Canucks Trade Rumors

Kings trade Jason LaBarbera to Vancouver
"The Kings traded goaltender Jason LaBarbera to the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday for a seventh-round pick in the June entry draft, clearing the way for impressive rookie Jonathan Quick to stay with the team and share time with Erik Ersberg. "We think Quick is at the level where he can be able to do at least the backup role," General Manager Dean Lombardi said. "We thought this would take a little longer for him, but we think we can accelerate things." The move also allows prime prospect Jonathan Bernier to play most of the games for Manchester of the American Hockey League instead of splitting them with Quick. Another prospect, Jeff Zatkoff, will back up Bernier. "It would have been hard to ..."
Sundin saga staggers toward conclusion
"The end of a long, national nightmare approaches. Mats Sundin knows where he wants to play hockey again. And just in time for the holidays, too. The only fans spared the ignominy of being played by the vacillating Viking have been the folks in Alberta and, man, you people don't know what you missed! Montreal, Ottawa and Toronto were not spared the agony, while Vancouver seems to have kept the faith long enough to be a finalist. And, hey, congratulations on that. Sundin's choice apparently has come down to the Vancouver Canucks and New York Rangers, and from a distance, it sure seems as if the final month has been orchestrated to give the Rangers an opportunity to work out the salary cap ..."
Sundin waiting to strike deal with Rangers: report
"Mats Sundin is waiting for the New York Rangers to clear enough salary cap space to be able to offer him a $6-million US one-year contract, a New York newspaper reported late Wednesday. The New York Post says that means Sundin is unlikely to sign a contract until near the end of the month. The NHL holiday roster freeze goes into effect Friday at midnight and expires on Dec. 27. Sundin’s agent, J.P. Barry, had said Sundin hoped to make a decision between the Rangers and Vancouver Canucks by the end of the week. On Tuesday, Canuck general manager Mike Gillis said Sundin was going to make his decision sometime Thursday. But the evidence seems to be mounting that Sundin very much wants to play ..."
Sundin Awaits Rangers $6M Offer
"Mats Sundin is waiting for the Rangers to clear enough cap space to present him with a full-season $6 million contract offer before he commits to joining the Blueshirts New York Rangers , The Post has learned. Thus, with the NHL holiday roster freeze going into effect Friday night at midnight and lasting through midnight Dec. 27, Sundin - who has a $10M offer on the table from the Canucks that he obviously is in no hurry to accept - is likely to remain unsigned until late in the month. The 37-year-old former Toronto captain had recently established Friday as his target date for committing to one of the two finalists bidding for him, but unless Rangers GM Glen Sather can engineer multiple ..."
Not even Sundin's agent knows what's coming
"It's decision day for Mats Sundin, but even his agent doesn't know what the former captain of the Maple Leafs will do about resuming his NHL career. "He's going back and forth right now," agent J.P. Barry told AM 640 yesterday. "That's the truth. I'd gladly take a lie detector test; I don't know." Sundin is expected to decide to play for the New York Rangers or Vancouver Canucks as early as today, but everyone recalls Aug.1 – the first of the so-called Mats deadlines – came and went without a decision. Canucks GM Mike Gillis is standing by his offer to make Sundin the highest-paid player in the NHL. The Canucks' offer of $10 million (U.S.) a year stands, pro-rated over the rest of the ..."
Sundin saga set to end
"Vancouver? New York? Thursday? Friday? One year? Two years? Ah, the Mats Sundin watch is about to conclude. Finally! All the questions we have about Sundin, who, as it turns out, is a rental player after all, should be answered in the next 24-48 hours. Just about everybody in the hockey world assumes it will be the Rangers that finally welcomes Mats, but Mike Gillis told Sportsnet.ca Tuesday night he firmly believes his club, which made Sundin a whopping two-year, $20-million offer last summer, still stands a chance of getting him. Both teams could certainly use the 6-foot-5, 230-pound centre. What team couldn't? But which is the best fit? Well, regardless of which team he chooses he'll ..."
And then there were two ...
"Free-agent centre Mats Sundin has narrowed his choice to two NHL teams - the Vancouver Canucks and New York Rangers - and expects to make a decision by the end of the week. Sundin's agent yesterday denied a report on Toronto radio station Fan 590 that the former Toronto Maple Leafs captain has selected the Rangers and an announcement is expected by the end of the week. J.P. Barry, who is scheduled to meet with Canucks general manager Mike Gillis in Vancouver today, said he was still waiting to hear back from the Rangers and no formal offer had been made. "We haven't received all the information we need from New York," Barry said. "I should know everything I need to know by [today]." ..."
Decision day for Mats Sundin tomorrow
"Former Leafs captain Mats Sundin is expected to finalize his playing future as early as tomorrow. Sources in Sweden say his Swedish representative – Claes Elefalk – has told media in Stockholm to call tomorrow to learn which team Sundin has chosen to continue his NHL career with. Sundin has ruled out both Philadelphia and Chicago. Reports say the short list is now down to Vancouver and the Rangers. Sundin visited with Rangers GM Glenn Sather this weekend and took in a Rangers game in a private box at Madison Square Garden Saturday night. Sundin has been eyeing a contract with a contender, and would like to play in a city with world-class restaurants, theatre, and culture – a wish list that ..."
It's between Vancouver and NY, TSN's McKenzie reports
"Bob McKenzie of TSN is reporting that Mats Sundin has narrowed his choice down to either the Canucks or the New York Rangers. Sundin's agent, J.P. Barry, is apparently scheduled to meet with Vancouver GM Mike Gillis on Tuesday. NHL rosters are to be frozen for the Christmas period on Friday. McKenzie's sources say Sundin intends to make his decision by then."
Canucks, Rangers in Sundin tug-of-war
"The Mats Sundin sweepstakes have come down to a repeat of the 1994 Stanley Cup finals: the Vancouver Canucks vs. the New York Rangers. The Canucks are hoping this time they might win. Sundin’s Calgary-based agent, J.P. Barry, confirmed Monday that his client has narrowed his choices down to the Canucks and Rangers. “Mats is now focused on those two teams,” Barry said. “I think he is going to try and make a decision, at least amongst ourselves, by the end of the week.” Barry will be in Vancouver Tuesday to meet with Canuck general manager Mike Gillis. That meeting was scheduled two weeks ago mainly to discuss contract issues involving Mattias Ohlund and the Sedin twins, who are also Barry’s ..."
Sundin's choice likely between Canucks and Rangers
"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