Honest or Polite?

There was a brief blurb in the Canadian Press from Larry Kelly, agent for Brian Campbell:

Campbell, a talented puck-mover and swift skater, will likely fetch the most on the open market if he doesn't re-sign with the San Jose Sharks before July 1. There are family reasons that may dictate Campbell moving back East but nothing is written in stone at this point.

"It's a very difficult decision because he's been treated so well in San Jose," his agent Larry Kelly said Tuesday.

"We stay in contact and we continue to communicate," Sharks GM Doug Wilson said Tuesday.

Some Sharks fans have already figured Campbell is a goner, but I'm going to take this one at face value. Marian Hossa, Ryan Malone, and a few others have publicly stated their intention to go UFA. If Campbell were to do so, I'm pretty sure Doug Wilson would put out a public statement about it if Campbell's agent didn't do so himself.

If it's family reasons, well, you can't really argue that. If he's just being polite with Sharks fans but has a hidden agenda, well, he wouldn't be the first player to do that (see: Ed Belfour). Somehow, Soupy seems to be of a little better moral fiber than Mr. One Billion Dollars, so I'm guessing he's probably legitimately weighing the Sharks' Cup chances and quality front office versus wanting to stay on the east coast.