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Monday, February 19, 2001
Flyers have yet to hear Leafs' latest offer
By Al Morganti
Special to ESPN.com
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While the possibility of an Eric Lindros trade made big headlines in Toronto, the Philadelphia Flyers were a lot less optimistic of such a deal taking place – at least very quickly.
"We have had no discussions over the weekend with the Toronto Maple Leafs, and none with the Phoenix Coyotes," said Flyers general manager Bob Clarke late Monday morning. "I know about all the stories, but from our side, nothing is any different.
"Some people are speculating as to what it would take to get done, but we haven't even talked about some of the things being written. And we have not spoken to the Coyotes, either."
The reference to the Coyotes was concerning speculation that the Flyers would make a deal for the Leafs, and then move those players to Phoenix for Keith Tkachuk – a scenario which has been considered as the Flyers have discussed all aspects of the Lindros issue.
So, what is the reality?
The most logical assumption should be that the Leafs have known for awhile what players they would have to offer the Flyers in order to get Lindros, and they are now ready to make that offer. In the meantime, they still have to work out a contract with
Lindros.
The mistake on the part of the Leafs might be assuming that the offer to the Flyers is something Philadelphia cannot turn down. Just last Thursday, Leafs coach and general manager Pat Quinn was lamenting that Clarke was providing "a moving target."
Said Quinn: "They (the Flyers) keep changing the names. It's impossible to keep up with it."
According to Clarke, the list of demands has been pretty well established. So, what's the problem? Well, Clarke has provided a list of names which includes among others, defensemen Tomas Kaberle and Danny Markov and forward Nikolai Antropov. The Leafs might be assuming that any two of the three will suffice, while Clarke could mandate Kaberle be part of any trade package.
There is also the matter of Markov's status (as he is out with a back injury), defining "future considerations" and structuring a deal in which the Flyers get more if Lindros plays more and less if he plays less.
A source within the Leafs organization has indicated that the pending fallout from this possible trade has been so detrimental to the performance of the team, that this deal will either get done by the middle of this week, or the Leafs will announce that they are out of the running for this season.
The other possibility is that Philadelphia is pushing the limits of Toronto's patience. The Flyers know the closer to the March 13 trade deadline they get, the more they may be able to squeeze out of the Leafs – especially if the Leafs continue to struggle. In that manner, the Flyers might be able to get Kaberle included in the deal.
All the combinations have been presented. Now it's just a matter of seeing which combination opens the doors to the trade and if those doors also swing open for Tkachuk to leave Phoenix.
Al Morganti covers the NHL for ESPN.
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