Decision time for Mats

From Bob Mac

Unless someone pulls a rabbit out of the hat at the last minute, Mats Sundin will be, by the end of this week, either a Vancouver Canuck or a New York Ranger.

Sundin met with Rangers' GM Glen Sather on the weekend, but sources say the Rangers have yet to formally indicate exactly how much they are prepared, or able (because of the salary cap), to pay Sundin. Once Sundin's agent J.P. Barry gets that information, perhaps in the next 24 to 48 hours, Sundin is expected to make a final decision on where he will play.

Barry has a previously-scheduled meeting with Vancouver GM Mike Gillis on Tuesday, primarily to discuss contract negotiations for Canuck players Daniel and Henrik Sedin as well as Mattias Ohlund, but Sundin is also likely to be discussed at that time.

Sources say the plan is for Sundin to make a final decision before NHL rosters are frozen on Friday (Dec. 19).

It does not appear that any of the other teams that had expressed interest – Chicago, Philadelphia, Montreal and Tampa Bay, amongst others – are either in a position to move forward or have a strong desire to pursue Sundin any further.

So it looks as though it's coming down to the Rangers and the Canucks. The Canucks have no salary cap issues and have already offered Sundin a contract at an annual salary of $10 million. Once Sundin finds out how much less than that he would get in New York -- and it may be significantly less if the Rangers are even able to clear salary cap room for him -– he'll be in a position to compare it to the Vancouver offer and make a long-awaited decision.

In the meantime, Sundin is heading home to Sweden. He has completed his training in North America and plans to keep skating while in Sweden, spending Christmas there before joining his new NHL team immediately after that.

Or at least that is the plan.

Baby Bruins

Defenseman Dennis Wideman, a relative graybeard by comparison at age 25, was talking about the explosive development this season of the Bruins’ Baby Bombers — Phil Kessel, David Krejci, Milan Lucic, Matt Hunwick, Blake Wheeler and even Wideman himself.

“Those guys are all 100 times better than they were last year,” Wideman said, ignoring the fact that his improvement curve is just as steep. “If they keep going like this, and keep getting better and keep working, it’s scary what they could accomplish.”

It’s already frightening to see how far they’ve come just up till now. You can throw Patrice Bergeron into this bunch, too, considering he’s only 23 years old and is showing such remarkable progress in rebounding from that awful concussion of last year.

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Your Calder Candidates

HF

There was a surprising amount of movement from top to bottom in the Hockey's Future staff Calder poll in the past month, as not a single player held down the same position they did in November’s poll and four new names cracked the top 10.

1. Drew Doughty, D (LA)
6’1, 203 lbs. DOB: Dec. 8, 1989
Acquired: 1st round, second overall in 2008

In this season’s crop of rookie defensemen, Doughty is simply a man among boys. The Los Angeles Kings aren’t shy about admitting their first pick in 2008 has been arguably their best player this season, even though he just turned 19. He leads the next closest rookie in ice time by almost three minutes, logs more minutes than anyone on his team and is counted on as the Kings' power play quarterback.

2. Kris Versteeg, RW (CHI)
5’10, 180 lbs. DOB: May 13, 1986
Acquired: Trade with Boston on Feb. 3, 2007

Versteeg is quickly removing any doubt pundits had about his hot start being a fluke. Two months into the season, Versteeg has maintained a near point-per-game pace and is slowly taking on more responsibility in Chicago. He currently leads all rookies in points and leads all rookie forwards in ice time.

3. Derick Brassard, C (CBJ)
6’1, 190 lbs. DOB: Sept. 22, 1987
Acquired: 1st round, 6th overall in 2006

The leading vote getter in the November Calder poll has slipped to third, but the decline has more to do with the elevated play of the two players who surpassed him than it does his own production. Brassard still sits second in rookie scoring with 20 points in 25 games and is tied for the lead on the Blue Jackets in plus/minus with an impressive +8.

4. Steve Mason, G (CBJ)
6’3, 186 lbs. DOB: May 29, 1988
Acquired: 3rd round, 69th overall in 2006

The Jackets seem to have an embarrassment of young, talented riches in their lineup these days. Last month, Brassard and Jakub Voracek were 1-2 in our Calder poll and now Mason has arrived on the scene. Canada’s World Junior hero in 2008 is the main man between the pipes in Columbus right now, at least temporarily. His 2.17 goals-against average is 10th in the NHL.

5. Patrik Berglund, C (STL)
6’4, 187 lbs. DOB: June 2, 1988
Acquired: 1st round, 25th overall in 2006

Paul Kariya was openly excited about playing alongside Berglund coming out of training camp and now it’s not hard to tell why. The big Swede has quietly, but firmly entrenched himself among the legitimate Calder Trophy candidates after scoring 16 points in his first 20 games. He has far and away the best plus-minus rating on the Blues at +11.

6. Blake Wheeler, RW (BOS)
6’5, 205 lbs. DOB: Aug. 31, 1986
Acquired: 1st round, 5th overall in 2004

It was widely expected Wheeler would need at least part of a season in the AHL to get accustomed to the pro game after three seasons at the University of Minnesota, but the hulking American has quickly proven he’s in the big league to stay. Wheeler isn’t overly physical for his size, but he uses his strength effectively to get space on the ice, proven by his nine goals and 15 points through 26 games. In early December, Wheeler’s +16 rating was best among rookies and on his team.

7. Mikhail Grabovski, C (TOR)
5’11, 179 lbs. DOB: Jan. 31, 1984
Acquired: Trade with Montreal on July 3, 2008

Grabovski’s start in Toronto was beginning to look awfully familiar to his days in Montreal – the talent was there, but he just couldn’t put it together. He didn’t score in his first seven games and he had just two points through his first 11 games, but suddenly things clicked and the Germany-born Belarussian went on the tear many expected he would sooner or later. Grabovski notched 16 points in his next 14 games, silencing critics. His 10 goals lead NHL rookies.

8. Jakub Voracek, RW (CBJ)
6’1, 205 lbs. DOB: Aug. 15, 1989
Acquired: 1st round, 7th overall in 2007

The former Halifax Moosehead got off to sizzling-hot start this season, but in an opposite-to-Grabovski sort of way, Voracek has been cold as of late. He hasn’t registered a point in four straight games and had just one goal and one assist in his past 13 games. Luckily, the young Czech had a solid enough start to keep him in Calder contention for the time being.

9. Luke Schenn, D (TOR)
6’2, 216 lbs. DOB: Nov. 2, 1989
Acquired: 1st round, 5th overall in 2008

Schenn kept up his all-out, defense-first approach and a physical element. Through 27 games, Schenn’s total offensive output was just two assists, but he was still logging top-four minutes on the Leafs and was still ranked second in rookie ice time. Before going down with a lower body injury in December, Schenn was leading all rookie skaters in hits and blocked shots.

10. Alex Goligoski, D (PIT)
5’11, 180 lbs. DOB: July 30, 1985
Acquired: 2nd round, 61st overall in 2004

At the beginning of the season, Goligoski was handed the unenviable responsibility of replacing the offensive presence of Sergei Gonchar and Ryan Whitney on the blueline. A tall task for a 23-year-old rookie, but he has come through for the Penguins so far. Through 25 games, he had four goals and seven assists – including five power play points – and led all rookies in average power play ice time at four minutes, 33 seconds per game.

Coyotes on the Brink

PHOENIX — The Phoenix Coyotes are expected to lose between $25- and $35-million (all currency U.S.) this year and with his primary business under financial duress, owner Jerry Moyes may not be able to cover the hockey team's losses any longer.

That leaves him three choices:

- Renegotiate the Coyotes' arena lease to effectively put the city of Glendale into the position covering some of the losses;

- Put the franchise into bankruptcy;

- Turn the keys over to the NHL, forcing commissioner Gary Bettman to find a new owner.

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A Look Back at Patrick Roy

Bad Blues Trade?

STLTODAY.COM SPORTS COLUMNIST
11/24/2008

Winger Lee Stempniak was the rarest of commodities, a real offensive threat drafted and developed by the Blues.

So his departure for underachieving Maple Leafs Alex Steen, a versatile forward, and Carlo Colaiacovo, a rangy defenseman, is a bit of a head scratcher.


Sure, the Blues acquired a natural center to fill an immediate need and a defenseman to add some depth. But isn’t this franchise dedicated to building long-term?

How could the Blues give up on a home-grown shooter who scored 27 goals two years ago and was producing at a point-per-game pace this season?

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Burrrr!

The KHL Superstar

In Omsk, the transcontinental gap matters little. With more than 10,000 fans screaming at the top of their lungs, communication is rendered moot. As the final seconds tick by, and both clubs express a level of hustle, stick work and hunger worthy of any match in North America, one man towers above all others: Jaromir Jagr. In Omsk, a black-collar city of 1.2 million souls, where the oil flares burn all night, marking the edge of town and the promise of the future, Jagr, the superstar who until midsummer reigned as the captain of the New York Rangers and a winner of nearly every trophy in the National Hockey League, now rules what he calls “the big ice.”

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Shanny says Good Bye

The waiting is over. And so, too, is Brendan Shanahan's career as a Ranger.

The 39-year-old unsigned right wing who'd been advised for months by GM Glen Sather to "sit tight" in anticipation of both a roster spot and salary-cap space opening up to create an avenue for his return to Broadway, Shanahan is no longer doing so.

Nearly four months after becoming a free agent, Shanahan is putting himself onto the open market.

"I've told Rick [Curran] that I can no longer wait and that it's time to move on," Shanahan, referring to his agent, told The Post this afternoon. "Until now, Rick has been under instructions to tell inquiring teams that my focus was on re-signing with the Rangers New York Rangers , and that I was not accepting any other offers.

"That has changed."

Shanahan, who has been working out and skating on his own daily at the Rangers' training facility, said that he'd had a conversion with Sather, "a week-and-a-half ago in which Glen said to give him another week.

"But really, it doesn't look like much has changed, and there's no indication that it will or when it might. And so Rick spoke to Glen on Tuesday and told him that I couldn't wait any longer.

"When the season started, I set the end of the month as the appropriate time for me to evaluate where I stood. I thought the month of October was pretty much as long as I could go before staying out would become harmful as opposed to maybe being beneficial in terms of playing the season.

"I stayed out of the spotlight, I didn't want to be a drama or a distraction, but my position was also an obvious commitment on my part to stay a Ranger," said Shanahan, who played two years in New York after signing as a free agent in 2006.

"I left Detroit to come here to build something, and I wanted to continue to be a part of that process. I also sincerely believed that I could contribute to this team and help the Rangers get where we all want to go, which is to win the Stanley Cup.

"I have no regrets. Too many good things happened to me in my two years here. I met a lot of very good people. And I do think that I was an important and constructive influence, so it's disappointing not to be able to be here and help finish the job."

Shanahan, who will turn 40 on Jan, 23, was the Rangers' third-leading goal-scorer last season, his 23 two off the pace set by Chris Drury Chris Drury and Jaromir Jagr Jaromir Jagr . Shanahan's 11 PPGs were second to Drury's 12.

Eleventh on the NHL all-time goal-scoring list with 650, Shanahan recorded 52 goals and 56 assists for 108 points in 140 games and two seasons as a Ranger, the first of which was violently interrupted by the Feb. 17, 2007 concussion he sustained in a collision with the Flyers' Mike Knuble.

"I honestly don't know what to expect as a free agent right now; for me, this is my July 1," Shanahan said. "Physically I feel great. I don't think it will take very long for me to be back, but I don't know where and when.

"I'm not ruling anything out. Positive things have always happened to me throughout my NHL career, and that's how I'm approaching this. I'm approaching this as an opportunity.

"I am disappointed that I'm not going to be here, but I'm not bitter at all. I believe Glen was always being honest with me. It just didn't work out. I'm sure it's going to, but it's going to be somewhere else.

"I'm looking forward to getting on the ice and playing."

Bye Bye Burkie

Damien Cox

Brian Burke has, effectively, given the Anaheim Ducks notice.

By not signing the contract extension he's had in his mitts for months, he's made it clear he has little or no intention of signing it without actually saying so to Anaheim fans and the general public.

Meanwhile, by indicating this week that he intends to "make a decision" by Christmas, he's basically told the Ducks that by that date he won't be willing to pretend any more.

He wants out.

The Ducks wouldn't release him as he asked last spring, or at least give him permission to talk to other clubs. But soon that won't be their call any longer.

That, of course, will put the Ducks and team president Michael Schulman in a dicey predicament. When Burke tells them during the holiday season that he won't be agreeing to a new contract – only a major change of circumstances would change that now – Schulman will be left with the problem of having a lame duck GM heading towards the trade deadline and, after that, the draft and free agency.

If the Ducks, even with owner Henry Samueli possibly heading to the big house next summer, are rolling through the Western Conference, that won't be as big a problem.

But what if they're playing the way they are now?

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