Lindros Ready to Play... But Where?

Eric Lindros isn`t getting away from the Philadelphia Flyers just yet.

Lindros, a restricted free agent, has made it clear he will not return to the Flyers because of his contentious relationship with general manager Bob Clarke.

But the 27-year-old center can`t go anywhere until the Flyers are ready to deal him. He rejected an $8.5 million qualifying offer from Philadelphia last summer.

"I think they understand it`s time for change, and if they want to improve their hockey club, they can trade me," Lindros said Tuesday after an on-ice workout at York University in Toronto.

Lindros was cleared to resume playing Monday, nearly six months after his sixth concussion. He said he wants to play for the Toronto Maple Leafs, but wouldn`t rule out going to another team.

"It`s a great organization, a great city and being from here, it just seems to be a good fit," Lindros said.

Clarke said trading the former captain won`t be easy. Toronto, Los Angeles and the New York Rangers have expressed interest, but no team has made any offers.

"Eric may want to play in Toronto, but that may not happen," Clarke said. "First of all, Toronto has to say they want him, and they have to give us compensation for him, and they have to be able to sign him.

"If someone comes along, whether it`s the Rangers or somebody else and offers us more than what somebody else has offered, we`ll go with the best deal for the club."

While Clarke said he hasn`t spoken to any team about Lindros, Toronto general manager Pat Quinn later said he had discussions with the Flyers as recently as Saturday regarding a deal.

"Is a healthy Eric Lindros of interest to us? You bet." Quinn said. "Playing the way Eric plays, yes certainly. But under the circumstances, nobody can guarantee that sort of thing and we`re not about to take all the risk in this."

Bill Watters, assistant to the Leafs president, said any deal for Lindros had to include conditions.

"The only condition that has to be is that all three stakeholders - the Philadelphia Flyers, the Lindros group, and the acquiring team - have to share the risk equally," Watters said. "If that balance is not there, then there`s no deal."

Lindros hasn`t played since May 26, when a check by New Jersey`s Scott Stevens gave him his sixth concussion in slightly more than two years. It was only his second game after a 2 month absence because of postconcussion syndrome.

"I understand that he`s been cleared, but we haven`t had any conversations with him," Kings general manager Dave Taylor said.

Rangers general manger Glen Sather said he hasn`t had any contact with Lindros nor his representatives.

"We`ll probably wait for him to call us," Sather said.

Lindros` former teammates are tired of the distractions, and have put the situation behind them.

"You`ll have to talk to Eric. I don`t want to get into it," said John LeClair, a good friend and former linemate of Lindros. "We have a game against Columbus [Wednesday] and he`s not playing."

Flyers coach Craig Ramsay joked that the team could use the distraction. Philadelphia got within one game of the Stanley Cup finals last spring despite constant turmoil surrounding the organization.

"We seem to function better under those conditions," Ramsay said. "It will be [a distraction] because everybody will ask a lot about him, but we`ll deal with it."

Lindros had 28 goals and 32 assists in 57 games last season, including four periods of the playoffs. He has made six All-Star teams and won the MVP award in 1995, but the Flyers lost in their only Stanley Cup final with him.

Lindros` relationship with Clarke reached a point last season where the two didn`t speak for months.

The boiling point came 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 franchise player was ostracized until he returned for Games 6 and 7 of the Eastern Conference finals against New Jersey.

Copyright 2000 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.

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Author: AP