Brad Watters and his latest group of investors are within two weeks of owning the Columbus Landsharks, according to a report in today's Toronto Sun.

If the sale goes through, as expected, Watters will have a stake of three teams in eastern Canada (he is also involved with the Toronto Rock and Ottawa Rebel), moving the Landsharks to Montreal for the 2002 season.

However, Columbus may not be without a team for long. The league has received several inquiries about placing an expansion team in Columbus, beginning play as early as next season, in the wake of long-standing rumors that Watters had his eye on the one-year-old franchise from mid-Ohio.

There have been rumors in the Canadian lacrosse community that at least one Columbus inquiry came from a current owner of an NLL franchise, although there is nothing to corroborate that.

One such rumor claimed that New York Saints owners Mike Gongas and Charlie Russo would sell their team to the NHL's New York Islanders and pursue an expansion franchise for Columbus. Gongas has denied the rumor.

"We talked with a certain hockey team about six months ago, but we didn't come to a deal," Gongas said. "We have no intention of selling our team. I haven't talked with anybody about Columbus."

Other owners -- including Russ Cline and Chris Fritz of the Philadelphia Wings and Steve Donner of the Rochester Knighthawks -- have also been named in the rumors.

The confusion over who would own the Landsharks, where the team would play, and whether the city that lost out on the team would be granted an expansion franchise is what forced the league to delay its 1 June deadline for relocation. The deadline is currently 10 June, when the owners meet for thir annual Board of Governors meeting in Hilton Head, SC.

Wouldn't it be easier to cut down the franchise movement, force Landsharks managing partner John Livsey to sell to someone who will keep the team in Columbus, and give Watters an expansion franchise for Montreal? Probably, but Watters apparently prefers to bring an existing team -- complete with players and a history, however brief it is -- to Quebec and avoid the hassle of building his team from scratch.

The NLL is expected to hold off on announcing relocations or future expansion until after the Board of Governors meeting, expected to last until next Tuesday.