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| Yashin |
MOSCOW -- Ottawa Senators center Alexei
Yashin, who sat out last season in a futile bid to press for a
more lucrative contract, now says he wants to stay with his NHL
club for several years.
"I would like to remain in Ottawa and even sign a long-term
contract with them," the Russian player was quoted as saying in
Monday's Sport-Express newspaper.
Yashin, who was locked in a bitter dispute with the Ottowa
management for several months, grudgingly returned to the team
after running out of legal options.
An Ontario judge had refused to hear his appeal against an
arbitrator's ruling that said he owed Ottawa the final year of
his five-year contract worth $3.6 million.
Yashin, who collected 94 points (combined goals and assists)
for Ottawa during the 1998-99 NHL campaign and was a Hart Trophy
finalist as the league's most valuable player, was seeking a $10
million-a-year contract from the Senators before walking out for
an entire season.
"But I don't want to think about it (signing a contract)
during the season as I would rather fully concentrate on my
hockey right now," he said.
