Palffy Signs With Islanders

After months of squabbling back and forth, the New York Islanders and holdout right wing Zigmund Palffy agreed on a five-year contract Thursday.

Financial terms were not disclosed, Palffy would reportedly earn upwards of $5 million a season, doubling the salary of teammate and captain Trevor Linden, the previous highest-paid player on the Islanders.

Palffy led the Islanders in scoring for the third consecutive season in 1997-98, recording 45 goals and 42 assists. But he has spent the year in Europe while agent Paul Krause has tried in vain to negotiate a deal with the club. Islanders general manager and coach Mike Milbury, who traveled overseas for a negotiation session, has publicly attacked Krause's tactics.

The two have butted heads in the past over the 5-10, 183-pound goal-scorer. Prior to the 1996 season, the two could not agree on a long-term deal for the Slovakian star, but settled on a two-year contract after Palffy sat out much of training camp.

During his hooldout, Palffy has been involved in several trade rumors, including a potential swap of holdouts with the Vancouver Canucks for disgruntled forward Pavel Bure. A team spokesman said Palffy is still in Europe and knew nothing of a pending trade.

Last season, the 26-year-old Palffy led the league with 17 power-play tallies and was fifth in points and goals. In his five-year career, Palffy has registered 146 goals and 281 points but has never played in a playoff game.

The Islanders snapped a season-high, seven-game losing streak with a victory in San Jose Tuesday.

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