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Grounded for good Lindros ain't going nowhere ... not this year, anyway
Updated: Wednesday March 14, 2001 4:07 AM
VOORHEES, N.J. (AP) -- Eric Lindros' future in the NHL remains on hold. Lindros, a restricted free agent who was seeking a trade away from Philadelphia, was not dealt before Tuesday afternoon's NHL deadline. "All along we felt that we weren't going to be able to trade Lindros and we were proven right," Flyers general manager Bob Clarke said. Unless the Flyers and Lindros, who rejected an $8.5 million qualifying offer from the club last summer, unexpectedly end their ongoing war -- Lindros will remain on the sidelines at least until the fall. Philadelphia was working on a deal with the Blues, and Lindros underwent a physical in St. Louis on Monday. But a trade couldn't be worked out, and the Blues instead acquired left wing Keith Tkachuk from the Phoenix Coyotes. The Toronto Maple Leafs, Lindros' first choice all along, and the New York Rangers also made final attempts to acquire the 28-year-old center. "We made a sincere effort, but when you're limited -- he picked four teams, but only two tried for him -- and other teams know you're limited, there was never a chance to make a deal that was beneficial for us," Clarke said. Lindros' attorney, Gord Kirke, said he thought the Flyers were close to making a trade on several occasions Tuesday. "There were some decent offers," Kirke said. "It's disappointing, but Eric is a realist. It doesn't do him any harm to sit around." The Rangers weren't on Lindros' list, but New York general manager Glen Sather said his team was "right into it until the end." "I hadn't spoken to Lindros' people, I'd only spoken to Bobby Clarke," Sather said. "We talked several times today and in the end we didn't make a deal. "We would've either tried to sign him or move him over the summer. It's still a risky venture. From conversations we've had, the next hit he takes could be his last venture in the NHL. "That's always in the back of your mind." Kirke said he last spoke to Sather last week. "I told Glen that Eric is very respectful of the Rangers organization, but he was hoping to go to a playoff team," Kirke said. Asked if Lindros now would consider playing for the Rangers next season, Kirke said, "It's something we'd have to look at. Now it's time to relax, have fun. He has some time off." Lindros, who hasn't played since sustaining his sixth concussion this past May 26, refuses to return to the Flyers because of a contentious relationship with Clarke. Since being cleared to skate in November, Lindros had insisted on only playing for his hometown Maple Leafs. But a deal with Toronto fell through three weeks ago and Kirke said Friday that his client would consider going elsewhere. After Carl Lindros, Eric's father and agent, contacted St. Louis a week ago, the Flyers rejected an offer from Blues general manager Larry Pleau that reportedly included center Pierre Turgeon, who can become an unrestricted free agent after the season. "I had my format of how I would structure a deal and he came back to me with an offer," Pleau said. "We never really got to the point where we can go further on my side. "I couldn't get a contract done on the risk factor for me that I was comfortable with Lindros." Lindros also was willing to play for Detroit or Washington, but neither team expressed interest. "If we could've made a deal that would've helped our club, we would've done it," Clarke said, adding that the Flyers never considered a three-way trade "They really weren't hard decisions. We knew [the offers] weren't enough." Lindros has been able to dictate where he plays throughout his career, but has little choice except to sit out this season. It's unlikely a team would sign the 28-year-old center now since he's not eligible for the playoffs and the Flyers hold matching rights. He will not become an unrestricted free agent until he is 31, and Clarke has stated that Lindros might have to sit out that long to get what he wants. "We'd like to trade him, but he's made his own bed," Clarke said. "He's made it difficult for us to trade him." Lindros, selected No. 1 overall by Quebec in the 1991 NHL draft, refused to sign with the Nordiques, and sat out an entire season before a controversial trade to Philadelphia for six players, two first-round draft choices and $15 million in 1992. The Rangers also claimed they made a deal for Lindros before an independent arbitrator ruled Quebec's deal with the Flyers was valid. Lindros also refused to play for Sault Ste. Marie after being selected No. 1 in the Ontario Hockey League draft of 16-year-olds in 1989. Lindros' career in Philadelphia has been marked by turmoil and controversy, including reports that he once left tickets for reputed Philadelphia mob boss Joseph Merlino. His relationship with Clarke, his childhood hero, deteriorated to a point this past season where the two men didn't speak for months. The boiling point came after Lindros criticized the team's medical staff for failing to diagnose his second concussion of the season on March 4. Clarke then stripped Lindros of his captaincy, and the star was ostracized from the team until he returned for Games 6 and 7 of the Eastern Conference finals against the New Jersey Devils. Clarke had an even bigger problem with Lindros' parents. He accused Carl and Bonnie Lindros of constantly meddling in the team's affairs. He said Carl has called him and insisted the team not trade for certain players for reasons ranging from the player doesn't pass the puck enough, or Eric doesn't like the player's agent. After Lindros suffered a collapsed lung on April 1, 1999, during a road game, Lindros and his family had little confidence in the team's medical staff because the potentially life-threatening injury wasn't diagnosed until the following day.
Lindros had 28 goals and 32 assists in 57 games last season,
including four periods of the playoffs. He made six All-Star teams
and won the MVP award in 1995, but the Flyers were swept by the
Detroit Red Wings in their only Stanley Cup final with him.
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