Niedermayer: Take your time, hurry up

"I think there's a misperception out there that this is somehow inconveniencing us. And it's not. We want this player to return. The phone call we don't want is that he's going to retire. The fact he's undecided and this might stretch into the start of the year, this is not a crisis mode for us. This is good news. Because it means he hasn't made the one phone call we don't want him to make."

- Brian Burke referring to Scott Niedermayer's indecision about playing in the NHL.

"My preference would be to know right now and to start and be ready to go with the rest of the guys. It's not looking like that might happen, so we go to Plan B and the second best option, which is to come to a decision as quickly as possible. I don't want to drag this out any longer than I have to. The team has enough to worry about."

- Scott Niedermayer talking about his brain farting.

You can see the contradiction in what Niedermayer and Burke are saying. Is Niedermayer's indecision a distraction for the Ducks? I am somewhat torn on this issue in every aspect of it. Sure, Niedermayer has "done it all" in the NHL but quite frankly, so fucking what. That doesn't give him the right to act like Roger Clemens does it? (Thanks Hodge)
It sounds to me like Brian Burke is just doing his duty in front of the media trying to squash any controversy over the matter while what Niedermayer said is more of the truth: "This team has enough to worry about."
What worries? Well, maintaining a consistent level of hunger after winning the cup for one. Dealing with the loss of Penner. Adjusting to the new guys in town (Bertuzzi and Schnieder) while Selanne and Niedermayer remain undecided and inactive. Those 2 players are/were integral parts of the Ducks' success. And in a team game, their absences will weigh in on the teams' mind. It is a distraction. It does affect how the team plays. Young Duck players look up to these guys.
While I can understand Niedermayer's indecisiveness somewhat, because I am an indecisive person myself alot of the time, he has had plenty of time to make a decision and find it within himself if the desire is still there to lace his skates for 2007-08.
Maybe there are other personal factors at play here, adding to his dilemna. Who knows.
Hey, I'll eat crow if the Ducks come storming out of the gate this season, put the "C" on Pronger's chest, and look like they have not missed a beat.
But until then, this situation IS a distraction for the team and IS an inconvenience of sorts for Ducks management, even if they do flog Bertuzzi and/or Schneider if Niedermayer and Selanne come back to fit under the cap.
What do you think?

T Tags: Ducks Niedermayer Selanne Indecision Distraction