course, tampering regulations preclude NHL employees from speaking on the record about players still under contract, and Burke obviously cannot comment on his free agent strategy. The Sedins will probably fetch somewhere between 10 and 13-million dollars on the open market, and that’s a lot of cash for a team that has missed the playoffs four consecutive seasons. But, Daniel and Henrik are in the prime of their careers, and are still young enough to be the center-piece of an improving Toronto club in the next half-decade.
The pre-game discussion here in Chicago also touched on veteran goalie Jean-Sebastien Giguere, who lost his starting role to Jonas Hiller during Anaheim’s playoff push this spring. “Burke might take a look at him,” I was told. “Bringing in a proven goalie is a lot different than going after a prospect from Sweden” — the latter reference, of course, pertaining to free agent netminder Jonas Gustavsson of Swedish Elite team Farjestad, who several teams, including the Maple Leafs, have recently pursued.
Giguere was Burke’s No. 1 man during Anaheim’s Stanley Cup triumph in 2007, and he probably still has a few good seasons left in him. Burke gave Giguere a no-trade clause with the Ducks because one of the goalie’s kids needed specialized medical care in southern California. But, there’s a world renowned children’s hospital in downtown Toronto, and Giguere might be willing to waive his contract privilege to re-join his former boss, who has a noted soft spot for players that have successfully gone to war for him in the NHL.
Speculation of this sort will only increase as the playoffs conclude, and the hot months begin.
E-mail howard.berger@rci.rogers.com
Maple Leafs And The Sedin Twins
CHICAGO (May 23) — Having covered 16 playoff games in nine different cities so far this spring, the chatter with hockey people in press boxes is non-stop, and the speculation is all over the place heading into another busy off-season.
Recently, however, I have been warned by several impressive sources not to underestimate Brian Burke’s resolve in pursuing the Swedish twins he drafted to the Vancouver Canucks almost 10 years ago. Daniel Sedin and Henrik Sedin can become unrestricted free agents on July 1st if the Canucks do not re-sign them, and hockey fans in British Columbia are justifiably anxious to see whether or not their team can afford its two best offensive players.
If the twins are on the market when the free agent sweepstakes begin, Burke is likely to be front and center on behalf of the Maple Leafs.
“He has to go after them,” one of hockey’s most recognizable faces told me Friday at the United Center, prior to Chicago’s overtime victory against Detroit in Game 3 of the Western Conference final. “The Leafs are one of the few teams that will have the money this summer to accommodate the Sedins and Burke is being smart by talking about making the playoffs next year. This is the type of big-time move he has to make.”
The conversation occurred one night after a hockey executive in Pittsburgh told me Burke is “salivating” over the chance to bring the offensive spark of the Sedins to Toronto. Of course, tampering regulations preclude NHL employees from speaking on the record about players still under contract, and Burke obviously cannot comment on his free agent strategy. The Sedins will probably fetch somewhere between 10 and 13-million dollars on the open market, and that’s a lot of cash for a team that has missed the playoffs four consecutive seasons. But, Daniel and Henrik are in the prime of their careers, and are still young enough to be the center-piece of an improving Toronto club in the next half-decade.
The pre-game discussion here in Chicago also touched on veteran goalie Jean-Sebastien Giguere, who lost his starting role to Jonas Hiller during Anaheim’s playoff push this spring. “Burke might take a look at him,” I was told. “Bringing in a proven goalie is a lot different than going after a prospect from Sweden” — the latter reference, of course, pertaining to free agent netminder Jonas Gustavsson of Swedish Elite team Farjestad, who several teams, including the Maple Leafs, have recently pursued.
Giguere was Burke’s No. 1 man during Anaheim’s Stanley Cup triumph in 2007, and he probably still has a few good seasons left in him. Burke gave Giguere a no-trade clause with the Ducks because one of the goalie’s kids needed specialized medical care in southern California. But, there’s a world renowned children’s hospital in downtown Toronto, and Giguere might be willing to waive his contract privilege to re-join his former boss, who has a noted soft spot for players that have successfully gone to war for him in the NHL.
Speculation of this sort will only increase as the playoffs conclude, and the hot months begin.
E-mail howard.berger@rci.rogers.com
