PITTSBURGH - Toronto Maple Leafs captain Mats Sundin still hasn't made up his mind about playing next season.

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Toronto Maple Leafs' captain Mats Sundin talks to the media after receiving the " Mark Messier Leadership Award" during a ceremony in Pittsburgh May 28, 2008. The award is given to a player who exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice.

Photograph by : Reuters

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"I'm still thinking about what to do," said Sundin, who was speaking at Wednesday's NHL Players Foundation awards luncheon and picking up the Mark Messier Leadership Award. "I'll see how I feel physically."

Sundin, who hasn't spoken to Toronto Maple Leafs interim general manager Cliff Fletcher since the end of the season and has no talks planned with the team, can become an unrestricted free agent July 1.

While he repeated that he'd like to finish his career as a Leaf, Sundin wants to see what happens with the Toronto management situation before deciding anything.

He was unusually blunt in laying out one condition for his return to the Leafs.

"For me to comeback to Toronto, Toronto has to really show they want me back," Sundin said.

He also hinted that how the Leafs' search for a GM and coach goes might make him consider other teams.

"I do think I have a lot of options I can explore," Sundin said when asked if his decision was play in Toronto or retire.

"I still want to retire a Leaf. In saying that, I don't have everything under my control. There's got to be a mutual agreement. At this time I can't say that."

Sundin said where he plays takes a backseat to whether he plays.

He admits he'll have to make up his mind shortly, so that he can prepare physically and mentally for a new season.

However, he concluded his remarks sounding like a player who knows he's got a left of gas in the tank.

"I felt very strong on the ice last season," Sundin said. "I felt it was as good a year as I've had in the last 10 years."

In addition to Sundin's award, the Detroit Red Wings' goaltending tandem of Chris Osgood and Dominik Hasek were given their Jennings Trophy for fewest goals against this season.

Washington's Alexander Ovechkin picked a pair of awards for his outstanding efforts. Ovechkin became only the second player to win both the Art Ross Trophy as the top point getter as well as the Rocket Richard Trophy as the leading goalscorer in the same season.

Tampa's Vincent Lecavalier and Vancouver's Trevor Linden shared the NHL Foundation player of the year award for their community work.

Hold on

Pittsburgh Penguins head coach Michel Therrien continued to blame his team's inability to score in the first two games of the Stanley Cup final on the Detroit Red Wings getting away with obstruction.

During his Wednesday morning press conference, Therrien mentioned obstruction at least a half dozen times.

"It's definitely tough to create offence against a team like that, that obstructs them," Therrien said.

"It's the first time we had a hard time getting the puck because there's obstruction."

Therrien's pinning his hopes on the officials giving the Penguins a load of power plays, which has been the only time they've really had any offensive threat against the Wings.

At even strength, the Penguins have taken only 26 shots in two games.

"We hope to get some calls and get some chances on the power play," Therrien said. "If the refs call obstruction, players can adjust."

The Wings dismissed Therrien's complaints about obstruction, and goalie Chris Osgood diving, as little more than frustration.

"I don't get into a war of words," Osgood said. "We don't talk about their team. They can talk about us, but it doesn't bother us.

"We just don't care."

Sydor in

The youthful Pittsburgh Penguins are starting to grey a bit.

One game after inserting 42-year-old Gary Roberts into the lineup, coach Michel Therrien added 36-year-old defenceman Darryl Sydor for Wednesday's Game 3.

Sydor will replaced Kris Letang, who was lit up by Valtteri Filppula for Detroit's third goal in Game 2.

"Darryl had a great season, but we had depth on defence," Therrien said. "I liked what I saw and there was no reason to change until now."

Sydor has missed all 16 Pittsburgh playoff games and hasn't played since March 31.

Despite not playing in two months, Sydor said he was ready to step in and play in the most important game of the Penguins' season.

"It's been a lot of after-practice work off ice," Sydor said of trying to be ready to play. "You have to take care of yours and be both mentally and physically be prepared."

Advantage shifts

Through the first two games, Detroit Red Wings coach Mike Babcock has won the chess game that has been the match up of Henrik Zetterberg's line, along with the defensive pairing of Nick Lidstrom and Brian Rafalski, against Sidney Crosby's line.

With last change going to Pittsburgh for Games 3 and 4, Babcock said he won't worry about the line matchups as much as the defensive pairings.

"We have, in our opinion, in the (Kris) Draper line and (Valtteri) Filppula line and Zetterberg line, lines that can play against anybody," Babcock said.

"We have two pairs that we're real comfortable with against anybody. If you look at the nine and the four guys, we'll just let them go.

"The other thing about it is you put (Pavel)_Datsyuk and Zetterberg and (Tomas) Holmstrom and Rafalski and Lidstrom on the ice, they have to stop them, too. There's two sides to that."

Windsor Star

dwaddell@thestar.canwest.com