Hall of Famer Bobby Orr's the man to heal the NHLPA

	Bob Goodenow (left) and Ted Saskin presided over a deeply fractured union. AP
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I suppose there are several ways to interpret things when your employers ask you to take a paid leave of absence. Maybe they want you out of the building so they can spruce up your office. Maybe they want to plan a really neat surprise party. Or maybe they realize they have to be very, very careful before handing you your official termination papers.

In the case of Ted Saskin, it's pretty safe to rule out the party and the new couch.

It'll probably be several months before Saskin, the embattled executive director of the NHL Players Association, is offered a golden handshake and officially shown the door. Many of the players making the final decision on his fate are tied up with their day jobs, which require a focus on the stretch run and the playoffs. And no one wants to repeat the mistakes made when his predecessor, Bob Goodenow, was hurriedly hoofed.

But Saskin is toast. He's been under the gun almost since the start of his post-lockout tenure, and is currently the subject of an internal review, resulting primarily from the circumstances surrounding his hiring and some curious licensing deals. It was thought he would survive that process, but in the wake of last week's Toronto Star investigation into apparent tampering with player e-mail accounts from within the offices of the PA -- allegations currently under scrutiny by the Toronto police -- there was simply no way he could be allowed to continue in his role. Even his supporters, a dwindling but still significant lot, realized Saskin could no longer be trusted.

Now the players must deal with three issues.

The first is what it will cost them to be rid of Saskin. According to the Toronto Star, his contract includes a stipulation that he be paid about $2 million if he's terminated with notice. What remains to be determined is the level of payout, if any, should he be terminated "without notice for reasons of just cause."

The second is healing the badly fractured union. At this point, it's pretty obvious that there's a major split in the ranks, and not just over the lockout and Saskin, but also the union's handling of situations like the Todd Bertuzzi-Steve Moore incident.

Because of that rift, a contentious internal squabble over Saskin would only further the damage. It might be best to simply authorize his final paycheck, write off the experience with him as a bad but blessedly brief deal, and move on.