Got this one from yesterdays Boston Sunday Globe...
Appearance of collusion may not be illusion
Don Meehan, one of hockey's heavyweight agents, strapped on the industrial-strength tap shoes early last week and began beating out the long-awaited ''collusion'' slide-step. He never actually uttered the word but his stated dismay made the case for him.
Meehan's prime young Group 2 (read: high-compensation) free agent, Calgary forward Jarome Iginla, hasn't fielded a single contract offer from anyone else in the Original 30.
Meehan finds that, uh, shocking. Perhaps the game's best 25-year-old, a franchise forward, and no one other than Calgary wants him? Gee.
The lack of offers is no surprise, of course. NHL general managers are at least smart enough to stay away from that surefire bit of self-immolation. Just don't be shocked, however, if before the expiration of the collective bargaining agreement in September 2004, the Players Association drops a massive collusion suit on NHL owners for the near-total lack of Group 2 offers.
Would it make sense for at least one or two struggling clubs to give up the five first-round picks in compensation to the Flames for wooing away Iginla? Without a doubt. But it also would increase the financial stresses already weighing heavily on a league that still depends far, far too much on gate receipts.
Absent a megamillion-dollar TV deal, the league is a 30-team course in advanced bankruptcy. Mixing in an aggressive Group 2 swap meet would only speed up the march. But the read here is that the union will still make a case for collusion, and a hovering suit would only help the players exert pressure on the league if the two sides ever actually get down to the quid-pro-quo talks for a new CBA.
Don't forget, Major League Baseball players made their hefty score on a collusion suit in the '90s. We all know, what's good for baseball (see what happens Friday) is at least half as good for hockey.
Meanwhile, let's look at the financial fissure that separates Iginla from returning to work: The Flames are offering a two-year deal worth $11.2 million; Iginla is looking for upward of $15 million, roughly $7.5 million per year.
Iginla, by the way, has only one year of experience on the Hub's Joe Thornton and Sergei Samsonov, each of whom has a base salary of a little more than $2 million. Imagine what they'll be looking for on Causeway Street next summer now that Iginla is sure to make at least something north of $6 million.
Appearance of collusion may not be illusion
Don Meehan, one of hockey's heavyweight agents, strapped on the industrial-strength tap shoes early last week and began beating out the long-awaited ''collusion'' slide-step. He never actually uttered the word but his stated dismay made the case for him.
Meehan's prime young Group 2 (read: high-compensation) free agent, Calgary forward Jarome Iginla, hasn't fielded a single contract offer from anyone else in the Original 30.
Meehan finds that, uh, shocking. Perhaps the game's best 25-year-old, a franchise forward, and no one other than Calgary wants him? Gee.
The lack of offers is no surprise, of course. NHL general managers are at least smart enough to stay away from that surefire bit of self-immolation. Just don't be shocked, however, if before the expiration of the collective bargaining agreement in September 2004, the Players Association drops a massive collusion suit on NHL owners for the near-total lack of Group 2 offers.
Would it make sense for at least one or two struggling clubs to give up the five first-round picks in compensation to the Flames for wooing away Iginla? Without a doubt. But it also would increase the financial stresses already weighing heavily on a league that still depends far, far too much on gate receipts.
Absent a megamillion-dollar TV deal, the league is a 30-team course in advanced bankruptcy. Mixing in an aggressive Group 2 swap meet would only speed up the march. But the read here is that the union will still make a case for collusion, and a hovering suit would only help the players exert pressure on the league if the two sides ever actually get down to the quid-pro-quo talks for a new CBA.
Don't forget, Major League Baseball players made their hefty score on a collusion suit in the '90s. We all know, what's good for baseball (see what happens Friday) is at least half as good for hockey.
Meanwhile, let's look at the financial fissure that separates Iginla from returning to work: The Flames are offering a two-year deal worth $11.2 million; Iginla is looking for upward of $15 million, roughly $7.5 million per year.
Iginla, by the way, has only one year of experience on the Hub's Joe Thornton and Sergei Samsonov, each of whom has a base salary of a little more than $2 million. Imagine what they'll be looking for on Causeway Street next summer now that Iginla is sure to make at least something north of $6 million.
