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Friday, November 3, 2000
Avs' young star waits for new deal
By Nancy Marrapese-Burrell
Special to ESPN.com
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BOSTON -- Ted Donato walked out of the workout facility at Boston
University with a duffel bag over his shoulder, on his way to head west with
his new team -- the Dallas Stars. Red Wings forward Brendan Shanahan, who also trained all summer with fitness guru Mike Boyle, was gearing up to
return to Detroit. Oilers forward Mike Grier, too, was wrapping up his
offseason program as he readied to fly out to Edmonton for training camp after signing a new, two-year deal.
As the host of NHLers said their goodbyes and prepared to go their
separate ways, Avalanche center Chris Drury was one who had nowhere to
go -- at least not yet.
|  | | Drury feels strongly that his salary demands are fair. |
Drury, a Group II free agent, has no contract and won't
report to training camp without one. So, right now, the only game he'll be
playing is of the waiting variety.
"I was assuming all along that I'd be going Sept., 6 and I still am,"
said Drury, referring to the Avalanche's reporting date. "I was training for
that deadline. I was shooting for the same time, and I was doing all the same
stuff as guys who are going to camp. And I'm still expecting to."
However, unless and until there is a new pact in place, Drury will stay in Boston and will continue to work out until he is under contract. Right now, Drury reportedly wants something in the neighborhood of $1.5 million this season, while the Avs are offering somewhere between $1.1 million and $1.2 million.
Other reports say there really hasn't been a lot of talk between the two camps. And when asked if he had a timetable in his mind as to when negotiations might be wrapped, Drury shook his head.
"At this point, I have no idea," said the 24-year-old who last year
earned $640,000. "I'm kind of ready for anything. I have no idea what's
going to happen. I just have to take it as it comes."
Drury said despite what it could've been, it really wasn't a stressful
summer for him in terms of wondering when his situation would be settled. He
said he is prepared for the long haul, if that's how it plays out, because he
thinks his salary demands are fair.
"I can only speak for myself, but if you're solid in your beliefs, if
it does come down to a situation where I do have to negotiate for a little
bit longer, I'm going to firmly believe in it, and I do firmly believe in
it," he said. "If you're totally absorbed in it and 100 percent behind your
thoughts and behind your agent, and you know you're doing the right thing, it
will be fine. If you're wavering, and you're not really sure, then yeah, it
would be hard. It's not something I've talked about too much. People ask,
'When are you leaving?' and I say I'm not sure yet."
Drury, who was named the Calder Trophy winner as rookie of the year in
'98-99, has had back-to-back 20-goal seasons. His first year, he had 44
points. This past season, he was Colorado's third-leading scorer with 67.
Now that Joe Sakic, Ray Bourque and Adam Deadmarsh are under contract,
Drury said he's hoping he and Milan Hejduk will not be far behind.
"It's nice that they do have everyone else done as far as guys who were
up," he said. "Guys who had to be taken care of were taken care of. It's
just Milan and myself. I'm sure they're aware that we're the only two left,
and I guess it is good they have the big guys out of the way and they can
take care of us and get it done."
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There are so many other great things going on, too much fun to be had, too much working out to be done to really lose any sleep over it. I know in my heart it will get done and both parties will be happy. ” |
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— Avs center Chris Drury |
There is a certain mentality required when a player is preparing for a
holdout. Some have the personalities to handle it easily such as Bruins'
forward Anson Carter, who held out in '98 and seems well on his way to a
similar situation this fall, and Ottawa center Alexei Yashin who seems poised
to hold out forever.
Then there are others who find out it's very stressful. Drury said he
coped by spending little or no time worrying about his contract during the
summer months after the Avalanche were eliminated by the Dallas Stars in the
Western Conference championship.
"I didn't want to think about it, and I didn't think about it," he
said. "When my agent Mark Witkin called and said, 'I talked to them, here's
the lowdown,' I listened and gave my opinion and we talked and when I hung
up, that was it. There are so many other great things going on, too much fun
to be had, too much working out to be done to really lose any sleep over it.
I know in my heart it will get done and both parties will be happy."
Drury talks like a man who expects to be playing for the Avalanche at
some point in the not-too-distant future. He feels there's much to make up
for after last spring's ousting.
"I was very disappointed to lose like that in Dallas," he said. "Two
Game 7's in a row my first two years. The first year I think they had a
better team but this year, I think we had a better team. I think for most of
the series, we outplayed them. Obviously, 10 minutes into the first period
of that Game 7, they go up 3-0 and that's the game. To me, it goes back to
the regular season (and failure to gain home ice). If that Game 7 might have
been played in Denver, it might have been a little different outcome.
Hopefully, we'll realize that this year and try to get the two points every
night rather than have an offnight or offweek."
As Drury watched player after player depart the gym with their
belongings, many shaking hands with each other in final farewells, he
admitted it felt strange seeing everyone leaving for somewhere except him.
"Sure, if I had a contract, I probably wouldn't even be here right
now," said Drury. "I'd already be in Denver getting used to the altitude
again and getting settled and ready for the season. I guess it's a little
weird, but it's part of the job. I prepared myself mentally a long time ago
that this was a possibility so ..."
So he waits.
Nancy Marrapese-Burrell of the Boston Globe writes a weekly national NHL column for ESPN.com.
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Drury lone no-show at Avs camp
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