Stumpy keeps on battling

Veteran Thomas fighting for spot with young Steen Sore hip sidelines Allison yet again during pre-season

Alexander Steen was 2 months old when Steve Thomas signed his first pro contract. Twentyone years later, he is half Thomas’s age and finds himself inexorably linked with the NHL veteran. Games such as tonight’s preseason test against the Boston Bruins in Hamilton will go a long way toward deciding whether the Maple Leafs keep Steen or Thomas or both when they open the season Oct. 5 at home against the Ottawa Senators. The 42- year- old Thomas has more at stake than Steen, given the fact that for the first time more than 15 years his spot on the team is hardly assured.

“ Every time you’re on the ice you want to make the best of the situation,” Thomas said. “ Now when you go out and have a mediocre shift, you come off the ice and know you have to be better next shift. It magnifies everything a little bit, but if I continue to think like that it’ll drive me nuts. I just have to go out and play.” Thomas has done a good job of going from training camp afterthought to legitimate contender for one of the few forward jobs available and with his history for scoring important goals at important times, it will surprise nobody if he manages to score enough goals in the pre- season to make things very difficult for management. Should the Leafs sign him, however, sources say it will be to a two-way contract, which would provide one salary in the NHL — likely somewhere around the league minimum of $ 450,000 ( U. S.) — and another much lower one if he is sent to the minors. That would give the Leafs some protection under the salary cap. If it’s clear halfway through the season Thomas can no longer contribute, the Leafs would simply send him to the minors and he would retire and the Leafs wouldn’t be on the hook for the remainder of his salary. When asked whether he would be willing to accept on contract on those terms, Thomas was non- committal.

“ I haven’t really given it any thought,” Thomas said. “ I’m just concentrating on doing what I have to do to make this team. I plan on having 15 goals by Christmas anyway.”

For his part, Steen was fairly impressive on a line with Mats Sundin and Nik Antropov in the pre- season opener, a 5- 2 loss to the Senators Sunday night. Maple Leafs coach Pat Quinn was not exactly raving about Steen’s performance, but was suitably impressed with the 21-yearold’s transition from his natural position at centre to left wing.

“ In his first outing he certainly wasn’t our worst player in any regard as far as making something happen,” Quinn said of Steen. “ We had two lines that were decent and two lines that had nothing to go on at all and he and Mats ( Sundin) and Nik ( Antropov) were probably the only