Last One, I Promise

First of all, I apologize for another Leafs column, this will most assuredly be the last for a while. I know many of you out there despise the Leafs and really, there are several other noteworthy subjects to discuss.

But I just can't help myself. Mistake after mistake from the Leaf organization, it's like watching Perez Hilton play scrabble.

The word around training camp is that Toronto has guaranteed a roster spot to defenceman Jonas Frogen, the 28 year-old Swede who will make his NHL debut this fall. I'm not complaining about this at all. Frogen is signed to a reasonable $1.065M per year contract, by all accounts played well at the World Championships last year in Quebec, and is precisely the type of low risk-low cost free agent the Leafs should be building with.

The real question is why they would they sign Jeff Finger to a four year $14M contract? It's not like this team was one mid-level defenceman away from winning the Stanley Cup, or even being legitimate contenders. Last time I checked, being able to score a goal was instrumental in being able to win a game. With the set of forwards GM Cliff Fletcher has assembled, scoring will be a monumental challenge. (Exhibit A: Mikhail Grabovski is the #1 center.)

And the Leafs already had numerous other viable options to plug in on defence, none of whom would've eaten up nearly as much cap space as Finger. This is a rebuilding project that has no blueprint. The right move is to stockpile draft picks and bring in players who are either young or cheap or better yet, both.

Right now the Leafs have nine NHL defencemen in camp (Tomas Kaberle, Pavel Kubina, Finger, Frogen, Mike Van Ryn, Carlo Colaiacovo, Anton Stralman, Staffan Kronwall and Ian White). Actually, scratch that. The correct number is eight because Ian White is an AHL defencemen, end of story. Luke Schenn, the 5th overall pick in this summers draft, has absolutely no business making this team regardless of how amazing he plays. It serves no long-term purpose to have him on the squad which is exactly why I'm terrified the organization will keep him around.

Any way you cut it, there are too many bodies. Someone has to go, either by trade, via the waiver wire, or being sent down to the minors. Which makes the case for signing Finger even more confusing. What did they gain by signing him? A worse spot in the draft lottery? He certainly won't be the difference between making or missing the playoffs and now he could end up forcing the Leafs to give up on a guy like Colaiacovo or Kronwall who may be just as good as Finger.

Toronto easily could have gone with Kubina, Kaberle, McCabe, Frogen, Stralman, Colaiacovo, and Kronwall on defence this year (Total Cap hit: $18.58M) and then moved McCabe at the trade deadline for draft picks and opened up significant cap space in the process. Instead they'll go with Kubina, Kaberle, Finger, Van Ryn, Frogen, Stralman and one of Colaiacovo/Kronwall/White (Total Cap hit: $17.45M) with the net result being a sacrificed 4th round draft pick (from the McCabe trade), and a worse cap situation in the long run.

The good news is that Brian Burke is officially nine months away from fixing this mess. The bad news is the Nik Antropov situation has to be dealt with before then.

Antropov is entering the final year of his contract and is coming off his most (only?) impressive season. My immediate reaction is to hope he continues to play well and put up points so the Leafs can get more in return for trading him at the deadline. But after more consideration, I'm scared a good start to the season will force Fletcher to offer Antropov a lucrative extension, since he is "our only top 6 forward".

I'm left staring straight-ahead blankly in disbelief while I consider living in a world where Nik Antropov makes $6M a year to play hockey.

On my team.

The Top 10 Canadian Athletes in Pro Sports

With the NHL and NBA seasons about to begin, baseball getting ready for the playoffs and football well underway, I thought it was the appropriate time to take a look at the best Canadian athletes currently in the world of professional sports.

Again, that says professional, so don't be crying that Simon Whitfield or Cindy Klassen didn't make the cut.

And yes, I mentioned football in the opening but have no football players on the list. I was considering Nick Kaczur, Jesse Lumsden, and Jason Clermont but ultimately couldn't find room for them. Footballer Owen Hargreaves also received consideration, having been born and raised in Edmonton, but from what I can tell he was ready to suit up for Wales even before England came a knocking, so no love for him. Dwayne De Rosario has been a standout in the MLS, but that's a bit like picking the MVP of the AHL.

So with no further ado:

#10 Jason Bay - Boston Red Sox
Outfielder - Trail, British Columbia
After 4 1/2 years in baseball purgatory Bay was traded from Pittsburgh to Boston at this year's trade deadline and has instantly made an impact. His 8 HR and 34 RBI in 40 games while wearing the Red Sox jersey have helped ensure another postseason for Boston and made bar owners everywhere happy. (Who, outside of diehards and those with rooting interests, would watch the playoffs without either the Yanks or Sox to cheer against?) Bay will celebrate his 30th birthday on Saturday in Toronto and at some point over the next few days crack the 100 RBI mark for the third time in five big league seasons.

#9 Rich Harden - Chicago Cubs
Pitcher - Victoria, British Columbia
Eric Bedard and Jeff Francis have received more ink the last few years, but Harden is the most dynamic of the three Canadian hurlers. Of course the reason Bedard and Francis gained more accolades was because they actually made it to the field, unlike Harden who has missed most of the last three seasons with an assortment of arm problems. However, with the Cubbies set to make a run for the World Series, the oft-injured righty with electric stuff will have baseball's biggest stage to perform on. Hardens 2.04 ERA and 11.17 strikeouts per 9 innings this year are far and away the best of any starter in baseball. If he can remain healthy (an that's a gigantic IF) Harden has a chance to join or maybe even surpass Ferguson Jenkins and earn eternal sunshine from the Wrigley faithful.

#8 Vincent Lecavalier - Tampa Bay Lightning
Center – Ile Bizard, Quebec
If you had asked me five years ago who would have the better career, Lecavalier or Joe Thornton my answer would've been Thornton in a heartbeat. Now, it has to be Vinny. He's one of the scariest players to have breaking in on you as a defencemen because he has so many different ways to beat you: speed, power, finesse, deft passing. Some guys do one or two of those things well and have good careers. Lecavalier has them all and can do it in the playoffs. (Sorry Joe). He also did a great job portraying Jean Beliveau in the 'Rocket' film (which if you've never seen, is absolutely worth watching), and happens to have the biggest contract ($77M over 9 years) of anyone on the list, which I feel is definitely worth something.

#7 Russell Martin - Los Angeles Dodgers
Catcher - Montreal, Quebec
In only his third big league season the Montreal native has become one of the best all-around catchers in the majors, and is astoundingly durable having put together back-to-back years of 145+ games caught. Martin, a two-time All-Star, has stolen 38 bases over the last two years, a career OBP of .371, and the best catcher ERA in the game. He may or may not be dating Alyssa Milano, but then again you could probably say that for half the Dodgers so no bonus points there.

#6 Mike Weir - PGA Tour golfer
Bright's Grove, Ontario
The 2003 Masters champion has eight career PGA Tour wins and is currently the 15th ranked player in the world. Consistently one of the Tour's best wedge players, Weir had two near-misses in the first two events of the 2008 FedEx Cup playoffs and appears to be regaining the form that allowed him to rise to #3 in the world five years ago. Have you ever noticed that NBC golf analyst Johnny Miller, who is notoriously critical (read: awesome) of everyone, has a soft spot for his fellow Brigham Young University graduate? Most guys make a mistake and Miller shreds them, Weirsy coughs one up and Johnny makes excuses. Just sayin’.

#5 Jarome Iginla - Calgary Flames
Right Wing - Edmonton, Alberta
The only player to make this list who actually plays for a Canadian squad, Iginla is consistently among the league leaders in goal scoring and might be the best captain in the NHL. Iginla's 252 goals over the last 6 seasons are the most in the league during that span and his combination of power and skill is unmatched in the world of hockey. I can only imagine the joy a Flames fan feels when Jarome puts one in the net and reaches to take out his mouth guard while a huge smile erupts from his face. And getting that feeling up to 50 times a year? Priceless.

#4 Martin Brodeur - New Jersey Devils
Goaltender - Montreal, Quebec
The Three time Stanley Cup champion will go down as the greatest goalie the NHL has ever seen and will own several records including the two biggest for a goalie: most wins and most shutouts. Brodeur has never fully gotten the respect he deserves because pundits all across the league argued his stats were artificial due to the suffocating defensive style his teams used. But that's a copout. Brodeur has been consistently excellent far longer than anyone has the right to be and deserves to be celebrated. He's Barry Bonds without the asterisks.

#3 Justin Morneau - Minnesota Twins
First Base - New Westminster, British Columbia
The two-time All-Star and 2006 AL MVP has been the best first baseman in the American League the last three years, dominating opposing pitching while piling up home runs and RBI's at a rate no Canadian has ever matched. If his buddy Joe Mauer can stay healthy and provide some protection, Morneau could surpass Larry Walker's all-time Canadian record of 383 home runs.

#2 Steve Nash - Phoenix Suns
Point Guard - Victoria, British Columbia
The two-time NBA MVP is the man most responsible for ushering the NBA into the aesthetically pleasing and team-oriented game we see today. He's lead the league in assists 3 out of the last 4 years and hasn't finished outside the top 3 in 5 years. Nash made passing and playing as a team cool again. Even though Chris Paul and Derron Williams have probably climbed ahead of him in the point guard rankings and a whole slew of other players are closing in on him, Nash remains an elite floor general and one of the best three point and free throw shooters ever.

#1 Sidney Crosby - Pittsburgh Penguins
Center - Halifax, Nova Scotia
Entering his fourth season Crosby has become the face of the NHL and is arguably the best hockey player in the world. When it comes to skill and excitement, only Alexander Ovechkin can match Sid the Kid, and Crosby is almost two full years younger. With 294 career points at the tender age of 21, Sid could conceivably join the Great One as the only players to ever surpass the 2000 point plateau.

Team Canada 2010

With the news Monday that Wayne Gretzky will not return as the executive director of the Canadian Olympic hockey team for the upcoming Vancouver Games in 2010 (Gretz took himself out of the running for the GM position, but is still interested in other roles), speculation will run rampant until a new leader is named.

Will it be a tag-team effort from Ken Holland and Steve Yzerman? Maybe Kevin Lowe or Brian Burke? Or if Team Canada really wanted to take the pressure off the players and move it to management, how about both Lowe and Burke together?

The possibilities are almost endless, as will be the rumours that are sure to whip Canadian hockey fans into a frenzy. When it comes to hockey, and more specifically Canadian hockey, we're like 13 year-old girls at a Jonas Brothers concert.

But my question is, does it really matter? I mean, couldn't 90% of the Canadian public put together this roster, or at least 3/4 of it?

The way I see it, 11 forwards are absolute locks for the squad that will attempt to recapture gold in Vancouver:

Jarome Iginla
Sidney Crosby
Vincent Lecavalier
Dany Heatley
Ryan Getzlaf
Rick Nash
Eric Staal
Joe Thornton
Mike Richards
Brendan Morrow
Shane Doan

Yes, there are six centers in that line-up, but I don't see how any of them can be left off the roster. Two of Staal, Vinny and Getzlaf will have to play the wing. The checking-line is set with Morrow, Doan and Mike Richards.

From the looks of it, Canada will be searching for a winger to play in it's top 9 and a 13th forward, one of whom has to be able to kill penalties. If Simon Gagne is healthy and returns to form this season, he fills in the first slot. So all the bubble guys (Jonathan Toews, Martin St.Louis, Jeff Carter, Brad Richards, Patrick Sharp, Nathan Horton, Scott Hartnell, Jordan Staal, Patrice Bergeron, Sean Avery) will be battling for the final spot up front.

Just kidding. The only way Sean Avery will be in Vancouver for the Olympics is if Vogue needs a coffee boy.

One final thought on the front end: Would it be totally ridiculous to consider selecting a shootout specialist? If we've learned anything over the past 15 years in international competition, it's that every game has the potential to be decided by a shootout and odds are that at least one of the biggest games will be. So why not make Toews or Sam Gagner lucky number 13?

The makeup of the back end is in a transitional stage and competition is wide open. Chris Pronger, Dion Phaneuf and Brian Campbell will definitely be on the team. If Scott Niedermayer doesn't retire (or unretire's at any point) he's an automatic. After that, things are pretty hazy. You have several young guys who all have different skillsets but roughly the same amount of overall ability (Jay Bouwmeester, Mike Green, Shea Webber, Dan Hamhuis, Marc Staal) and a few leftovers from the old guard who may or may not have enough left to make a contribution (Robyn Regehr, Wade Redden, Dan Boyle, Ed Jovanovski, Scott Hannan).

One unmentioned name thus far, and a guy who I believe will make the team is Minnesota defenceman Brent Burns. His NHL stats have improved every year and he was easily Canada's best defenceman at the last World Hockey Championship.

Barring injury it's safe to assume Martin Brodeur and Roberto Luongo will be the first two goalies named to the team, and rightfully so. Marty is perhaps the best goalie ever to play and certainly the most consistently dependable goalie we've seen in 20 years. Luongo didn't have a great season last year, but when it comes to goaltending it's still those two and then everybody else.

Traditionally Canada has gone with a younger goalie as the third string which is bad news for guys like Marty Turco and J.S. Giguere who probably won't have a shot. When you consider the number of young goalies (Cam Ward, M.A. Fleury, Carey Price, Pascal Leclaire) who have developed nicely and have all worn the Maple Leaf in international competition (and won), it's likely the Team Canada brass will again take this route with the selection.

In the end whomever gets the GM job will only have a handful of genuinely tough decisions. He'll have to settle on a couple forwards, perhaps three or four defencemen and a 3rd string goalie who will never see the ice anyway.

So while Hockey Canada and the national media will conduct a full-fledged and all-encompassing search, hyping up the candidates and staging a dramatic selection process so they can find the "right man" to lead us back to Olympic Gold, most people have already figured out who will make the team.

Basically there isn't a wrong pick when the roster is this obvious. Not to say the position as executive director of our Olympic Hockey team isn't important or honourable because it absolutely is. It's just that I would trust almost any Canadian with a pulse to do it.

As long as it's not Cliff Fletcher or John Ferguson Jr., I think we'll be okay.