Naslund unsure about future

Vancouver Canucks forward Markus Naslund tells Jim Jamieson of The Vancouver Province that he has not made any decisions in regards to his playing future past this season.

“I want to play on a level where I feel I’m contributing,” he said. “I’m not going to play for the sake of playing. I won’t play till I’m 40. If I’m having fun and I feel I’m playing well then I could see playing a few more years.”

The 34-year-old Swede is in the last year of a three-year, $18 million deal. He is set to becomes an unrestricted free agent next July 1st.

Speculation has been that Naslund would like to play in his home county at some point, preferably while he is still young and able to perform at a high level.

For now, Naslund says he is looking forward to playing for the Canucks and remains optimistic about the upcoming season.

“I feel great,” said Naslund. “I feel that I’ve got peace of mind for some reason. I feel excited about going into this year. I feel a lot better about coming in this year than I did last year.

“With all the personnel changes and the coaching changes, it was exciting in one way, but on the other hand it’s nicer having the certainty of knowing the guys and knowing what we’re supposed to do.”