Flyers Offer Lindros $50 Million

The Philadelphia Flyers reportedly are willing to invest up to $50 million in star center Eric Lindros.

The Sports Network in Canada is reporting the Flyers have presented Lindros with a five-year contract that could be worth up to $50 million if all incentives were achieved.

Flyers general manager Bob Clarke met with Lindros' management team Thursday in Toronto. According to the Canadian network, Clarke's proposal consisted of more than 100 pages and will be studied over the next few days by Lindros' father-agent, Carl, and family attorney Gord Kirke.

"I don't know what it's worth because I haven't read it, it's so big," Kirke told the Philadelphia Inquirer of the offer. "I do know it's incentive-laden throughout."

Clarke is hoping to have a deal settled with Lindros by the start of training camp on September 11th. The general manager has been outspoken in his lofty expectations of Lindros in the weeks leading up to the meeting.

Lindros, a four-time all-star, and Anaheim's Paul Kariya will be the highest-paid players in 1998-99 at $8.5 million. Lindros will enter the second year of a revised two-year deal worth $16 million.

The 25-year-old Lindros, who captained Team Canada at the Nagano Olympics, played in just 63 games last year and had 30 goals and 41 assists. He missed 18 games after he sustained a concussion when checked hard by Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Darius Kasparaitis in a March 7th contest.

A heavy hitter sometimes accused of being a dirty player, the 6-foot-4 Lindros has been hampered by injuries throughout his six-year career. Since his highly-anticipated NHL debut in 1992, Lindros has missed an average of 24 games per season due to a variety of injuries.

The Flyers finished with the third-most points (95) in the Eastern Conference last season, but were knocked out in the first round of the playoffs by Buffalo. The first-round elimination was so stunning that Lindros trade rumors started to filter out of Philadelphia, but all were denied by Clarke.

In 1996-97, Lindros was limited b injuries to 52 games but had 32 goals and 47 assists and led the team to the Stanley Cup Finals. In the playoffs, he had 12 goals and 14 assists in 19 games as the Flyers reached the Finals for the first time in 10 years, losing in four games to the Detroit Red Wings.

Lindros won the Hart Trophy as NHL MVP in the lockout-shortened 1994-95 season, when he had 29 goals and 41 assists in 46 games and missed just two contests.

Lindros' best season came in 1995-96, when he had 47 goals and 68 assists in 73 games. The former top overall pick of the Quebec Nordiques has 223 goals, 284 assists and 507 points in 360 career games, all with the Flyers.

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