Gags, "No Contract ... No Camp"

[Brett]

No Contract, No Camp, Gagne Says
By Ray Parrillo
Inquirer Staff Writer


Left winger Simon Gagne, who led the Flyers with 47 goals last season, said he would not report to training camp on Sept. 15 unless he and general manager Bob Clarke came to terms on a new contract.

"I talked with my agent, and we think it would be too dangerous to go to camp with no contract," Gagne said yesterday, referring to Bob Sauve. "Basically, we want a contract before I go to camp. If not, I'm not going to go."

Clarke and Sauve spoke yesterday, but Clarke said the two sides were far apart and that his latest offer was final.

"If Clarkie said that, I don't know, but we're comfortable with what we're asking," Gagne said. "I'm not sure we're that far apart, but it looks like on their side they don't want to move.

"We moved a little bit a couple of weeks ago, and, like I said, we're comfortable with what we're asking when you look around at what other players around the league have signed for. My agent and Clarkie talked today but nothing really improved."

Sauve confirmed that the two sides were still "a ways away."

Sauve said that the sides had agreed on a three-year deal, and that the difference was on salary.

Gagne, 26, recalled that he and Clarke didn't agree to terms on his last contract until the day before camp started.

"I'm still hoping that's the case this time," he said.

But Sauve conceded that time was running out. "Do I feel good about still having a week to negotiate? Not really," he said.

Gagne, who won the Bobby Clarke Trophy as the team's most valuable player last season, is believed to be asking for $5 million to $6 million a year.

Early in the summer, Sauve secured a three-year contract for Alex Tanguay with Calgary for an average of $5.25 million.

[Drew]

Oh boy...

[Metalpuck]

My anger and frustration and fear grows every day..... :(

[ILoveThemDevils]

I wouldn't go without a contract either. Why do work when you're not getting paid?

[Pitkanen44]

Now I'm getting pissed.

[InfidelAppel]

I gotta say, I never thought Gags would be the kind of guy that holds out for money, although it makes sense that he probably shouldn't be doing training camp or anything official without a contract because if he got hurt, then it obviously screws up his ability to be signed/paid.

I mean, I don't blame him for wanting 5 a year. I hope he's not going for much over 5, as I think that'd be ridiculous....I don't know, I just hope Clarkie can get it done because we need Gags....if we lose him now that I JUST got my Gags jersey a month ago, I will kill someone.

[DrezzXIII]

Now is the time when the guantlet gets thrown down. Not reporting to camp is more levegae for Gags. But knowing Clarke's hardline stance on things, he may want Gags to sweat it out for a bit.

He'll sign him. He'd be stupid not to. Besides, its not like Gagne going out there and smearing Clarke like Lindros did. Its a money thing that needs to be settled between agent and owner.

[swflyers25]

Gagne wants 3-year deal, Flyers offer 4-5 yearsBy Tim Panaccio
INQUIRER STAFF WRITER

Simon Gagne wants a three-year deal worth more than $5 million a season. Flyers general manager Bob Clarke has offered the same money, but for a long-term contract.

"We offered Simon $5 million a year for four years and $5 million a year for five years," Clarke said today. "We haven't been unfair to Simon Gagne. The statistics and everything else back it up. We didn't just pull these numbers out of the air. We did it professionally."

It's the first time the Flyers have gone public about a contract offer to a player who remained unsigned dating back to the Eric Lindros era of the late 1990s.

Gagne's agent, Bob Sauve, could not be reached for comment but he said on Tuesday he would prefer three years.

"We have not talked three years," Clarke said today. "Would we go three? We might but not for $5 million [a year]. If we're going to go that high, we need to get some years out of it."

Gagne, 26, is a restricted free agent. It appears that Sauve wants more than $5 million a year if Gagne forgoes unrestricted free agency at age 29 in three years.

Sauve wants a deal comparable to what Calgary's Alex Tanguay got this summer which was three years for $15.75 million. Tanguay, also a Sauve client, has very similar career numbers to Gagne and hails from the same 1998 draft class. Do the Flyers see Tanguay as a comparable?

"I guess Tanguay has won a Stanley Cup," Clarke said. "It's hard to say this is an exact comparable or that is an exact comparable. Briere played 52 games last year and got $5 million from the arbitrator. That is a horrible ruling. Should we be held to that? I don't think so."

Clarke said he's not worried about negotiations and won't - unless Gagne is not available when the Flyers officially hit the ice on Sept. 15.

"If he doesn't sign by then, then we've got a problem," Clarke said.

Philly.com

[Metalpuck]

Uhhhhh...i'm trying to rest easy but it's getting harder now that Clarke has gone public with this. So to sidetrack my frustration i looked at Brett's avatar and almost threw up in laughter. You should put a warning sign up or something Brett...

[Breeze]

I just read some news of BBz, take a look at the "Odd 'D' Men" Thread.

Seems like Gags will join the trainig camp with a new contract.