Saturday, January 13, 2001
ESPN.com news services
The New York Islanders made a trade offer for Eric Lindros that would have been accepted if Lindros was not set on going to Toronto, the Philadelphia Daily News reported Saturday.
When they broke off talks with the Maple Leafs on Thursday, Philadelphia Flyers chairman Ed Snider and general manager Bob Clarke said "one team in particular" had made an offer for Lindros the Flyers would have taken -- if Lindros was not insistent on going to Toronto. That team is the Islanders, the Daily News has learned.
A Flyers source and a league source with knowledge of the negotiations confirmed that Friday. Snider and Clarke have refused to identify the team, and the Islanders had no comment.
But the league source said: "The framework is in place if (Lindros) would agree to come. A deal could be completed in a matter of hours."
Asked specifically Friday night about the Islanders, Clarke said: "I can't tell you that." He added two teams called about Lindros on Thursday and three more Friday.
Lindros, his father and agent, Carl, and family legal adviser Gord Kirke all said in the wake of the Flyers' decision to stop talking to the Leafs that their position has not changed, that Eric is determined to continue his concussion-interrupted career in Toronto.
Islanders GM Mike Milbury is thought to have spoken with Kirke, who apparently told him Lindros would not play for the Islanders. It is not clear what the Islanders offered.
Even though they were 11-26-4-2 after the 4-3 defeat Friday at Pittsburgh, the Islanders have several good players who presumably would spark the Flyers' interest -- forwards Mariusz Czerkawski and Brad Isbister, and defensemen Roman Hamrlik and Kenny Jonsson, to name a few. And conditional draft choices -- thought to be a big part of Toronto's offer -- obviously would be more attractive coming from the Isles, who haven't made the playoffs since 1994 and generally draft in the top five.
"Yes, that's true," Clarke said, when asked about the comparative value of the draft picks.
The league source said he thought the Flyers were willing to take less from the Isles than from the Leafs, perhaps because of the perceived value of the draft choices. The Islanders have new ownership that wants to rebuild flagging support and replace what might be the league's most uninspiring, threadbare building, Nassau Coliseum
Sep 07, 2000
The Islanders came to terms this afternoon with restricted free agent defenseman Roman Hamrlik on a four-year contract.
"I am very relieved and extremely happy to have a premium defenseman like Roman signed up long-term," said Islanders general manager Mike Milbury. "He is a top player that adds to an already very good group of defensemen. I can't wait to see him."
Reached at home in the Czech Republic, Hamrlik said he and his family were thrilled to be able to make a long-term commitment to the Islanders. "That was my priority all along," Hamrlik said. "I didn't want to be with a team where I had to wonder if I was going to be there from year to year. I wanted to make a longer commitment to the team and for the team to make one back to me. Four years is excellent."
Hamrlik added that his tune has changed greatly since his initial comments of disappointment over the trade. "I wasn't prepared the day I was traded," he said. "I didn't make myself clear. I was just shocked that I was traded so quickly, and I thought the Islanders would have been the last team to get me because I thought they had some ownership problems.
"Since the Islanders acquired me, I talked to people like Mats [Lindgren] and learned more about the team. I wanted to sign here. We have a lot of talent with a really big defense and great goaltending. I'm very, very excited that I am now a New York Islander. I know the team has a great history, but we need to do something for the fans now."
The two-time All-Star defenseman was acquired from the Edmonton Oilers on June 24 for defenseman Eric Brewer, left wing Josh Green and the Islanders' 2000 second round pick (35th overall). He is expected to arrive in Lake Placid over the weekend.
Since the end of last season, Milbury had discussed his team's need to add a top-notch blueliner to his already impressive corps of defensemen. This time, the franchise was able to step up to the plate, acquire a big-time player and, even though it took some time, get his name on a long-term contract. The former 1992 first overall pick of the Tampa Bay Lightning is a hard-shooting defenseman who can log lots of minutes and share the load with captain Kenny Jonsson.
Hamrlik averaged 25.3 minutes of icetime last season, which ranked him 12th among all NHL players. His 45 points placed him 11th among NHL defensemen in scoring and his 180 shots on goal were ninth among the league's blueliners.
The 6-2, 215-pound Hamrlik had his most productive offensive season in 1995-96 with the Lightning when he scored 16 goals and had 65 points along with 12 power play goals in 82 games. He was named an NHL First Team All-Star that season.
The Islanders' defense is shaping up to be one of the NHL's deepest and most highly-skilled. Besides Hamrlik and Jonsson, the Islanders have Kevin Haller, Eric Cairns, Mathieu Biron ready to patrol the blueline, plus restricted free agent Zdeno Chara. 1999 10th overall pick Branislav Mezei, one of the final cuts from last year's training camp, is signed and prepared to make a run at cracking the lineup.
An elated Butch Goring hailed the Hamrlik signing as just the latest example of the good tidings brought by new owners Charles Wang and Sanjay Kumar.
"It was crucial to have Roman be a part of our team from the start of camp," Goring said. "To be able to lock up such a great player for so many years is tremendous. You have to give high marks to Mike and Charles, who have worked hard together to make fair deals. I'm still optimistic we can get our last two guys in, but either way I'm looking forward to getting on the ice on Friday with this group.
"I love what we've done this summer. There's optimism around here that this franchise and our fans haven't seen in a long, long time. There may have been some free passes last year, but not anymore. It's no longer about just trying to keep our heads above water. We stayed young, but this team can play. This team can compete."
