Waiver Draft
 

The Protected List is due today. Who will the flyers protect? Will anyone be left unprotected?

My guess would be

Protected

Primeau
Roenick
Handzus
Lapointe
Gagne
Williams
Amonte
Kapanen
Recchi
Brashear
Desjardins
Johnsson
Weinrich
Ragnarsson
Therien
Chouinard
Somik ** I believe he has to be protected.
Fedoruk
Esche
Hackett


Exempt
Seidenberg
Vandermeer
Pitkanen
Woywitka
Sharp

Exposed

LeClair

If Leclair is left exposed, which is very possible considering his contract & the way he has played last few years... do you think Sather will grab him & reunite him with Lindros? I would..

No I doubt it .. not for $27 million for the next 3 years ... and if they did, it would be a good thing for the Flyers

There are only two years left on his contract, not three as reported in the Courrier Post. If he isn't picked up by someone sooner, I would expect him to be put on waivers next year.

LeClair signed a 5 year deal in the summer of 2001.

2001-2002
2002-2003

2003-2004
2004-2005
2005-2006

He has three years remaining on his contract.

He'll be bought out this year, or at the latest this offseason though anyway.

He will not be bought out this year. The Flyers have already said that. It would cost them $18 million to buy him out. 2/3rds of what is remaining on his contract.

Now, I say if as it stands and Fedoruk, LaPointe, and Therien or whoever could be extra players maybe they expose them to waivers as they could have seldom playing replacements available. Don't have to protect 18 skaters if they don't want to. Now, Leclair, unless he agrees to a negotiated buy-out, will cost them $9 million for this season. With a work stoppage possible after the season they could avoid paying the remainder of some or all the remainder depending on the length of the work stoppage. If there is no work stoppage they could buy him out after the season. Ordinarily he would have 18 million left but a 2/3 buyout would be 12 million. Since it would ordinarily be 2 years to pay over it could be paid over 4 years or around 3 million a year for 4 years. If he would have been bought out this offseason it would have been 3 million a year for 6 years. So the length of the work stoppage will determine the cost. Leclair, if he doesn't play again will cost between 9 and 21 million to lose.

True, and with the CBA up at the end of the season, no way a team adds his salary!

I believe that Vandermeer has to be protected. He's 23 and was signed/drafted in 2000 so he wouldn't be exempt under the 3 years from signing rule.

If that is the case would he be exposed or would someone else come off the protected list?

If he has to he would definitely be protected.

Slightly off topic by the end
 

I think that we should definitely expose LeClair in the waiver draft, wait throughout this year, to see how things go (hey, you never know), then, if things go as we all expect, buy him out next off-season. It will basically work out to an extra $4.5 million that will hopefully get us a (*&^*&$&%$*&*% Cup!

The Flyers seem to be in a bit of a pinch - there really isn't a waiver draft eligible player on their roster that I'd leave unprotected.

Any chance the Fridge is the odd man out?