Eric Lindros arrived at LaGuardia Airport in New York on Wednesday night, a strong indication that the Philadelphia Flyers star is about to become a Ranger.
Lindros' attorney, Gordon Kirke, reported that the deal is all but done, pending a few minor glitches and Lindros passing a physical on Thursday at the New York Rangers' request.
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"We're very optimistic a deal should be able to get done in
fairly short order," Kirke said, adding that negotiations will
continue Thursday morning.
The Philadelphia Inquirer, citing an anonymous source, reported
on its Web site Wednesday night that Lindros reached a tentative
agreement with the Rangers on a four-year contract worth about $37
million.
Kirke said a deal was not done.
Lindros was in Chicago on Wednesday to meet his neurosurgeon, Dr. James Kelly, then flew to New York for a physical. Kirke said he expected positive
results from the tests.
Lindros' trip from Broad Street to
Broadway has been on hold, awaiting his father's approval of a contract with the Rangers.
The Flyers and Rangers have agreed on the players
that would be involved in the trade, two sources close to the
negotiations, speaking on condition of anonymity, told The
Associated Press.
But the deal won't be finalized until the Rangers can sign
Lindros to a multiyear contract. Flyers general manager Bob Clarke
said he didn't expect to make any announcement on Wednesday.
The New York Times reported in Wednesday's editions that Lindros could be a Ranger by Friday. The finalization of a deal would have a few stipulations, among them: that Lindros agree to forgo free agency for another year in exchange for receiving a higher base salary; that Lindros pass his physical.
Rangers general manager Glen Sather returned from vacation
Wednesday, and was believed to be negotiating a deal with Carl
Lindros, Eric's father and agent.
One of the sources told the AP the teams have agreed on the
players and the only thing holding up the deal is Carl Lindros'
approval. Both sources spoke on the condition of anonymity.
Sather could not be reached for comment. Carl Lindros did not
return phone calls. Clarke told reporters Tuesday that he had not spoken to Sather, a sign that a tentative deal had been reached.
But that did not stop Clarke from taking a swipe at Carl Lindros. When asked if he was optimistic that Carl Lindros and Sather could work something out, Clarke said: "I've been optimistic about Carl before. I don't know."
The Times reported that Lindros is believed to have agreed in principle to a deal that would cover four years at the least.
The base salary is apparently closer to the Flyers' $8.5 million qualifying offer, which Lindros rejected before last season, than the $2 million to $3 million base salary Lindros was willing to accept from the Toronto Maple Leafs.
The much-anticipated deal would send forward Jan Hlavac,
defenseman Kim Johnsson, young forward Pavel Brendl and a
middle-round draft pick to Philadelphia for Lindros.
The Flyers also would give the Rangers a conditional first-round
pick if Lindros failed to play a certain number of games.
Lindros, 28, hasn't played since a check from New Jersey's Scott Stevens in Game 7 of the 2000 Eastern Conference finals gave him
his sixth concussion 14 months ago.
The former MVP sat out last season after rejecting an $8.5
million qualifying offer from the Flyers. He refused to return to
the team because of a contentious relationship with Clarke.
Once he was cleared to resume skating last November, Lindros
said he only would play for his hometown Toronto Maple Leafs. Days
before the trade deadline in March, Lindros added St. Louis,
Detroit and Washington to his list. He added the Rangers to the
list last month.
The Flyers have come close to dealing Lindros to Toronto, the
New York Islanders, St. Louis, Detroit and Edmonton. But each time
the deal fell through.
Clarke has said he doesn't care if Lindros ever plays again, and
is willing to let him sit until he becomes an unrestricted free
agent in 2004.
Lindros was officially cleared to play last Nov. 27 by Dr. James Kelly, a concussion specialist, and he also passed a physical for the St. Louis Blues near last season's trading deadline. Lindros is expected to pass the Rangers' physical.
Philadelphia's acquisition of centers Jeremy Roenick and Jiri
Dopita put Clarke in position to wait for the best possible offer
for Lindros.
The Rangers, shut out in free agency this summer, have long
desired Lindros. New York actually traded for the star center nine
years ago, but the deal was voided by an arbitrator.
After Lindros refused to play for the Quebec Nordiques, who had
made him the No. 1 overall pick in the 1991 entry draft, both the
Flyers and Rangers claimed to have made a deal to acquire him in
1992.
The NHL appointed an independent arbitrator, Toronto lawyer
Larry Bertuzzi, to decide the issue and he awarded Lindros to
Philadelphia.
Now Rangers fans don't want Lindros. Sather has received heavy
criticism in New York since the deal was first reported.
In eight injury-filled seasons with the Flyers, Lindros had 290
goals and 369 assists. He made six All-Star teams and won the MVP
award in 1995, but Philadelphia lost its only Stanley Cup final
with him.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
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