Canucks sign F Bill Sweatt.
En ow, long live Toronto ...
Hello Bill,
I write to you, and by you I mean people on the internet that aren’t you, as a Leafs fan who’s been watching your brilliant gameless career here. You’re no Martin Skoula but I really do thi-HEY BILL, GET YOUR AGENT TO PULL HIS FINGERS OUT OF YOUR EARS.
That’s better. I really do think you have a chance to be a legitimate prospect in the Toronto Maple Leafs organization. The fans have been excited about you ever since we heard of the trade that sent you and Kris Versteeg here. We heard Brian Burke speak very highly of you, saying you’re a very, very fast skater that could eventually be a top six forward on this team. We were anticipating the next hockeysfuture prospect rankings in hopes of an improved pool of information about you showing where you rank among everyone else. We were waiting to see new highlights of you, be it if you didn’t move, or if you joined the Toronto Marlies. Heck, maybe you had a chance at the big club.
Of course, I’m talking in past tense. Why? Well, according to an article from the Toronto Sun put out in the last day, you have rejected the Leafs final offer, one that won’t be increased no matter what happens. Unless you’re to come crawling back and change his mind, you’re going to use a well known but rarely used loophole to get to Unrestricted Free Agency at this age – that is, refusing to sign a contract with your team for a set period of time (I’m quite sure this is 3 years, though I may be wrong). The reasoning for spurning the Chicago Blackhawks and our Leafs? You want to go to a team that will give yourself an opportunity to play. The secondary reasoning? Money. You want a bunch of it.
Now, this is the NHL after all, and technically, you’ve done nothing wrong. Regardless, I still have my reasons to think you’re a disgrace of a hockey player, and here they are.
Look At Who You’ve Turned Away – You’re a totally legitimate hockey player first guy, right? Looking for a chance to play? Your first team was the Chicago Blackhawks. You know, the 2010 Stanley Cup Champions, so you know they’re good and can help you succeed, considering their young, home raised core? The same Chicago Blackhawks who had to make massive salary cuts and could use an Entry Level Deal like yours to fill in the gaps? The same Chicago Blackhawks that play a speed-based game that you would thrive in, and supported you for 3 years after drafting you? That’s really nice of you, Bill.
You’re literally gift wrapped into the best team with the brightest future in the National Hockey League because they thought enough of you to pick you in the 2007 Entry Draft. 38th overall, in fact – not exactly a “screw it, we need someone” pick, but rather a pick that they most assuredly took time to pick on. And its not like they totally saw enough in you to pick you ahead of the likes of Oscar Moller, T.J. Galliardi, Wayne Simmonds, Luca Caputi, Jamie Benn, and Carl Gunnarsson (hmm…for not having a 1st, 2nd, or 3rd, the Leafs came out alright in the end from that draft, huh? Trading for Caputi aside). They let you take your time at Colorado College, even though they probably really wanted to see you with the Rockford Icehogs. and what do you do? You ignore them. And to make it worse…
You Turned Away Another Team Too – When the Hawks decide they’ve invested as much time as they can into you, they finally put you on the market, in what I’m sure was a bit of mixed emotions. Everyone there knew you were a fine hockey player, but also knew they had to get something for you as you clearly didn’t see the Chicago Blackhawks as the answer to your prayers to be part of a Stanley Cup winning organization. Sure enough, a man by the name of Brian Burke sees enough in you that when he went to bail out Stan Bowman from his cap mess while plucking Kris Versteeg from their grasp, he asked for you. Lets look at this Leafs team, for a second. They’re the youngest in the game, so young that you would possibly be a veteran for them once you make it, trying to win the Calder Trophy.
They’re in between a rock and a hard place on forward, particularly in your position, Left Wing. Seriously, the depth on Left Wing is so bad that the 2 best Left Wingers on the team may be on the Toronto Marlies next year. Speaking of the Marlies, even if you didn’t make the big club, you would’ve been on the team with the most convenient call up in the world – an athlete like you could literally jog from the Marlies dressing room to the Leafs without straining themselves too much, or at the very least, you could use some of your contract to pay $2.75 for the streetcar that gets you from Ricoh to the ACC in about 10 minutes. On top of this, 90% of the higher profile free agent prospects have wanted to come here (Gustavsson, Rynnas, Scrivens, Bozak, Hanson, Mueller…), so theres no bad reputation for a person in your position.
At the worst case scenario, you’re still going to get high minor league minutes while still playing in Toronto. At best case scenario, you could walk onto the team and take in a top six role merely on the priciple of the team having a Left Winger on Left Wing. Of course, because you’re a money-grubbing ***** looking for the right fit, totally awesome German new guy Marcel Mueller will be doing this instead. You walk away from a team with a ton of history, a ton of chance to make a team, and a good minor league opportunity if not. You walk away from the second straight original six team. Passing on these kinds of legacies twice is just ridiculous.
You’re In It For The Dough – These are both teams that are in position, for one reason or another, that they could have given you a role with the team in some respect. The Leafs situation may be the best there is in terms of your likeliness to play. But apparently, this isn’t enough for you. You’re looking for cash – specifically, as many potential bonuses as one could get from an entry level contract. Billy, let me explain something to you – just because you’re a rookie, doesn’t mean that you’re going to be given easy money out of good faith. Your salary still counts against the cap, so no smart GM is going to look at you and say “This guy is a completely unproven prospect, who hasn’t stuck out as blue-chip prospect at any point in his career.
You’ve turned down the Stanley Cup Champions, and you’ve turned a rebuilding team with money and a knack of signing every UFA prospect ever. But you know what, lets give him the 4 million he wants”. Well, Garth Snow might, but other than that, I just don’t see it happening. You’ve done exactly nothing in your career to indicate that you’re worth more than rookie max without bonuses, or about $900,000. And I’m sure the Leafs offer was higher than that (considering the cap issues, not sure if I can say the same about the Hawks).
You Aren’t Blake Wheeler – I say this because every single person with a brain knows exactly what the thought process is right now with you. You saw Blake Wheeler go from being drafted by the Coyotes, to playing in the NCAA like yourself with the University of Minnesota, rejecting every offer Phoenix made to him. You see this, and assume you can do the same thing and have it not be that big of a deal. Here’s the thing.
- You aren’t half the player Blake Wheeler was when he did this. Right now, you’re a guy that would be interesting to have in your prospect pool, but that’s about it. Blake Wheeler was still a highly touted prospect a few years removed from being picked 5th overall.
- Blake Wheeler did not leave for money. In fact, the Coyotes offered him max with bonuses. His issue was the didn’t want to play for the Coyotes specifically, and would go on to sign with the Boston Bruins for about half of what he was offered by Phoenix.
- Blake Wheeler ditched an organization that has a fanbase so small that if they tried to, they couldn’t rent out every condo in Maple Leaf Square. Nobody in Phoenix really cared. Half of them didn’t know you existed in the first place. The first team you ditched has a fanbase full of bandwagoners who tend to exaggerate things to look like a fan, and the second team you ditched has a fanbase that’s unusually loyal, and currently has an obsession with prospects and with hiding in a corner hoping our trades go alright. Basically, you have two groups of people who unlike the Wheeler situation, think you’re an absolute disgrace who is putting his paycheck over his career. And they’re right.
But It’s Not Me! Its My Agent! - This would be the only thing remotely close to an excuse I could somewhat get, being if you’re just being a yes man to your agent. If that’s the case though, there are limits. You know he’s out for his best financial interests right now because you’re 3 years into your career and you haven’t made a dime. If its not you being a total *****, then its him being desperate and equally a *****, and you being a total pushover.
You’re Not Good Enough To Be Demanding This Money – The fact is, mid range prospects on a team don’t get 4 million dollars. What have you done in your career, Bill? You’ve been a decent player for Colorado College, and never played a professional game. If you were 18 and drafted today, would you be picked in a spot that gets you that illusive rookie max with bonuses contract? Absolutely not, you might not even be picked in the first round. Tyler Bozak was the last free agent rookie to get close to full bonuses, and he was considered the best available prospect in the NCAA and one of the best players there period, good enough that he’d easily be a 1st rounder if not a top 5 pick in the scenario above.
And you know what? He proved his worth this year, getting 27 points in 37 games in his rookie season. The thing was though, all indications were that he could do that. It was expected of him to do it. You? People currently expect you to win the fastest skater competition in those individual team skills competition and somewhat contribute on a 3rd line role, but more likely than not, spend most of your time the minors. That’s not worth the money you want. Not even close.
To Sum It Up - What I’m basically getting at, is that you’ve been gift wrapped two fantastic opportunities to play with world class hockey organizations. Both were extremely willing and wanting to have you in their future. The only thing was, is that they’re not run by absolute idiots (anymore), and they’re not going to give you 4 million dollars just because you want it. And if its not you that wants it, you’re a pushover.
I don’t have a doubt that you’ll get at least a chunk of the money you’re salivating about – there are teams near that cap floor that are willing to take the chance, for now. All I know though, is that when it turns out that you’re still just a speedster and you don’t quite have an NHL game yet, and you get sent down, none of this money crap is going to matter, as you’ll be making an AHL salary.
And damn it Bill, that’s exactly what’s going to happen. Enjoy the minors, you money grubbing waste of space. Kris Versteeg will make us forget about the possibility of having you on the ice for the team. He won’t make us forget that you took an opportunity, flushed it down the drain, and expected to be paid for it.
Sincerely,
A Ranting Fan
