Deadline Day for Sundin? Not likely!

Mats Sundin's agent J.P. Barry has suggested that today is Decision Day for Mats Sundin. So 256 days since he last played an NHL game he has finally decided where he wants to play the remainder of the season. I doubt it!

Let's face it nothing has really changed since last April when Mats suggested he would decide by the end of June whether he would play again. Then there was the August 1 deadline, the late August deadline, the start of training camp deadline, the end of training camp deadline, etc. The former star player has made himself look utterly foolish and irrelevant. No one really cares anymore.

History has shown that players that sit out training camp and a chunk of the start of a season struggle to regain their fitness level and skills. The game today is so much faster and physical that you just can't show up one day and say "I'm ready to play now."

At one time there were as many as 20 teams interested in signing Sundin. Today there is only one - Vancouver. Sure the Sundin camp is suggesting that the choice is between the Rangers and Vancouver but unless Mats is willing to play for peanuts (something he has always refused to do) then only one team has cap space for him. Sundin never eliminated any team from consideration, they all lost interest in him. Only Mike Gillis foolishly kept cap space in the event Sundin decided to continue his hockey career. Every other general manager spent their budget elsewhere to ensure they would ice a competitive team.

I doubt Sundin will make any decision today. It is evident that he is not interested in Vancouver. They have been dangling $20 million in front of him since July 1 without even a bite. For Mats it's either sign with Vancouver or go back to Sweden to count his money.

But take your time to decide. Baseball spring training starts in a few weeks.

UPDATE: Well it looks like Mats is heading off to Vancouver. Watch him try to convince everyone he was always interested in Vancouver. In the end the Canucks were the only team with money. Yes, it came down to money.