While Gainey didn’t come out and say he would make a pitch for Mats Sundin as a free agent July 1, he certainly left that impression after speaking with the media Thursday afternoon.

When asked whether signing unrestricted free agent Mark Streit was a priority, Gainey said the team doesn’t want to make any moves that will render it a bystander July 1.

“We’d like to be able to play in the unrestricted free agent market,” Gainey said. “We need to know how and where we could spend our money if we get the chance and we don’t want to arrive on July 1 and not have space in our budget to attract a player who’s available.