Lindros, Flyers Agree On Deal
The Philadelphia Flyers and superstar center Eric Lindros have apparently reached a "verbal agreement" on a contract extension through the 1999-2000 season.
Lindros' father and agent, Carl, announced today at an impromptu news conference that his client and the Flyers had come to a "handshake agreement" on an extension that would net Lindros what he would have made in the second year of a five-year deal proposed by the Flyers last month.
"We reached an understanding and have a handshake agreement," said Carl Lindros at the news conference. "This demonstrates Eric's desire to stay with the Flyers."
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In August, the Sports Network in Canada reported the Flyers presented Lindros with a five-year contract that could be worth up to $50 million if all incentives were achieved.
"It's my decision to remain here," said Eric Lindros. "I want to work together with the Flyers organization to see the end of the road."
The news conference apparently caught the team by surprise. Calls to the Flyers revealed that team officials were scrambling to confirm the agent's statement.
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 payer, the 6-4 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 by 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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