Mats Sundin has reportedly narrowed his list down to the Rangers and Canucks, according to his agent. "Mats has had enough opportunity now to obviously look at all the different proposals and he's focused on Vancouver and New York," Sundin's agent J.P. Barry told ESPN.com. "I expect him to make a decision in the next week so that he can join one of those teams after Christmas."

As the league's governors gather in Florida to discuss the NHL's economic woes, there is growing speculation that the NHL's salary cap will decrease for the 2010-11 season. That would put the Toronto Maple Leafs in an enviable position during the summer of 2010. Based on today's contracts, that off-season Toronto will be among the top five NHL teams when it comes to having the most money to spend in what will likely be a buyer's market. Assuming they are not dealt before then, several big ticket players come off the Leafs' books. Pavel Kubina, ($5 million cap hit), Vesa Toskala ($4 million), Mike Van Ryn ($2.9 million), Alexei Ponikarovsky ($2.105 million), Lee Stempniak ($1.882 million), Matt Stajan ($1.75 million) and Jamal Mayers ($1.33 million) all become unrestricted free agents that summer.

In an interesting juxtaposition last week, Sidney Crosby was in the New York area preparing for a game at Nassau Coliseum when LeBron James' 2010 mania swept through. It was only natural for Crosby to notice, and to be asked if the NHL's most famous star wouldn't be better off in a major market. Both New York and Toronto would likely fit the bill as an upgrade into a bigger spotlight than Pittsburgh. "It depends on the person, it depends on your personality, on what you want, on what's important to you. For me, I live a pretty simple life," he said after a morning skate. "I want to play somewhere where people are obviously interested in the sport. I want to play for an organization that cares," he said, indicating that Pittsburgh meets those criteria. "I feel pretty fortunate to be there. It's not that big a city, but it's a city I really like. "Hockey is my focus. I think sometimes can be the perception because I am involved in a few things," said Crosby, who will be in New York again Wednesday to face the Rangers. "There are things I really believe in. When the opportunities come up, that's great. But I'm not setting myself up in a place because of marketing opportunities. I want to play in the best environment hockey-wise, and I feel I have that in Pittsburgh."

The Leafs' new president and general manager Brian Burke has no intention of pursuing Mats Sundin. Those close to Burke say he is only going through the motions, expressing a nominal interest in Sundin, because he would rather not offend a large segment of the Leafs' fans in the early days of his regime. It is clear Sundin does not fit into the Leafs' plans, and it is increasingly clear the Leafs do not fit into his. Sundin's days as a Leaf are finished.