NEWS OF MAPLE LEAFS
Last Update: Saturday July 31, 1999 4:24PM EST
Friday July 30, 1999 Leafs sign Modin and Warriner
Left-wingers Fredrik Modin and Todd Warriner have re-signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Modin had 31 points (16-15) in 67 games last season, when he was paid $750,000 Cdn. A new one-year deal for the 24-year-old Swede is worth $775,000 Cdn.
Warriner had 19 points (9-10) in 53 games and was paid $635,000. A new one-year deal is worth $775,000 Cdn to the 25-year-old native of Blenheim, Ont.
Saturday July 24, 1999 Leafs, Tinordi play waiting game
Mark Tinordi is interested in settling down in Toronto to play for the Maple Leafs.
But then again, with most training camps set to open in six weeks, the unrestricted free- agent defenceman would take any offer right now.
"I'm just waiting," Tinordi said yesterday. "Outside of the New York Rangers, it doesn't look like any teams are interested in spending money."
The Leafs are interested in Tinordi, 33, but only at their price. The lack of interest league-wide may play into the Leafs' hands.
Sylvain Lefebvre, who eventually signed with the Rangers for $2.5 million US a season, was offered $2 million a year by the Leafs. Tinordi likely would be offered a similar salary.
"I'm not sure about the level of the Leafs' interest," Tinordi said. "But yeah, the situation does interest me."
The Leafs have talked with Tinordi's agent, Jeff Solomon, a few times this week. But the club will be patient in dealing with Tinordi, hoping his price slides down the scale.
Tinordi made $2.675 million US last season.
The Leafs could use the toughness of the 6-foot-4, 213-pound Tinordi, but the Red Deer, Alta., native has yet to play a full season in the NHL. In the past three years, he has played an average of 50 games in an 82-game schedule.
He played 48 games last season after he suffered a serious groin injury and an assortment of other hurts.
"I'm back to full health now. Heck, I have been off since April," said the former Washington Capitals defenceman, who was picked up by Atlanta in the expansion draft so the Thrashers could get a compensatory draft pick when Tinordi signs with another team.
The veteran defenceman also said he isn't concerned about working with the young members of the Leafs blue line.
"That's one of the ingredients I have to offer Toronto," Tinordi said. "When you play in the league as long as I have (13 seasons), you know the players and the league. You want to share your knowledge. If it makes them better, it increases your chance of winning a Stanley Cup."
Thursday July 22, 1999 Players line up to sign with Leafs
Two-thirds of the Maple Leafs' second line signed new contracts yesterday.
Centre Alyn McCauley and right winger Mike Johnson signed one- and two-year deals respectively. The Leafs also are close to signing unrestricted free agent Bobby House, 26, a right winger who will be ticketed for St. John's.
McCauley's one-year deal will pay him $715,000 US, while Johnson will earn $850,000 in 1999-2000 and $1.05 million the following season.
House, a native of Whitehorse, is expected to sign a two-year, two-way deal that would pay him $400,000 Cdn should he make the NHL team.
Drafted in the third round in 1991 by the Chicago Blackhawks, the 6-foot-1, 205-pound House has played on seven minor pro teams since graduating from the Brandon Wheat Kings of the WHL in 1993. Last season, as property of the New Jersey Devils, House had 11 goals and 18 assists in 56 games with the Springfield Falcons of the AHL.
The Leafs also are working on deals for Todd Warriner and Fredrik Modin and likely will have the two restricted free agents signed by the weekend. Farm-hand Aaron Brand also is close to agreeing to a new deal.
Wednesday July 21, 1999 Quinn's eye on a Hurricane?
Pat Quinn's Irish eyes lit up as he raised his eyebrows.
"I didn't know that. Now that is the sort of thing that is worth looking into," the Maple Leafs coach/general manager said last week, moments after he was officially sworn in as the club's new GM.
Quinn was discussing how he was going to meet the challenge of holding the dual roles of coach and GM. He was talking about the importance of time management and tapping every resource he has to know what players might be available.
When a reporter offered up Carolina centre Keith Primeau as a talented forward who is available, Quinn's interest was immediate. You could see it in his eyes.
The Primeau situation is something that popped up at the NHL entry draft June 26. Word filtered around that negotiations between the Hurricanes and Primeau, a restricted free agent, were not going well.
A couple of teams -- the Rangers, of course, are believed to be one -- even made trade offers for Primeau on draft day. The Leafs were not one of those teams.
A few days later, Hurricanes GM Jim Rutherford admitted that Primeau is seeking a new deal worth $6 million US a season. The Hurricanes announced they had offered Primeau $4 million a season, but it is believed the offer actually was closer to $5 million.
Even though Primeau is Carolina's premier player, the Hurricanes won't budge -- with good reason.
Yes, the attendance-challenged team is scheduled to move into the new $152-million Raleigh Entertainment and Sports Arena this fall.
Sure, the Hurricanes boasted midway through last season that the building's 75 luxury suites already were sold. But pundits in Raleigh predict the 19,000-seat facility will be half-full (half-empty?) most nights.
That is why Rutherford is in no hurry to sign Primeau, who made $2 million US last season. The Hurricanes are prepared to let Primeau's contract squabble go into November. They'll check out the attendance situation, and if it is as dismal as some are predicting, they'll move Primeau.
But why don't the Leafs speed up the process? They could sign Primeau to an offer sheet, but five first-round draft picks as compensation is too steep a price for a franchise trying to restock its system.
Quinn should put on his trading hat and make an offer. Carolina desperately needs an offensive defenceman. Would Bryan Berard and a couple other players fit the bill? Probably.
Quinn knows all about Primeau and the versatility he would bring to the Leafs. Quinn was the general manager of the Canadian team that struck gold at the 1997 world hockey championship in Helsinki and Primeau played a major role.
The Leafs could play the 6-foot-4, 210-pound Primeau at centre, with captain Mats Sundin on the left side and Steve Thomas on right wing. Sundin played arguably his best hockey on the wing of a line that Doug Gilmour centred.
Or the Leafs could play Primeau at left wing. Wherever you play him, Primeau would be a perfect complement to Sundin, especially on the power play. Nine of Primeau's 30 goals last season came on the power play.
Primeau, who turns 28 in November, is in his prime. He has collected 82 goals on a mediocre Carolina team during the past three seasons.
The Leafs hierarchy might cry that it can't afford Primeau. But the fans know better. Why shouldn't the Leafs improve their team dramatically?
Why sit back and hope that the youngsters continue to make giant leaps; that Sundin can continue to carry the load alone; that Thomas and Sergei Berezin can repeat their wonderful seasons?
Why not improve the roster? Why not make a trade for Primeau? Why not raise a few eyebrows?
Tuesday July 20, 1999 Beverley remains in limbo
Before Nick Beverley signs on for another tour of duty with the Maple Leafs, he will meet with general manager/coach Pat Quinn this week to find out what role Quinn has in mind for the in-limbo Beverley.
"I would like to know what the game plan is going to be," said Beverley, whose contract expired July 1. "I want to know Pat's version of what the structure will be and find out what he has in mind."
Beverley, 52, has done it all in hockey. He has coached the Leafs, been a general manager with the Los Angeles Kings and the past two seasons has been scouring rinks across North America as the Leafs director of pro scouting.
When former associate general manager Mike Smith was interested in a player via free agency or trade, he asked Beverley for an opinion.
The free-agent signing a year ago of forward Steve Thomas -- a coup for the Leafs -- came from a list compiled by Beverley and pro scout Joe Yannetti.
"I enjoyed being a pro scout under (Smith) because Mike used us a lot," Beverley said. "We had a lot of pro-and-con discussions, quite lively sometimes."
Quinn said last week that signing Beverley was a priority. He said Beverley was invaluable because, as a former GM, he has a GM's mentality while scouting.
"It was quite gratifying to hear that," Beverley said.
Meanwhile, on the free-agent front yesterday, the Leafs inched closer on a two-year deal worth just under $2 million with restricted free agent Mike Johnson, a winger who spent the past two seasons with Toronto.
The Leafs also plan to talk this week with Jeff Solomon, the agent for unrestricted free agent Mark Tinordi. Tinordi, a 33-year-old defenceman, spent the past five seasons with the Washington Capitals but was taken by Atlanta in the expansion draft. Solomon also is the agent for Leafs centre Steve Sullivan, a restricted free agent.
Saturday July 17, 1999 Leafs gambling on Bonsignore
As expected, the Maple Leafs signed Jason Bonsignore yesterday.
They also locked up 1996 fourth-round pick Vladimir Antipov to a three-year, two-way deal. His NHL salaries will be $450,000 US this coming season, $465,000 in 2000-01 and $525,000 in 2001-02.
Bonsignore, 23, an unrestricted free agent, signed a one-year, two-way contract that will pay him $650,000 US if he plays in the NHL all season. The Leafs have an option for a second year.
The Edmonton Oilers selected the native of Rochester fourth overall in the 1994 NHL entry draft. The 6-foot-4, 200-pound centre scored in his debut but has just two goals and 15 points in 78 NHL games since then. Statistically, his best pro season was 1996-97 when he had 21 goals and 54 points for the Hamilton Bulldogs of the AHL.
"He is an intriguing player," Leafs executive Bill Watters said. "He is going to go one way or the other and we believe he can go the right way."
As for Antipov, 21, the Leafs wanted to bring the 5-foot-11, 180-pound left winger over last year from his Russian club, Torpedo Yaroslavl.
"He played on a defensive-oriented team," Watters said. "So we want to bring him over and see what he can do at the AHL level. We think he can score."
PROCHAZKA DEALT:
The Leafs traded the rights to forward Martin Prochazka to Atlanta in exchange for a 2001 sixth-round pick. Prochazka, 27, played in the Czech Republic last season and was a member of its 1998 gold medal-winning Olympic team. He played 29 games for the Leafs in 1997-98, getting two goals and four assists. The Thrashers will sign Prochazka and he is expected to play for the expansion team this coming season.
Thursday July 15, 1999 Quinn adds GM to portfolio
A year ago, when Pat Quinn was introduced as head coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs, the former Vancouver Canucks president said he was happy to be out of NHL management.
He's changed his mind.
Quinn was appointed general manager of the Leafs on Wednesday, ending a summer power struggle over who would control the surprisingly successful club.
Quinn becomes the only GM-coach in the NHL following Jacques Demers' firing by the Tampa Bay Lightning on Wednesday.
That combined with Quinn's own comments when he joined Toronto raise questions about the wisdom of taking on the dual portfolio.
"I know the job can be done," Quinn said firmly. "I've done it before with some success."
Quinn held both jobs in Vancouver from 1991 to '94, taking the team to the Stanley Cup final in his final season as coach. He hired Rick Ley as head coach prior to the '94-'95 season, but briefly stepped back behind the bench at the end of the next year after firing Ley, now his assistant coach in Toronto. Quinn was president and GM of the Canucks when he was fired in November 1997.
Despite the return to management, Quinn still sounds like his heart is in coaching.
"I intend to be a coach who has additional responsibilities in management," he said Wednesday.
Quinn won't go at it alone. Bill Watters, whose official title is assistant to the president, will be Quinn's right-hand man in contract negotiations and free-agent acquisitions. He's already knee-deep in efforts to sign defenceman Sylvain Lefebvre, an unrestricted free agent from Colorado.
"A lot of people are going to have opportunities and responsibilities," Quinn said.
Quinn says Ley will assume more tasks behind the bench and Nick Beverley, director of pro scouting, will be heavily counted upon when looking at players around the league in possible trades.
The future of assistant GM Anders Hedberg isn't so clear. Hedberg, in charge of amateur scouting, had expressed interest in the GM job and may well feel uneasy with Quinn's ascendance.
"I'm not yet sure how Anders feels," said Quinn, who added that he would meet with Hedberg later this week.
When he came to Toronto, Quinn, a two-time NHL coach of the year, said he was happy to be rid of the pressures and politics of management.
The Hamilton native may still have felt that way but for a showdown in the Leafs' front office that came to a head six weeks ago.
After a surprising 97-point regular season and an improbable Stanley Cup run that took Toronto to the semifinals, team president and GM Ken Dryden began talks with associate GM Mike Smith over handing over official power to him.
Smith, praised for the free agent signings of Steve Thomas and Curtis Joseph a summer ago, the Felix Potvin-Bryan Berard trade and the hiring of Quinn, wanted the full GM title and power.
But he was never able to see eye to eye with Dryden, with reports suggesting he wanted to report to Dryden's boss, Richard Peddie.
Shortly before the June 26 NHL draft, Dryden said Smith wouldn't return, stunning Quinn and prompting him to re-evaluate his stance on being a manager.
"There was a misunderstanding in that it was my expectation Mike Smith would be general manager," Quinn said. "When the announcement was made (concerning Smith) it was kind of shocking."
Suddenly, Quinn knew he might have to fill the void Smith left at the management level even though he did not have much desire to do so. In the meantime, Dryden compiled a short list of candidates that included Doug Risebrough (Edmonton), Doug Armstrong (Dallas) and Steve Tambellini (Vancouver) and was set to begin formal discussions before Quinn informed him he wanted to be the new GM a few days following the draft.
After a long conversation with his family, Quinn knew it was the best decision for him and the organization. The alternative wasn't considered.
"Walking away from the team is always an option," Quinn said, "but I never contemplated that."
Quinn gets an undisclosed raise in salary and his GM contract parallels the three years he has left on his coaching deal.
In the meantime, there's a lot of work ahead with a multitude of restricted free agents to sign, including Berard, Mike Johnson, Yanic Perreault, Steve Sullivan, Todd Warriner and Dimitri Yushkevich.
But more importantly, Quinn says, the challenge will be to reproduce another successful year.
"We're going to be really challenged to produce a record like last year," Quinn said. "It's that second-year thing, when it's easy to take a dip. We're not that good."
He still sounds more like coach.
Saturday July 10, 1999 Leafs take depth plunge
Brian Wiseman will receive another shot at cracking the Maple Leafs lineup.
The 5-foot-8, 175-pound offensive dynamo was re-signed by the Leafs yesterday, along with free-agent defencemen Greg Andrusak and Terran Sandwith.
The three each signed one-year, two-way contracts with a club option for a second season.
Wiseman will earn $300,000 Cdn and his option year is worth $350,000 US. Andrusak signed a $350,000 US deal with a one-year club option of $400,000 US. Sandwith will earn $400,000 Cdn.
Wiseman, who turns 28 on Tuesday, played for the Baby Leafs in 1996-97 and dressed for three games with the big club that season. The Chatham native moved on to Houston Aeros of the International Hockey League and was a first-team all-star the past two seasons.
He led the IHL scoring race with 21 goals and 109 points this season and won the Gatschene Memorial Trophy as the league MVP. The Aeros went on to capture the Turner Cup championship.
"He is arguably the best player to have played for St. John's in the past eight years," Leafs executive Bill Watters said. "I saw him dominate games."
Wiseman, however, has yet to demonstrate he can play at the National Hockey League level. He will have to be at his best in training camp to make the Leafs this time around.
Out of the three, Andrusak, 29, has the best opportunity to make the Leafs. He began last season with EHC Berlin in the German league before being signed by the Pittsburgh Penguins.
EX-PENGUIN
Andrusak, of Cranbrook, B.C., dressed for each of the 12 playoff games for the Penguins and scored a goal in Game 2 of the Penguins opening-round win against New Jersey.
He also played three regular-season games with Houston and six more games in the IHL final.
"They are all depth players for our organization," Watters said. "But, quite frankly, Andrusak has a chance to be a sixth or seventh defenceman."
The 6-foot-4, 210-pound Sandwith, a native of Edmonton, played eight games with the Oilers two years ago and has developed into a reliable, stay-at-home defenceman.
His season was reduced to 40 games last season with the Mighty Ducks farm club in Cincinnati because of knee and shoulder injuries.
Friday July 9, 1999 Another Leafs signing?
The Maple Leafs have yet to lasso unrestricted free agent Sylvain Lefebvre, but they have locked up a lesser known stay-at-home defenceman.
The Leafs are on the verge of announcing the signing of Terran Sandwith, a 27-year-old defenceman from Edmonton. The Leafs and Sandwith, who played for Cincinnati of the AHL last season, have agreed to a one-year $400,000 Cdn deal.
"He is a player our scouts have had interest in the past three years," Leafs executive Bill Watters said. "He continues to improve and if he continues to get better he will play for us."
The 6-foot-4, 210-pound Sandwith has size and toughness. His season was cut to 40 games last year after suffering shoulder and knee injuries.
The former Western Hockey Leaguer originally was drafted by Philadelphia in 1990 in the second round. After three seasons in the minors, he spent a year with the Canadian national team and began to develop. He was then signed by Edmonton and was captain of the Oilers' farm team in Hamilton. He played eight games with Edmonton in 1997-98 and then signed with the Anaheim Mighty Ducks last season.
Thursday July 8, 1999 Pat gets the nod
The Maple Leafs' short-list for the general manager's position is nothing but window dressing.
Leafs president Ken Dryden already has handed the general manager duties to head coach Pat Quinn, The Toronto Sun has learned. Quinn officially will be sworn in as coach-general manager when he returns from vacation the week of July 19.
It is believed Dryden and Quinn worked out an agreement last week that would see the latter become only the second coach-GM currently working in the NHL.
Tampa Bay's Jacques Demers is the other, although his status is under review.
Quinn will run the hockey department, while Leafs executive Bill Watters' role will be expanded.
Under Quinn, the Leafs are expected to be more aggressive in terms of player-personnel moves. That's counter to the conservative philosophy taken by Mike Smith, who was dismissed by the team last month after two years as associate general manager.
Quinn apparently is investigating a few trade possibilities and will try to sign some free agents. Smith, before his June 23 departure, said the Leafs would not get involved in the free-agent frenzy.
Even though the free-agent season is seven days old, just two players, Stephane Quintal and Valeri Kamensky, have changed teams, both signing with the New York Rangers.
The Leafs made a bid for Quintal, a 30-year-old defenceman.
The Leafs are in the final stages of setting a player-salary budget for 1999-2000.
Despite reports Quinn wanted the same power Smith demanded (Smith sought alternate-governor status and to answer to Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment Ltd. president Richard Peddie), Quinn will answer to Dryden in the Leafs' hierarchy.
There was initial friction between Quinn and Dryden over Smith's dismissal, but once Dryden explained his decision, Quinn understood the move.
"I got apprised of some of the things (behind Dryden's decision)," Quinn said on June 26.
He said he was shocked initially because he thought Smith's status with the Leafs would be resolved.
Quinn said he and Dryden talked at length.
"Now we have to go forward. I had no intention of doing anything but coaching, but now circumstances are different."
At the NHL entry draft late last month, Dryden told Quinn that Dallas assistant GM Doug Armstrong, Edmonton vice-president of hockey operations Doug Risebrough and Vancouver director of player personnel Steve Tambellini also were on the short-list for the Leafs GM job.
Quinn, 56, was the Canucks GM for 10-plus seasons. During this decade, the Canucks made the playoffs seven of 10 seasons.
Like any general manager, Quinn has made good and bad moves. The worst trade was shipping Michael Peca, Mike Wilson and a first-round pick (Jay McKee) to the Sabres in exchange for Alexander Mogilny and a fifth-round choice (Todd Norman) on July 8, 1995.
One of Quinn's better moves was acquiring Markus Naslund from the Penguins for Alek Stojanov in March 1996. Under Quinn, the Canucks drafted Pavel Bure and Mattias Ohlund.
The Canucks' best season under Quinn was when he held both the coaching and GM roles in 1992-93 and led the Canucks to single-season highs for wins (46) and points (101). The following season, under the dual role of coach-GM, Quinn led the Canucks to the Stanley Cup final only to lose to the Rangers in seven games.
Thursday July 8, 1999 Leafs re-sign Valk, also sign Hoglund
The Toronto Maple Leafs signed a pair of unrestricted free agents on Wednesday, although they're hardly the calibre of Valeri Kamensky and Stephane Quintal.
The Leafs re-signed forward Gary Valk and added Jonas Hoglund, who spent last season with the Montreal Canadiens.
Terms of the deals were not released.
Valk, 31, scored eight goals and added 21 assists in 77 games with the Leafs last year after joining the team as a training camp walk-on. He also scored a pair of key goals in the playoffs against his former team, the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Hoglund, 26, had eight goals and 10 assists with the Canadiens, who didn't bother to offer him a qualifying offer.
The Swede scored 19 goals and had 16 assists for the Calgary Flames during his rookie season in 1996-97.
The New York Rangers made a big splash to start the NHL's free agent season by signing Quintal and Kamensky for a combined $28.4 million this week.
Tuesday July 6, 1999 Leafs ticket prices on the rise
The price for success goes up for Toronto Maple Leafs fans next season.
The NHL team, which reached the Eastern Conference final last season before bowing out against the Buffalo Sabres, said Tuesday they are increasing the cost of the tickets between eight and 13 per cent.
On the low end of the scale, the purple cheap seats increase to $26 from $24 and seats in the blue/green sections will be $53, up from $48.
On the high end, gold and platinum end seats increase to $122.50 from $110, while side golds and platinums go to $130 from $115.
Reds jump by $10 and will cost $95 each.
"We expect the team to continue to build on last season's success," Tom Anselmi, senior vice-president at Maple Leafs Sports & Entertainment Ltd., said in a release.
"In terms of price increases, this is what it takes to maintain the viability of a professional sports team in today's sports and entertainment markets. We're staying competitive with our American colleagues without leading the league in pricing."
Tuesday July 6, 1999 Risebrough for GM?
Doug Risebrough has talked to Ken Dryden about becoming the Maple Leafs' next general manager.
How serious the discussion was is open for interpretation.
One source believes Dryden already has offered the general manager's job to coach Pat Quinn and that the appointment will be announced when Quinn returns from his vacation in about two weeks.
This certainly is believable because Quinn showed serious interest in taking on the general manager's role -- he would remain coach as well -- when he spoke with reporters at the NHL entry draft 10 days ago.
Another source said Risebrough has been in Toronto and was interviewed by Dryden.
But Risebrough, the Edmonton Oilers vice-president of hockey operations, said he and Dryden talked only briefly at the entry draft.
"Ken and I have spoken, but basically he felt he had to address some issues first and make some decisions before we talked again," Risebrough said yesterday.
"We spoke at the draft and he was checking my interest level out. He wanted to define the role, I guess."
Risebrough, 44, would not comment on his interest in the Leafs job. But Dryden has asked Oilers president-general manager Glen Sather for permission to talk to Risebrough. Dryden and Risebrough were onetime teammates with the Montreal Canadiens.
Risebrough, Dallas Stars assistant general manager Doug Armstrong, Vancouver Canucks director of player personnel Steve Tambellini and Quinn make up Dryden's short list. Armstrong has not been contracted by Dryden.
"If something happens, I would listen," said Armstrong, who recently signed a long-term deal with the Stanley Cup-champion Stars.
Tambellini did not return calls. Dryden, the Leafs president-general manager, also could not be reached yesterday.
Risebrough, Atlanta Thrashers assistant general manager Les Jackson and former Mighty Ducks coach Pierre Page also are the front-runners for the general manager's position with the expansion Minnesota Wild.