UPDATE: Right, just as expected. Sundin's agent Claes Elefalk denies denies denies. But make no mistake, you know Gillis is working Sundin over like Tyson on Holyfield's ear. (to steal a quote from Yankee). More on all this in the comments section.

UPDATE: 12:47 AM: I should clarify that the Sportsnet article was written by insider Mike Brophy. I'm sure Brophy has a lot of sources, but he is bad at predicting. Sorry Mike. There is still no other mainstream sites reporting on this story. I am expecting this rumor to grow legs by tomorrow but to be shot down by one or both of Sundin's agents. Hell, a $2 million deal would be enough to make his agents fill the back of their pants.

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According to Sportsnet's sources they are.

The 38-year-old Swede is said to be in negotiations with the Canucks and could sign a contract valued in the neighborhood of $2 million to be the team's second-line centre. Vancouver may be prepared to make a trade if it is necessary to fit Sundin under the salary cap, if necessary.

"Mats enjoyed his time in Vancouver last season and is looking forward to playing with the team this year," a source told Sportsnet.ca.

Yeah, everybody has speculated how much of a paycut Sundin would have to take in order to play here. Would he actually play for that kind of money? Yeesh, maybe if you tacked on a wad of incentives.

Time will tell if Sportsnet is hearing correctly. If they are negotiating, nothing has reached the ears of any Swedish outlet. Gillis had made it clear that he would want Sundin to make up his mind and play by training camp. So I think we will be (contain yourselves) hearing much more about this saga over the coming days. It's no secret to you all that I would gladly welcome Mats back. I'm sure several Canucks feel the same way, right Kesler?

More images and story here and more images here. I thought the wedding would be more secretive because you know how private Mats is. But really, Sundin is practically a king in Sweden. Congrats, Mats!

Nearly a month ago (July 3), Mats Sundin told a Swedish newspaper that he would make up his mind on whether or not he would play again by the end of July. Well, tick tock Mats, the hour draws nigh. Mike Gillis had also said at that time that he was inquiring about Sundin's intentions 3 or 4 times over the past few weeks.

Here we go again. No decision from Sundin. Being a massive fan of his, I read the Swedish papers daily looking for something. Yet all is quiet. But what am I really waiting for? I don't think it's to see if Mats will play so the Canucks can sign him. He would have to take too much of a pay cut to fit on Vancouver's roster. Even if Demitra was flogged it still wouldn't be enough. Only Luongo's salary would have to be erased in order to fit Sundin on the Canucks' roster. Not going to happen.

Given the fact that Alex Tanguay cannot find an NHL job at this point, as he sits in limbo in free agency, there are not many other teams out there that can or are going to fork out that $7 million (for example) on a Sundin contract. Not right now.  So in reality, Sundin doesn't even have to immediately make up his mind, as teams are finalizing rosters preparing for the next step.

What am I waiting for? To see if he'll play again. Regardless of where he decides to play I'll still be a fan of his (except the Rangers I suppose). But it seems increasingly evident that he will marry Josephine Johansson next month, reportedly, and that we won't get a decision from him any time soon. Would Mats join a team midway through the season again? It is possible. He has also stated that he will not represent Sweden in the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, which adds fuel to the speculation that he may just retire.

So when Gillis tells us that "the door is wide open for Sundin to return to the Canucks" read between the lines. Sundin's salary will not fit into the Canucks' situation and......Gillis would have to let Sundin come back at Xmas again to pay half his demanded salary. The latter scenario is not entirely out of the question, although it would be scoffed at by many.

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Yes, it's pathetic. Mats Sundin has told Hockeyexpressen that he is still undecided about playing again, and that he should make up his mind toward the end of July. We've all heard that before.

What you have not heard is that Mike Gillis has been asking Mats' Swedish agent Claes Elefalk 3 or 4 times over the past few weeks as to what Sundin's intentions are. The Sedins, of course, want him back.

More on that here.

The biggest difference about Sundin's indecision this summer compared to last summer are:

-I think he'll make up his mind before training camp this time.

-Gillis does not have the cap space to acquire Sundin this year unless Mats takes a big cut. That concept is highly unlikely, but I would welcome it.

-Sundin is a god in Sweden, however, news outlets and fans alike are not going to give as much of a damn about him here in North America this time round. Myself? I'm a big fan so I'll keep updating his "status" whether it angers people or not.

Anyway, back to my vacation. Kick ass weather here on Vancouver Island!

For the first time since he cleaned out his locker in GM Place, Sundin spoke to Hockeyexpressen about his plans.

- He will not play for Sweden in the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver. He says it is time for the next generation to take over.

- Sundin is still disappointed about the loss to the Blackhawks, as he thought that had the Canucks beat Chicago, they would have had a great chance against Detroit. (I agree)

- He was proud of his 8 points in 8 games in the playoffs and happy about how he and the Canucks progressed after the dreadful January from hell. That is how he responded when asked about the criticism he received.

- He hinted that he was not happy with the ice time that Alain Vigneault gave him when he first started playing. That's strange, because I think Sundin looked lost out there and the coaching staff was trying to bring him back slowly. Usually, players will say that they need more icetime to find their game quicker.

- WILL SUNDIN PLAY IN THE 2009-10 SEASON? Well, there is where Sundin offers little info once again. He said he will continue thinking about it over the next few weeks and have a decision some time in the summer. When asked if playing for the Canucks again was a possibility Mats said "absolutely."

Gunnar Nordstrom's interview with Sundin can be found here.

Personally, I'd like to see Sundin play a whole season with Vancouver. But I'm not in agreement with Gillis waiting around for Sundin to make up his mind again like last year. Basically, commit to the team before July 1 or get lost. We have a winning team to build here.

The brief Sundin era in Vancouver gave us both highs and lows. When he first agreed to sign here around Christmas there were haters that abounded. Then there were people like me who were in disbelief and overjoyed, as I've been a big fan of his for so long.

The process of Mats getting his legs back after joining a team late in the season was mostly painful to watch: the short shifts, the floating, the defensive lapses, the lack of speed, the inopportune times taking penalties etc. The Big Swede was under constant scrutiny because of the high expectations that came with him and the dollars he signed for.

In his first 9 games played here, Mats scored 2 goals and 1 assist. He also had 16 minutes in penalties and was a minus player in 6 of those games. But then Alain Vigneault assembled the RPM line, adding Ryan Kesler with Mats and Demitra. That paid off immediately. Sundin scored 4 goals and 8 points in his next 7 games. Finally, a legit 2nd line! Kesler and Demitra thrived playing with Mats.

Then there were 3 consecutive games with no points, followed by the final 21 games of the season, where Sundin scored 3 goals and 13 points. Not bad, considering he was playing nearly 5 minutes less per game than what he would have played in Toronto, but not exactly Sundin-esque either.

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"I don't know at this point. I mean, we're going day-by-day here and hopefully I can keep skating and working the way we did today and we'll make a decision as we go on here."

It remains a mystery if it's his hip or groin that is bothering him. All I know is he had better be ready. The Canucks need the RPM Line in tact for Round 2. Reports say he's skating quickly in practice, and Round 2 is still a week away.

I have this giant urge to yell: "Suck it up and fucking play!" Well there, I said it. This could be his last crack at a Cup. Show some balls.

Hey, for all I know he's giving lip service right now and should be good to go.

Sami Salo has pronounced himself ready for game 1.

More on Sundin and Salo here.

More player reactions to Taylor Pyatt's return here.

 After Game 3 Alain Vigneault flashed that AV grin when asked about Sundin's injury. He would only say that Mats is day-to-day. Can't blame him for saying next-to-nothing about it. It's the way of the NHL nowadays, and it's smart. There is no use in giving out specific locations of injuries because opposing teams will target the area.

CBC had mentioned prior to the game that Sundin had practiced with the team so they didn't think the injury was all that serious.

Some wonder if it's his hip, and refered to Sundin's hip issues in the past. That was back in May of 2007. Sundin was angered back then that the medical information was leaked to the media (erhm...Steve Simmons Toronto Sun).

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