Riding the Pine
October 9, 2006
I was checking out the latest stories on TSN when I noticed this rumor:
According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Flyers are looking to sign free agent veteran defenceman Brian Leetch.
The Flyers are without Mike Rathje for an indefinite period due to a herniated disk, and would like Leetch to solidify their power play.
Whoa…Brian Leetch is a free agent? I think this shows us what the salary cap is doing. It hasn’t stopped GMs from spending too much on players ($6 mil for Havlt in Chicago, $7 mil for Chara in Boston), but it may be cutting short the career of some veterans. Vaclav Varada was bought out by the Senators and is now skating in a Swiss league since no one in the NHL was interested in him. Leetch has been riding the bench waiting for someone to get hurt and open up a spot for me.
Why did these guys go unsigned? Because they are unwilling to play in the NHL unless they get the money they think they deserve. These guys are becoming the dinosaurs of hockey. Unwilling to adapt to the new marketplace and soon to be extinct. You have to wonder why a team like the Flyers would go after a player who is willing to sit out and face retirement rather than take a pay cut.
Who else is on the golf course this season waiting for that lottery phone call? Peter Bondra?
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