Gustavsson Playing Himself Out of $ ?

European hotshot goalie Jonas Gustavsson is the late-blooming, undrafted 21-year old unrestricted free agent that has more then a few NHL teams buzzing about his (free) potential.

Teams have also been waiting two months for the “Monster” to pick his NHL destination. A big reason for his delay is due to the passing of his mother last month. But Gustavsson is delaying his decision again.

Today, when free agency in the NHL opens, teams tend to panic. Gustavsson has reportedly narrowed his list to four teams: Colorado, Dallas, San Jose and Toronto.

Chances are that Gustavsson will get the max rookie cap number when he signs, but if two or even three teams give up waiting and sign one of the other free agent goalies on the market, Gustavsson might find himself with an offer for less then the max. It’s possible. Or at the very least, he might be playing himself out of a better shot at making an NHL club out of training camp if one of the four finalists sign a FA goalie.

If I were Gustavsson, I would choose where to play before 12:00 PM EST today. He can’t afford to wait.