An excerpt from Hockeybuzz.com (Eklund):

Rumours on Mats have started to accelerate today AGAIN.

There are some reports tha Mats is in Vancouver. I believe this to be the case based on my best guess, but I have yet to confirm this.

However, a source in Sweden who has been pretty good so far when it comes to Sundin and Foppa news tells me that Mats will NOT wait long to decide and that he does feel a sense of duty to the Canadiens, Canucks, and Leafs.

Another source told me that he had heard that Mats is leaning heavily towards a decision this weekend and that from all he has heard Mats may ask for a one year deal in Montreal.

“Gainey thoroughly impressed Mats, and although you often hear this sort of thing out there when teams are talking to players you honestly can’t get two people who are more true to their word and respectful of the situation than Mats and Bob.”

Habster:

I doubt Mats Sundin is in Vancouver as it would go against everything he has done and said to this point in time. He is a man of integrity who wouldn’t be secretively travelling to Vancouver without letting the other parties know his intentions. There would also be Sundin sightings and/or media reports confirming his presence in Vancouver which isn’t the case.

I also have my doubts that Sundin would decide to sign with a team that doesn’t realistically have a shot at winning the Stanley Cup let alone making the playoffs.

There are also rumblings from very reliable sources which indicate that Mats Sundin doesn’t want to deal with the harsh travelling arrangements and tons of air miles that goes with playing for a West Coast team. Sundin is said to have a preference to stay in the Eastern conference to remain close to his business interests and friends in Toronto.

When Eklund quotes a source saying:

“Gainey thoroughly impressed Mats, and although you often hear this sort of thing out there when teams are talking to players you honestly can’t get two people who are more true to their word and respectful of the situation than Mats and Bob.”

Sometimes I have my doubts about where Eklund gets his source information and whether it’s factual but when I read the above quote, it really does show how similar these two gentlemen are in their actions and beliefs. They truly are men of integrity, honor and loyalty which only helps the Canadiens chances of landing not only a great hockey player but also a great human being.

Even if Sundin does decide to retire or play elsewhere, he has earned my respect and admiration for the classy way he has handled the entire situation.