Sundin coming to Vancouver?

Well, we haven’t heard about this in a few months, but the rumours have started to fly once again, especially after Canuck GM Mike Gillis was on the team 1040 last Friday.

Mats Sundin’s agent JP Barry confirmed today that the Super Swede will be resuming his NHL career, and will announce with what team by December 15. Barry also confirmed that the Canucks, the Ottawa Senators, the Chicago Blackhawks, the New York Rangers and one other team are in the running for Sundin’s services for the rest of this season.

If you recall, the Canucks have offered Sundin a 2 year deal worth $10 Million dollars per season. Many experts have been saying that Vancouver has the inside edge in signing the former face of the Toronto Maple Leaf franchise, mainly because of the contract terms. The other interested teams in the running most likely will not be able to come close to the big bucks offered by Vancouver, because they are a lot closer to the salary cap limit.

Barry surprised a lot of these experts when he stated that the Sundin camp was leaning towards a one year deal, as he would like to finish the rest of the season with a team and then re-evaluate his situation at the end of the season. Fiscally speaking, this would level the playing field.

The big boys, David Pratt, Don Taylor and Tony Gallagher remain optimistic that Vancouver has the inside edge, and they collectively believe that the addition of the big Swede will do wonders for the franchise.

I’m still not sold. There is no question that a player of Sundin’s stature will make a very strong positive impact on any team. But can one player, who just began skating again a couple of weeks ago, turn the Canucks into a contender overnight?