As of this writing, the National Lacrosse League's deadline to finalize expansion and relocation is just twenty-six hours away.

However, the Washington Power's move to Denver still is not official (although reportedly very close), the fate of the Montreal Express appears no clearer than it did two months ago, the investor whose Edmonton franchise has been gift-wrapped for him has yet to apply for it, and expansion to Los Angeles, Portland, Ore., and/or San Jose remains up in the air.

For the second straight summer, the league has set up a 1 June deadline for approving moves and expansion, but probably just like a year ago, the deadline won't be met.

"If we have something that's in the works and it's not done by that date, we're certainly not going to kill it," NLL spokesman Doug Fritts said.

"It's a nice date to set as a time frame to work toward.

"Last year ... we didn't get the whole Montreal situation settled and going until the third or maybe even the fourth week of June."

Montreal actually entered the league two weeks into June, but Fritts' point is the same. Just because the month changes does not mean the issue is settled.

The story is simplest in Denver, where members of the Power organization report that only minor details remain to be settled in the franchise's third move since the fall of 1999. Sam Kroenke, owner of the NHL's Colorado Avalanche, NBA's Denver Nuggets and Denver's three-year-old Pepsi Center, will purchase the Power from Washington lawyer Steve Comiskey and promote the team in conjunction with the Avalanche.

In Montreal, the opposite holds true as confusion over the future of the Express reigns. Investors in no less than four Canadian cities and at least two American cities have shown interest in the Express, which was put up for sale in March for $1.2 million (US). Local businessman Joe Cambria is trying to pull together a group to keep the Express in Montreal, but he must beat out groups representing Winnipeg, London, Ont. (a very long shot), Tampa and San Jose. Earlier, Edmonton was a favorite, but appears out of the race with the expansion franchise it is likely to receive.

The City of Champions' new team, though, is contingent on what would seem to be a very simple condition -- the man behind the push to Edmonton, Calgary businessman R. Bruce Stewart, need only apply. The NLL's Board of Governors has instructed commissioner Jim Jennings to approve any application Stewart submits. Problem is, Stewart has yet to apply.

"It's looking OK but it will probably come down to the wire," the commissioner said. "I think we'll have a pretty good idea of where we're at with this by later tomorrow.

"I was originally supposed to fly home from Calgary ... But [Stewart's group] wanted me to meet with this other individual, so I drove up to meet him."