Leafs Nation holds its collective breath and awaits word from the mountain, er Sweden, regarding the future of its outstanding star and captain Mats Sundin. Here we are well into August and Sundin still hasn’t decided where or if he will continue his NHL career. Now bear in mind this isn’t some third line winger the organization is waiting to hear from. This is the captain and supposed leader of this once proud franchise.

What the heck is going on here? Firstly, he refuses to wave his no trade contract at the deadline last season when the Leafs could have turned him into some future building blocks that the team could surely use. Then when the Leafs had a deal worked out with Montreal prior to the free agent season he refused to decide his future so that Toronto could benefit before he became a free agent.

Are teams (yes there are several) so desperate that they are willing to wait to hear from Mr. Sundin as to whether he will grace their team with his presence? Remember, with the salary cap in effect, these teams have set aside a substantial amount of money, money that could have and perhaps should have been used to pursue other players, in case our dithering star decides to cast his lot with them. Is this any way to run a hockey team?

Maybe I’m crazy but, as a long time participant in and observer of sports, I’ve always felt that teams were about commitment, dedication, and togetherness; you know, the all for one and one for all routine. I just don’t know how this situation with Sundin was allowed to get this far. All we have to do is look around us to see blatant examples of how badly these situations turn out.

Last season, the Anaheim Ducks, coming off of a Stanley Cup championship had to deal with Scott Niedermayer and Teemu Selanne who couldn’t decide whether to play another season or not. They both ended up rejoining the squad in January and to no one’s surprise the team struggled to play consistently quality hockey the entire season and made an early exit from the playoffs.

Nobody knows if things would have been different had both players been committed to the Ducks for the entire season but you have to figure that their indecisiveness had to have a negative impact on the team. Not to mention, when they both came back the salary cap was affected and a trade had to be made to accommodate their large stipends, causing additional disruptions in team chemistry.

More recently, albeit in another sport and league, we have the recently resolved Brett Favre affair. Firstly, he announces his retirement, files his papers with the league office and passes quietly into what everyone thought would be a relaxed retirement to rest his weary bones and await the call from Canton for his enshrinement in the Hall of Fame. The Green Bay Packers prepare for life without Favre and appoint Aaron Rodgers to be their quarterback of the future after being the backup to Favre for a number of years.

Lo and behold, on the eve of training camp where the process for team building begins in earnest, the retired one proclaims his desire to continue playing and the entire program is sent spinning like a top. To their credit, the Green Bay brass hold firm in their commitment to Rodgers. This takes considerable guts since there is a strong possibility that the team would be more successful, at least in the short term, with Favre under center but, by resisting the temptation to go back on its word the management team sends a positive message to the players about loyalty and commitment to the group that they have assembled. This will benefit the team in the long run.

Now getting back to Sundin. There may be extenuating circumstances that we are not aware of which have delayed the final decision. Perhaps Sundin has decided to retire but, his agent J.P. Barry is trying to convince him to continue playing. After all, Mats is Barry’s biggest client and he would stand to lose a considerable amount of money should his biggest asset pack it in. And don’t forget the Player’s Union possible role in this scenario. Vancouver has a two year contract offer of ten million per on the table. If Sundin takes that deal it would most assuredly help drive up offers to other players in the future.

So all Leaf Nation can do now is wait. The good news is that training camps are just a month away and they should know by then what the final ending will be. Unless, no it can’t be, Sundin decides to wait until midseason to decide! Ah what the heck, just sit back and enjoy the rest of your summer.

That’s my opinion. Thanks for listening.