Good morning Steve Thomas. We hear the Maple Leafs want you back for a third term in Toronto. Just how far back does this 42-year-old go in Maple Leafs lore? Well, his first stint with the Leafs ended in a trade for Al Secord.
Do you think Thomas is a good fit? Where will he play? Sure, he's no Teemu Selanne, but if the salary fits... Click the comments link below and let us know if adding "Stumpy" is a good idea.
Meanwhile, Todd Bertuzzi was on the ice yesterday at Team Canada's Olympic training camp and that Steve Moore thing just isn't going away. Fans in Denver continue to weigh in, but it looks like it's the signing if Brad May that's got them upset more than Bertuzzi's return.
Around the league:
The Penguins just weren't satisfied, were they? Crosby, Palffy, Gonchar, Thibault and now the team has added 36-year-old John LeClair to the mix yesterday. If anyone's picking the most improved team, we'd advise you start in Pittsburgh.
In Phoenix, ex-Leaf Curtis Joseph continues to draw interest. (Thomas, LeClair, Joseph - guess the old guys can still play!)
Speaking of ex-Leafs, remember Brad Boyes? Part of the then-controversial, now-disasterous Owen Nolan trade? The skilled forward is firmly in the Bruins fold.
In Detroit, Chris Osgood and Manny Legace have a message for fans who don't think the tag-team between the pipes will work: Peace and love... and hopefully a whole lot of saves.
The Islanders are Alexi Yashin's team now. The second highest player in the NHL certainly had his share of critics in his own dressing room - but those players are gone, and there are high hopes with Miroslav Satan skating as the wingman. They might not be Trottier and Bossy, but there's a lot of goals in there.
Don't forget about the other fella -- Eddie Olczyk -- who came to Toronto in the trade for Steve Thomas... talk about the most unappreciated star to ever don a Maple Leafs sweater. If Stumpy can make another return, surely Eddie O could as well unretire and do the player/coach thing on a line with Lemieux and Crosby... seriously!
Happy 39th birthday, Eddie Olczyk!
Posted by: Chi-Hung | August 16, 2005 at 10:44 AM
Each time I begin to get upset at the Leafs' off-season moves, I just think of Mike Milbury, GM of the NY Isles, and The Russian Phantom (Alexi Yashin) and I laugh and laugh and laugh ... but I digress.
Stevie Thomas back on Les Leafs? Why not? We've come this far with old guys, may as well go full tilt. Besides, Thomas will no doubt do a better job than Owen Nolan did in blue and white.
Ten bucks says Pittsburgh makes the final four.
If Vancouver was thinking straight, they'd have signed Cujo and told Dan Cloutier he's been traded back to Quebec.
Exactly.
Posted by: Andrew Spencer | August 16, 2005 at 10:52 AM
With all due respect to Stumpy, this is not the right move for the Leafs. He is a hard worker and a leader but he is 42 and the Leafs are lacking in the youth department. If the Leafs wanted veteran leadership they should have stepped up with better offers to Roberts and/or Nieuwendyk, they have skill sets that are without question greater than what Thomas has to offer. Also, T.O. has no shartage of leadership (Sundin, McCabe, Tucker, Domi).
Three UFA's are out there that catch my eye as potential 3rd line players (which is likely where Stumpy would be playing)... Jan Hlavac (28 yrs, LW, good speed, hands), Charlie Stephens (24 yrs, C/W, good size, defence), Dan Cleary (26yrs, LW/RW, good speed, hands). Adding a guy who is under 30 with some NHL expierience would best serve this team in the long term. Like the Lindros/Allison signings the possible reward would outweigh the risk. However, would they sign for a salary near the league minimum?
Posted by: Kevin D | August 16, 2005 at 10:54 AM
Signing Thomas maybe a short term fix that stinks of desperation. Pat Quinn would rather a 42 year old player than teach a younger player from the farm system. They need to get younger not older. Start with Stajan, he shower signs of being an awesome player, last time they played - (in the 80's i believe) but he sat too often. I would rather sit thru a so so season watching Stajan, Steen and the likes make mistakes knowing that they are improving and will contend in the future. Or I hear a rumor that Lanny and Darryl have been working out...
Posted by: gaolerlad | August 16, 2005 at 12:40 PM
Signing Thomas would be pretty desperate. Why wouldn't the Leafs save the salary on bums like Thomas, Lindros, and Domi and try to sign someone like Selanne?? Even if his production has dropped off in the last 2 years, if he is playing with Sundin, he would be a safe pick to get 50-60 points and no injury concerns like Lindros. Plus he is a winger which the Leafs have only 1 legitimate one ( O'neill)
Leafs management are so incompetent that they can't even figure this out??
Posted by: kyou | August 16, 2005 at 01:10 PM
Good move for the team and the box office.
Stumpy'll replace some of the veteran leadership that went with Gary, Owen and Joe for 1/5th the price and double the speed.
Stumpy's a fan favorite, no question.
Posted by: Rob Wiebe | August 16, 2005 at 01:22 PM
Why would signing Steve Thomas be a desperate move by the Maple Leafs? Even if he has an off-season, he would still be good for more points than Nolan ever produced for Toronto.
I think, however, that Anson Carter would be a better fit for Toronto. He is a skilled player who is looking to start anew.
As for Quinn not wanting to take the time to teach younger players, can you blame him? Toronto fans will always find something to complain about.
If he goes with a younger team, fans will say he needs more veterans with NHL experience. If he opts for veterans, fans will say that he needs a more youthful presence. I think that Toronto has a pretty good combination of both right now.
It's bad enough when I hear Philly or Ottawa fans putting down the Maple Leafs, but when Toronto fans start, it just have one thing to say.......Go Leafs Go!!!
Posted by: JR | August 16, 2005 at 01:57 PM
This is a plainly bad idea. Only in Leaf Nation could this idea get airplay.
The big knock - and a deserved one on the Leafs under Pat Quinn - is an inability to nurture and develop prospects from within the Leafs' farm system.
The new CBA requires that teams who wish to be competitive in the long term learn how to draft and develop their own players. You must build from within as well as from without.
Steve Thomas - at the age of 42 - is a step in the wrong direction. It's not about being cheap - it's about what you bring to the team now *and* in the future. Steve Thomas brings little now and absolutely nothing in the future.
Playing Thomas means not developing someone else. In the long run - that will cost the Leafs. Bad idea.
Posted by: Robert Trifts | August 16, 2005 at 04:03 PM
I LOVE how the canuckleheads signed Carter for a million. I would take Carter over Stumpy anyday. While JFJ was dealing with Thomas' agents etc. the damn Canucks marched in and cooly took Carter for the price he deserves. What went wrong here?
Posted by: mm | August 17, 2005 at 09:01 AM