Suigi Posted July 23, 2005 Share Posted July 23, 2005 Source: TSN.caPHILADELPHIA (AP) - The Philadelphia Flyers have decided to buy out the contracts of veteran forwards John LeClair and Tony Amonte.LeClair, 36, spent 10 years with the Flyers, and was a member of the famed Legion of Doom line with Eric Lindros and Mikael Renberg in the mid-1990s.LeClair, who entered the lockout due $9 million US in the final year of a five-year contract, was to make $6.84 million after the league-wide 24 per cent rollback."Obviously I'm disappointed," LeClair said. "But it was something I was prepared for."I knew it was a very realistic possibility for over a year now. My disappointment comes from knowing my years with the Flyers are over."Amonte, who started the lockout at about $5.82 million, was due $4.26 million. In 14 seasons with New York, Chicago, Phoenix and Philadelphia, Amonte had 392 goals and 436 assists in the regular season; he added 20 goals and 31 assists in 86 playoff games.By buying out LeClair's contract, the Flyers clear about $4.51 million in cap space. Philadelphia is looking to create payroll flexibility under the new $39-million salary cap mandated by the new collective bargaining agreement."The deal is not about me, it's about all 700 players," LeClair said. "You've got to do what's best for the union."Then you kind of have to sit back, take it all in and see how it affects your situation."Amonte's deal will save the Flyers $2.96 million against the cap.LeClair registered 382 goals and 379 assists overall in the regular season in his career with the Flyers and the Montreal Canadiens. He added 42 goals and 47 assists in the playoffs.Despite having back surgery in May, LeClair plans to continue his NHL career."Right now I plan to sit back, see what comes about, and see how my health is," he said. "I just have to wait and see how it plays out."Flyers captain Keith Primeau said LeClair will be missed but that everyone understands this sort of move will be common in the new hockey economic landscape."When you talk about Johnny, you talk about a name synonymous with the Flyers," Primeau said. "The only reason John LeClair doesn't return as a Philadelphia Flyer is because of the new economics."A guy like Tony Amonte gets caught in the crossfire as well because of the substantial dollars he earns."Flyers general manager Bob Clarke called both players Saturday morning to deliver the news and said it was "not the best way to start off a day."Coach Ken Hitchcock said both LeClair and Amonte epitomized class while with the Flyers."I understand the economics of the new game but it doesn't make it any easier for a coach," Hitchcock said. "They've been tremendous ambassadors not only for our team but the league."This was a little surprising to me. Those guys are decent players, and could really help out any team that picks them up.That is, after everyone finished unloading THEIR overpriced people. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OMMF Posted July 24, 2005 Share Posted July 24, 2005 Amonte would look good with the hub and spokes on his chest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TBGKon Posted July 24, 2005 Share Posted July 24, 2005 or with a bolt of lightning if the Lightning can afford him Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FiddySicks Posted July 24, 2005 Share Posted July 24, 2005 Damn. Leclair was the Flyers. Thats really too bad. Ive watched Leclair play with Philly since i was a little kid Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GUINNESS Posted July 24, 2005 Share Posted July 24, 2005 amonte was horrible last year..i thought hooking himup with JR again would spark his game..he was a nonnfactor all year and thru the playoffs..he a 36 year old guy sitting all year..he'll never hit 20 goals again..but he'll want the $ of a top scorer still....LeClair on the other hand,is gonna hang em up..with class.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BBTV Posted July 24, 2005 Share Posted July 24, 2005 Damn. Leclair was the Flyers. Thats really too bad. Ive watched Leclair play with Philly since i was a little kid Leclair was NOT the Flyers. At least not to most of the people here. Despite all his faults, Eric Lindros made Leclair. Leclair was the poster child for what was wrong with the NHL, making 9mil per year and not producing. The Flyers tried very hard to dump Leclair prior to the 03-04 season, but zero teams had interest.Bobby Clarke made a great trade picking up Leclair and Desjardins for Recchi back in 94 (or 93) but Leclair just is really only a sidekick, not a hero. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FiddySicks Posted July 24, 2005 Share Posted July 24, 2005 Damn. Leclair was the Flyers. Thats really too bad. Ive watched Leclair play with Philly since i was a little kid Leclair was NOT the Flyers. At least not to most of the people here. Despite all his faults, Eric Lindros made Leclair. Leclair was the poster child for what was wrong with the NHL, making 9mil per year and not producing. The Flyers tried very hard to dump Leclair prior to the 03-04 season, but zero teams had interest.Bobby Clarke made a great trade picking up Leclair and Desjardins for Recchi back in 94 (or 93) but Leclair just is really only a sidekick, not a hero. Hey dont get me wrong he is the Scottie Pippen of the NHL but id take him any day over that bastard sell out Eric Lindros . Leclair was a "Sidekick" but he did the job well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OMMF Posted July 24, 2005 Share Posted July 24, 2005 Damn. Leclair was the Flyers. Thats really too bad. Ive watched Leclair play with Philly since i was a little kid Leclair was NOT the Flyers. At least not to most of the people here. Despite all his faults, Eric Lindros made Leclair. Leclair was the poster child for what was wrong with the NHL, making 9mil per year and not producing. The Flyers tried very hard to dump Leclair prior to the 03-04 season, but zero teams had interest.Bobby Clarke made a great trade picking up Leclair and Desjardins for Recchi back in 94 (or 93) but Leclair just is really only a sidekick, not a hero. Hey dont get me wrong he is the Scottie Pippen of the NHL but id take him any day over that bastard sell out Eric Lindros . Leclair was a "Sidekick" but he did the job well. So was Scottie Pippen the Bulls?amonte was horrible last year..i thought hooking himup with JR again would spark his game..he was a nonnfactor all year and thru the playoffs..he a 36 year old guy sitting all year..he'll never hit 20 goals again..but he'll want the $ of a top scorer still....LeClair on the other hand,is gonna hang em up..with class....But imagine Thornton dishing the puck to him. I would love to see that. Or Naslund, or Forsberg, or.... It's nice having money to spend on free agents. Now if they can just make sure they get the right ones. I'm looking at you Lapointe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cyandlux Posted July 24, 2005 Share Posted July 24, 2005 Damn. Leclair was the Flyers. Thats really too bad. Ive watched Leclair play with Philly since i was a little kid Leclair was NOT the Flyers. At least not to most of the people here. Despite all his faults, Eric Lindros made Leclair. Leclair was the poster child for what was wrong with the NHL, making 9mil per year and not producing. The Flyers tried very hard to dump Leclair prior to the 03-04 season, but zero teams had interest.Bobby Clarke made a great trade picking up Leclair and Desjardins for Recchi back in 94 (or 93) but Leclair just is really only a sidekick, not a hero. Hey dont get me wrong he is the Scottie Pippen of the NHL but id take him any day over that bastard sell out Eric Lindros . Leclair was a "Sidekick" but he did the job well. So was Scottie Pippen the Bulls? He wasnt THE Bulls, but he did play all the defence Jordan didnt play. I think hes trying to say that he makes great players even greater...maybe, if that makes sense. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FiddySicks Posted July 24, 2005 Share Posted July 24, 2005 Damn. Leclair was the Flyers. Thats really too bad. Ive watched Leclair play with Philly since i was a little kid Leclair was NOT the Flyers. At least not to most of the people here. Despite all his faults, Eric Lindros made Leclair. Leclair was the poster child for what was wrong with the NHL, making 9mil per year and not producing. The Flyers tried very hard to dump Leclair prior to the 03-04 season, but zero teams had interest.Bobby Clarke made a great trade picking up Leclair and Desjardins for Recchi back in 94 (or 93) but Leclair just is really only a sidekick, not a hero. Hey dont get me wrong he is the Scottie Pippen of the NHL but id take him any day over that bastard sell out Eric Lindros . Leclair was a "Sidekick" but he did the job well. So was Scottie Pippen the Bulls? What? Anyway all im saying is that yes he is a sidekick but when paired with the right player he is a very good compliment Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bleujayone Posted July 24, 2005 Share Posted July 24, 2005 If John LeClair wanted to go out with one more year, he ought to sign a one-year contract with Montreal. He did play there early in his career, and it's only about an hour away from his hometown of St. Albans, Vermont. The Habs are kinda hurting for some mentors for their younger players anyway, and the presure will be off him to get a championship. He can play a more relaxing position and he can try his hand at coaching.It would be nice if he played for the Bruins, but I don't think he's what they 're looking for. Plus as I've said, Montreal is closer to home. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BBTV Posted July 25, 2005 Share Posted July 25, 2005 Damn. Leclair was the Flyers. Thats really too bad. Ive watched Leclair play with Philly since i was a little kid Leclair was NOT the Flyers. At least not to most of the people here. Despite all his faults, Eric Lindros made Leclair. Leclair was the poster child for what was wrong with the NHL, making 9mil per year and not producing. The Flyers tried very hard to dump Leclair prior to the 03-04 season, but zero teams had interest.Bobby Clarke made a great trade picking up Leclair and Desjardins for Recchi back in 94 (or 93) but Leclair just is really only a sidekick, not a hero. Hey dont get me wrong he is the Scottie Pippen of the NHL but id take him any day over that bastard sell out Eric Lindros . Leclair was a "Sidekick" but he did the job well. You obviously know nothing about what happened with Lindros. Granted, he was a baby who had his father involved with every aspect of his career, but ultimately it was Flyers management (Bobby Clarke) that acted like children and turned their back on him. He can be called a lot of things, most of them deserved, but he was not a sellout.Before Leclair came around, everyont thought that Brent Fedyk was a great player. Why? Because Lindros took the beatings in front of the net and could still set Fedyk up for goals. Then LeClair, who is definately better then Fedyk comes to town and benefits the same way from Lindros' work and people think he's great. I'd maybe take him for $1m, but not much more than that. If even that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HatCityEnforcer Posted July 25, 2005 Share Posted July 25, 2005 Had a feeling this was gonna happen...All the talk in Philly this weekend (well, outside of the countless round-the-clock coverage the whole T.O. debacle got on WIP and in the papers) was about LeClair getting let go...figured Amonte was gonna get cut as well seeing his salary was kinda insane...As for where these two end up....LeClair I could see inking with either the B's or the Habs...Amonte will get picked up by someone, but not at the money he was making obviously.Funny..as a Rangers fan, I'm kinda obligated to dislike the Flyers....yet I always liked LeClair...strange how things work As for Lindros...I agree with the Flyers fans about him (wow, something Ranger and Flyers fans agree on...should we mark downt he date and time? )...If Toronto's dumb enough to bring him in, fine with me if they wanna waste the money....FYI: The LeClair trade went down in 1995, not 1994...and it was most certainly not in '93 seeing Johnny Vermont had a few goals for the Habs against the Kings in the Finals that year... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FiddySicks Posted July 25, 2005 Share Posted July 25, 2005 Damn. Leclair was the Flyers. Thats really too bad. Ive watched Leclair play with Philly since i was a little kid Leclair was NOT the Flyers. At least not to most of the people here. Despite all his faults, Eric Lindros made Leclair. Leclair was the poster child for what was wrong with the NHL, making 9mil per year and not producing. The Flyers tried very hard to dump Leclair prior to the 03-04 season, but zero teams had interest.Bobby Clarke made a great trade picking up Leclair and Desjardins for Recchi back in 94 (or 93) but Leclair just is really only a sidekick, not a hero. Hey dont get me wrong he is the Scottie Pippen of the NHL but id take him any day over that bastard sell out Eric Lindros . Leclair was a "Sidekick" but he did the job well. You obviously know nothing about what happened with Lindros. Granted, he was a baby who had his father involved with every aspect of his career, but ultimately it was Flyers management (Bobby Clarke) that acted like children and turned their back on him. He can be called a lot of things, most of them deserved, but he was not a sellout.Before Leclair came around, everyont thought that Brent Fedyk was a great player. Why? Because Lindros took the beatings in front of the net and could still set Fedyk up for goals. Then LeClair, who is definately better then Fedyk comes to town and benefits the same way from Lindros' work and people think he's great. I'd maybe take him for $1m, but not much more than that. If even that. I do see your point there but its not gonna change my mind. I will agree that Lindros wasnt 100% to blame but there were plenty of situations where he could have rectified the situation and his damn family had to get involved. Ive disliked Lindros from day one and personally hope he just sets off into the wild blue yonder and never returns to play hockey again. Him and Tie Domi have always been on my plop list. I dont even know if that dude plays for Toronto anymore but if he does and Lindros signs there, oh boy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OMMF Posted July 25, 2005 Share Posted July 25, 2005 Ive disliked Lindros from day one Pretty harsh to judge someone like that when you are 3 years old, isn't it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FiddySicks Posted July 25, 2005 Share Posted July 25, 2005 Ive disliked Lindros from day one Pretty harsh to judge someone like that when you are 3 years old, isn't it? And ive been a Flyers fan since day one my friend. My whole family is. Ive accually been a Flyers fan longer than ive been a Bucs fan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redlands, CA Posted July 25, 2005 Share Posted July 25, 2005 Lindros dad did the same thing that Williams' father did and continues to do. He made a lot of decisions for him. Why? No one knows. Lindros is hell of player and future Hall of Famer. Look at him, early in his career, he was tearing it up but since his dominance of OHL and NAHL, he skated with his head down because it didn't matter no one was going to knock him down lead to his point decline and long list of concussions. Now, it's my belief if he wore a mouth guard and skated with his head up, he probably wouldn't have as many concussions that he has had and would be top 5 player to this day, maybe even #1. I think he will help the Leafs or anyone else he goes to a lot as 2nd line center. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
officeglenn Posted July 25, 2005 Share Posted July 25, 2005 TSN.ca is reporting that the Coyotes have bought out Brian Savage, and that the Red Wings have placed Derian Hatcher, Darren McCarty and Ray Whitney on waivers; if no one picks them up off the wire, then the Wings can (and likely will) buy them out and make them UFAs.They're also reporting that the Canadiens have declined the team option for 2005-06 on Patrice Brisebois. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pollux Posted July 25, 2005 Share Posted July 25, 2005 They're also reporting that the Canadiens have declined the team option for 2005-06 on Patrice Brisebois. Finally! I wish they'd do the same with Rivet before letting Brisebois go... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OMMF Posted July 25, 2005 Share Posted July 25, 2005 TSN.ca is reporting that the Coyotes have bought out Brian Savage, and that the Red Wings have placed Derian Hatcher, Darren McCarty and Ray Whitney on waivers; if no one picks them up off the wire, then the Wings can (and likely will) buy them out and make them UFAs.They're also reporting that the Canadiens have declined the team option for 2005-06 on Patrice Brisebois. And...No buyouts in Ottawahttp://www.tsn.ca/nhl/news_story.asp?ID=131396 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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