So much for the theory that unrestricted free agent Petr Nedved will turn his back on the Edmonton Oilers for the bright lights of New York or Los Angeles.

After almost a month of keeping a low profile and letting the NHL market sort itself out since the Oilers declined a $5-million option on Nedved July 1, the Czech centre and agent J.P. Barry Barry have narrowed their list of possible destinations to three teams. The Oilers are on Nedved's shortlist. The Rangers and Kings aren't.

Nedved might yet end up playing elsewhere, but it won't be on Broadway or in Tinseltown.

"Petr has needed some time to get a feeling for what his options were," Barry said yesterday. "Both sides have taken the time to sit back and see what's out there.

"The fit in Edmonton and the hockey aspect is very appealing and Edmonton is at the top of our list."

While Barry declined to name the other two teams Nedved is considering, he said the Rangers and the Kings, who were among six teams to make initial inquiries, are not on the list.

Speculation in recent weeks has been that Nedved would end up in Los Angeles or New York because those cities would be preferred by supermodel Veronica Verakova, whom Nedved wed in the Czech Republic earlier this month. One NHL source, in fact, insisted last week the Kings had the inside track. Barry dismissed that talk without reservation yesterday, saying Nedved's decision will be based on what he deems the best fit for his career.

The Oilers, meanwhile, haven't been sitting idly by waiting for Barry to pick up the telephone. They've kicked some tires in the free-agent market, inquiring about centres Jason Allison, Michael Nylander and Alexei Zhamnov.

GM Kevin Lowe went so far as to suggest last week that signing Nedved was no longer his top priority. That, it turns out, was just three days before the Oilers said they were moving their AHL farm team to Edmonton.

"It's just part of the process," Barry said of the lack of negotiations between himself and Lowe. "There has been interest in Petr and he's seen that he does have options.

"In other years that process might have taken a week, but this market has been moving slowly and it's taken this long to see what's out there ... from the hockey aspect, Petr has repeatedly said he enjoyed his time there and that's very significant."

Barry expects to start talking money with the Oilers and the other two teams this week.