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Scorecard Lindros and Philly: Taking a Flyer
Posted: Thursday May 18, 2000 12:35 PM By Kostya Kennedy
Given the mutual distaste that defines Eric Lindros's relationship with Flyers management (SI, April 10), and considering that the concussion-prone Lindros may be just one more hard knock from early retirement, you wouldn't expect Philadelphia to renew his $8.5 million contract. But general manager Bobby Clarke intends to do exactly that. The Flyers will almost certainly be signing the 27-year-old Lindros in order to trade him. He'll become an unrestricted free agent this summer unless Clarke makes him a qualifying offer of about $9 million by July 1. As Clarke said on Sunday, "You can't let an asset like that just walk away." The asset is a 6'4", 236- pound center who has averaged well over a point per game in his career. The downside is that Lindros has sustained five concussions in the past two years and three since January, the most recent having come on May 4 in a collision during a scrimmage with the Flyers' minor league affiliate, the Philadelphia Phantoms. Lindros's risk of further concussions dramatically lessens his trade value, so if the Flyers do sign and move him, they'll likely have to absorb some of that $9 million in the deal. "We'll decide whether to accept the offer when that time comes," says Carl Lindros, Eric's father and agent. But it's hard to see how the Lindroses wouldn't, since Philly's offer would be substantially higher than anything Eric could command from another team. Lindros was still hoping to get medical clearance and begin practicing with the Flyers next week, and defenseman Eric Desjardins, who replaced Lindros as captain after Lindros was stripped of that title in March following a dispute with team management, says he "would welcome" such a return. Privately, several Philadelphia players have admitted that they've grown weary of the Lindros distractions. Certainly the Flyers faithful are not expecting to see the Big E on Broad Street next year. Last week at a sporting-goods store near the First Union Center, where the Flyers play, Lindros jerseys had been cut to half price. Even then, a store employee said, they weren't selling. Issue date: May 22, 2000 For more Scorecard see this week's issue of Sports Illustrated, on
newsstands Wednesday, May 17. Click
here to subscribe to SI.
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