Shell
06-24-2003, 09:46 AM
Now here is a defenseman I would like to have!!
Posted on Tue, Jun. 24, 2003
Flyers at odds with Desjardins over contract
They reportedly are offering their top defenseman a two-year deal; he wants three. His agent is hopeful.
By Tim Panaccio
Inquirer Staff Writer
Flyers general manager Bob Clarke has indicated that contract talks aimed at re-signing defenseman Eric Desjardins have hit a significant snag.
Clarke said if talks don't progress by next Tuesday, he will sign a free agent.
Yesterday, Bob Sauve, who represents Desjardins, said there was no need to sound the alarm. He believes a deal isn't far off.
"We've still got a week," Sauve said from Detroit, where his plane to Montreal was grounded because of hydraulic problems. "Hopefully, we'll come to terms. We have some differences, but I don't think it's that bad."
Desjardins, who turned 34 this month, has been the Flyers' best defenseman for most, but not all, of his 81/2 years here. Last season, he made a remarkable comeback from a shoulder injury and elevated his play to the point where he clearly was No. 1 again.
That's why Sauve wants to make sure his client is paid at a salary appropriate for a veteran defenseman who is No. 1 on a Stanley Cup contender.
The sides remain "far apart" on the length of the contract, Sauve said. It is believed that the Flyers have offered Desjardins a two-year deal and that he wants at least three.
Sauve said if the two sides clear this significant hurdle, everything else should fall into place.
As for the money, Sauve said the gap is closer than what has been reported. That means the sides are no more than $500,000 apart on annual salary. Desjardins earned $4 million last season.
Clarke isn't going to pay him $5 million annually in a year in which every NHL club is trying to reduce payroll because of the anticipated salary cap in a new collective bargaining agreement in 2004-05. So maybe $4.5 million will be the final number.
"We're not asking for anything outrageous," Sauve said. "We're looking for a fair deal. Eric wants to stay here, and I want to see him retire as a Flyer. We're going to keep working at it."
Despite the uncertainty of the next bargaining agreement, he said, there is a market for Desjardins in free agency if he can't come to terms with the Flyers.
Gagne update. Simon Gagne, who underwent abdominal surgery last month, is recovering nicely, according to Sauve, who also represents him. Gagne had two tears in his oblique muscles. "That is what caused him so much trouble last winter [with his groin]," Sauve said. "He'll be much stronger this year." Gagne and the Flyers were unaware of the damage until the surgery. Like Radovan Somik, Gagne has been placed on a training regimen this summer aimed at strengthening the abdominal muscles.
Posted on Tue, Jun. 24, 2003
Flyers at odds with Desjardins over contract
They reportedly are offering their top defenseman a two-year deal; he wants three. His agent is hopeful.
By Tim Panaccio
Inquirer Staff Writer
Flyers general manager Bob Clarke has indicated that contract talks aimed at re-signing defenseman Eric Desjardins have hit a significant snag.
Clarke said if talks don't progress by next Tuesday, he will sign a free agent.
Yesterday, Bob Sauve, who represents Desjardins, said there was no need to sound the alarm. He believes a deal isn't far off.
"We've still got a week," Sauve said from Detroit, where his plane to Montreal was grounded because of hydraulic problems. "Hopefully, we'll come to terms. We have some differences, but I don't think it's that bad."
Desjardins, who turned 34 this month, has been the Flyers' best defenseman for most, but not all, of his 81/2 years here. Last season, he made a remarkable comeback from a shoulder injury and elevated his play to the point where he clearly was No. 1 again.
That's why Sauve wants to make sure his client is paid at a salary appropriate for a veteran defenseman who is No. 1 on a Stanley Cup contender.
The sides remain "far apart" on the length of the contract, Sauve said. It is believed that the Flyers have offered Desjardins a two-year deal and that he wants at least three.
Sauve said if the two sides clear this significant hurdle, everything else should fall into place.
As for the money, Sauve said the gap is closer than what has been reported. That means the sides are no more than $500,000 apart on annual salary. Desjardins earned $4 million last season.
Clarke isn't going to pay him $5 million annually in a year in which every NHL club is trying to reduce payroll because of the anticipated salary cap in a new collective bargaining agreement in 2004-05. So maybe $4.5 million will be the final number.
"We're not asking for anything outrageous," Sauve said. "We're looking for a fair deal. Eric wants to stay here, and I want to see him retire as a Flyer. We're going to keep working at it."
Despite the uncertainty of the next bargaining agreement, he said, there is a market for Desjardins in free agency if he can't come to terms with the Flyers.
Gagne update. Simon Gagne, who underwent abdominal surgery last month, is recovering nicely, according to Sauve, who also represents him. Gagne had two tears in his oblique muscles. "That is what caused him so much trouble last winter [with his groin]," Sauve said. "He'll be much stronger this year." Gagne and the Flyers were unaware of the damage until the surgery. Like Radovan Somik, Gagne has been placed on a training regimen this summer aimed at strengthening the abdominal muscles.