BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Buffalo businessman Mark Hamister is prepared to update NHL commissioner Gary Bettman on Monday about whether he will meet the league's deadline to complete his conditional purchase of the bankrupt Sabres.

Hamister was unavailable for comment Sunday. His spokesman Earl Wells would only say that Hamister has kept Bettman updated through the weekend on the progress of his purchase offer.

Hamister and majority partner Todd Berman have until 5 p.m. Monday to sign an asset purchase agreement or risk losing their exclusive rights period to purchase the Sabres, who could then be offered for sale to other bidders.

The NHL, which has extended the prospective owners' deadline four times over the past month, is unlikely to grant another extension. Even without another extension, Hamister and Berman would still be allowed to pursue their purchase of the team.

Rochester billionaire B. Thomas Golisano continues to express interest in purchasing the Sabres, even though his initial bid was rejected by the NHL last November.

Since the league approved their bid, Hamister and Berman have spent the past three months attempting to complete their purchase on two fronts in a complex sale process. Along with seeking up to $40 million in public assistance from state, county and city governments, the prospective owners also need approval from Adelphia Communications.

Adelphia, one of the nation's largest cable television companies, is the Sabres' largest creditor. The company, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection last summer, is owed between $130 million and $160 million in money former Sabres owner and former Adelphia CEO John Rigas used to purchase and operate the team in the 1990s.

On Saturday, Bettman expressed concern over whether Hamister and Berman will receive the public assistance package they say is contingent to their purchase.