Mats Sundin's agent, J.P. Barry, says that despite reports to the contrary, Mats Sundin has not yet made a decision on where he will play this season.
Barry was interviewed by TSN's Darren Dreger on AM 640 Toronto Radio today, and he indicated that Sundin's decision would come Thursday at the earliest, but might not be forthcoming until the weekend.
With the New York Rangers struggling to get their offer above the $5 million a year range, Barry was asked if the Canucks and their $10 million offer were in the driver's seat.
"That'll be Mats call," Barry said. "He's looking at a lot of different things in making the decision. Obviously, there will be a very large discrepancy in the compensation offered and that's one factor of many that he'll have to decide upon."
What if Sundin decides to go to the Rangers, only to find that they can't clear the cap space to fit him onto the roster?
"We'll have to see," said Barry. "That is a complication if he does decide to go to New York - the possibility is that the offer is conditional."
Barry also confirmed that it would be very easy to sign with the Canucks, as they have the cap space available already, and that Sundin would be ready to go after Christmas.
"He would report to a team on the 27th," Barry said. "The coach would decide (when he plays) but he's in very good shape. I don't think it will be a long period after. He's been skating; he's been working out on his Swedish Olympic program for several months, so I think it would just be up to the coach."
Barry also said that he considered the Canucks and Rangers to be very close in terms of skill level, another factor Sundin would be considering. While noting that both teams were strong in goal, Barry suggested that the Rangers had more offensive ability and the Canucks were stronger on defence.
So which way will Sundin go? Barry insisted that he didn't know what Sundin's answer will be.
"He's going back and forth right now," Barry said, "that's the truth. I'd gladly take a lie detector test - I don't know."
