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Lindros Hopeful Yet Deal Doubtful

February 15, 2001 / 9:52 PM EST / CBS/AP

The Toronto Maple Leafs' visit to Philadelphia didn't bring them any closer to acquiring Eric Lindros.

Lindros, a restricted free agent, has said he only wants to play for the Maple Leafs. The Flyers aren't in any hurry to deal his rights, even though the NHL trade deadline of March 13 is less than a month away.

"We're planning on nothing happening. We're believing nothing will happen," Flyers general manager Bob Clarke said before Thursday night's game against Toronto.

Lindros hasn't played since May 26 when a check by New Jersey's Scott Stevens during Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals left him with his sixth concussion in just over two years. He had just returned after a 2 1/2-month absence because of postconcussion syndrome.

The 27-year-old center rejected an $8.5 million qualifying offer from Philadelphia last summer and made it clear he will not return to the Flyers because of a contentious relationship with Clarke.

Lindros told The Philadelphia Inquirer in Thursday's editions he expects to be traded this season and plans to play for Team Canada in the Olympics next winter.

"If Bob wants to see his team in the best position for the playoffs, he still has one asset to trade and that's me," Lindros said. "There's still plenty of time left. I think it can work out."

Clarke doesn't see it that way.

"There's a market out there for him if he would go anywhere else," Clarke said. "The teams that can afford to pay him are limited. The teams that have what we would want are limited. There's three or four teams that could afford to give up what we would want, but whether they could afford to pay him is another thing."

Clarke said the Flyers are not talking to Toronto about Lindros, despite several rumors.

"We are not going to change our opinion of what we want," Clarke said. "I would say right now that Lindros will be sitting the rest of the year."

The relationship between Lindros and Clarke deteriorated last season after Lindros criticized the team's medical staff for failing to diagnose his second concussion of the season on March 4.

Clarke then stripped Lindros of his captaincy, and the star was ostracized from the team until he returned for Games 6 and 7 of the conference finals against the Devils.

Despite not having Lindros the entire season and missing his former linemate John LeClair for all but eight games because of a back injury, the Flyers entered Thursday's game two points behind the New Jersey Devils for first place in the Atlantic ivision.