VOORHEES, N.J. -- The Philadelphia Flyers and left wing John
LeClair will continue talking past a Monday midnight deadline
LeClair had set earlier for reaching a multiyear contract.
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Flyers general manager Bob Clarke said he and LeClair's agent,
Lewis Gross, agreed to continue negotiations.
"We're very disappointed that we have been unable to reach an
agreement with John," Clarke said. "We made what we believe is an
outstanding offer, one that would rank John as one of the top five
highest-paid players in the NHL."
Clarke said the two sides agreed on the length of the contract
(four years), but the amount of money was still in dispute.
LeClair, the NHL's leading goal-scorer over the past five
seasons, said he did not want the deadline to stand in the way of
an agreement.
"The Flyers were interested in trying to get something done,"
LeClair said. "I wanted to stay a Flyer and I still do.
"I wanted to give a last chance for something to work out. I'm
very optimistic. I believe we're not far apart at all."
LeClair, under contract for the upcoming season, is scheduled to
make $7 million by way of an arbitration award. He will be eligible
for unrestricted free agency next season.
"Let me be clear," Clarke said. "We offered John a four-year
contract that goes well beyond the value set by the arbitrator at
$7 million."
"We value him as a player and we value him as a person,"
Clarke said. "We want to keep John in Philadelphia and we have
made a very generous, competitive offer to keep him here. We're
willing to keep talking about extending his contract, if it makes
sense to do so."
The Philadelphia Inquirer reported Monday that the Flyers were believed to have offered a four- or five-year deal
that averages $7.5 million to $8 million a year. Flyers
chairman Ed Snider said LeClair is asking for significantly more than the $9 million a year
he requested in arbitration.
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