Highly touted Swedish prospect Fabian Brunnstrom is closing in on becoming a Vancouver Canuck.
The Canucks and Brunnstrom's agent JP Barry are hoping to have something finalized within the next week to ten days as the process has heated up over the last few days.
The 23 year old Brunnstrom recently finished his rookie season with Farjestad of the Swedish Elite league, so Barry is ironing out the legalities as defined by an out clause in Brunnstrom's existing contract with the Swedish club.
Brunnstrom's NHL agreement will be at least two years and it's believed his compensation will reflect that of a top four draft pick, meaning he'll command at least $2 million per year when he signs.
Upwards of 20 NHL teams expressed interest in the talented forward over the course of the season, with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Vancouver Canucks and Detroit Red Wings considered the top contenders before Brunnstrom narrowed the field recently to the Canucks and Red Wings.
Vancouver was the first team to show interest in Brunnstrom last November and have been among the most thorough and quietly aggressive since.
Sources say Brunnstrom feels very comfortable with the direction of the Canucks and has a keen interest in playing alongside fellow countrymen, Daniel and Henrik Sedin in addition to being touted a good fit in Vancouver's top six.