Turns out Jonas wants to wait and see just who would be playing in front of him before making a final choice on an NHL team.
As reported earlier today by Sportsnet.ca, 24 year old Jonas "The Monster" Gustavsson is going to put his decision to sign with an NHL team on hold for a little bit...
Gustavsson's agent Joe Resnick told Hockeycentral "It's highly unlikely we'll commit before 12 noon Wednesday. With so many teams potentially making major changes to their rosters, maybe it's best to wait and watch it unfold first."
The report goes on to list four teams - Dallas, Toronto, Colorado and San Jose - still in contention for Gustavsson's services.
[UPDATE by Brandon Worley, 06/30/09 2:45 PM EDT ] TSN.ca has a slightly different quote from Resnick, stating another reason for the delayed decision:
"It's been a hectic and busy time for Jonas," Joe Resnick told TSN. "With his mother passing away recently, he really just needs some time to take stock of things. There's no point in rushing into a decision. All we know at this point is his decision will come after July 1."
While I certainly have sympathy for Gustavsson and I understand how tough this decision must be for him, this delay is putting the contending teams in a very tough spot. If the Stars, Maple Leafs or Avalanche go after a free agent goaltender for backup or starting purposes, then such a move could potentially sway Gustavsson from choosing that team. However, if the teams try to hold out and wait on his decision but not get picked, then they could have missed out the best free agent goaltenders and will really be in a world of hurt. This especially applies to the Stars and Avalanche.
A delay in his decision almost plays directly into the favor of Toronto who can wait on his decision (although their in-house options arent' exactly great, at least they have two goalies already). Dallas and Colorado cannot wait too much longer.
Thanks to DBD reader hughjorgan for the TSN update.