klayman,
The Canadian Football Guy (FOFC poster) posted up a poll earlier today that had a Sporting News story on this. I don't know where he got it, but I assume it was the Sporting News web site. Anyway, the deal seems confiremd in the article, as well as the fact the Ducks have an agreement with Comrie. I don't know if the Ducks can even talk to Comrie without Edmonton's permission (isn't that tampering?), so the Oilers must have had some assurance they were doing a deal with the Ducks, if they allowed them to talk to Comrie and his agent to work out a deal.
There was also a long article about the situation in the OC Register, the local paper that covers the Ducks. I'll see if I can find it online in a second.
Here was Canadian Football Guy's copied text:
10/2003
EDMONTON (CP) - Mike Comrie's agent had a contract agreement with the Anaheim Mighty Ducks to conclude a trade from the Oilers but everything is on hold.
"We had a done deal with the Ducks," Rich Winter told the Edmonton Sun on Tuesday. "We'd concluded an agreement."
But Edmonton GM Kevin Lowe introduced a financial component as a condition of completing a trade that would have seen the Oilers get top prospect Corey Perry of the OHL's London Knights and a first-round draft pick.
In effect, Comrie was being asked to pay his own way out of Edmonton.
"I'm not going to comment on that," Lowe replied when asked if he'd sought a cash payment from Comrie as part of the trade. "I'm trying to get a deal that will address the Oilers' needs of the future and present needs."
Winter declined comment on a rumour that the Oilers were asking for as much as $2.5 million. But he did verify that a financial component had entered the equation.
Trades are difficult and circumstances change along the way, said Lowe.
Comrie, 23, earned $5 million in bonuses over the term of a three-year contract. He became a restricted free agent last July 1. He was locked out of the start of training camp Sept. 12 because he didn't have a contract.
He had 20 goals and 31 assists in 69 games last season. He scored 33 goals the previous year.
Perry is a six-foot-two, 185-pound right-winger who was drafted 28th overall by Anaheim in 2003.
The Register site asked me to register (starngely enough
), so I don't know if I can link straight to the OC Register article. So I will just post the article in its entirety here.
Deal for Comrie hits new Lowe
The Oilers GM wants the center to pay back some salary before going to the Ducks.
By Dan Wood
ANAHEIM – Just when the Mighty Ducks thought they had erstwhile Edmonton Oilers center Mike Comrie signed and sealed, they learned that Edmonton general manager Kevin Lowe was not prepared to deliver.
"We've agreed to the terms of a trade," Ducks general manager Bryan Murray said Wednesday. "We've agreed to the terms of a contract (with Comrie). Now it's between the Oilers and Comrie to get their differences settled."
Edmonton, which paid Comrie approximately $8 million in salary and bonuses during his 21/2 seasons with the Oilers, wants a large chunk of that money, apparently $2.535 million, back now that Comrie wants out of Edmonton.
"Because the Oilers can't set fair market value for Mike Comrie at this time, and because Mike is pushing us to make a deal, we're asking for him to top up this deal," Lowe told the Edmonton Journal. "If he doesn't want to do that, we'll wait."
Indications are that Comrie has no interest in giving in to Lowe's apparently unprecedented desire for a player to buy his way into a trade.
"I'm very shocked," Comrie told the Edmonton Journal. "I've never heard of something like this. There was no mention of this from September until now. I've heard of things happening at the 11th hour to hold up deals. This is beyond that. It's like the 13th hour. It's frustrating and very disappointing. Hopefully, we'll get through this like professionals."
While the Oilers might be willing to hold off on trading Comrie, the Ducks won't wait indefinitely.
"I haven't put a time line on it, but it certainly can't go on much longer," Murray said. "What happens all the time in our business is trade opportunities are out there if you want to pursue them. I've been kind of holding off on anything else because I knew I had a chance to do this deal."
Murray was unaware that Lowe wanted a kickback from Comrie until after the teams had agreed to the trade, and the Ducks had worked out terms of a multiyear contract with Comrie.
Murray and Lowe had discussed a potential Comrie trade for more than a month. The Ducks balked at Edmonton's initial request for rookie right wing Joffrey Lupul, as well as a later Oilers bid for left wing Andy McDonald, before the sides agreed last weekend on a deal that would involve no one from the current Ducks roster.
Right wing Corey Perry, the Ducks' second top-round selection in this year's NHL entry draft who is currently playing for London of the Ontario junior league, and a first-round pick next year appear headed Edmonton's way if the Oilers are able to resolve finances with Comrie.
A two-year University of Michigan standout who left college in 2000 to play junior hockey with Kootenay of the Western league, Comrie had 61 goals and 133 points in 192 games after signing a free-agent contract with Edmonton midway through the 2000-01 season.
Comrie, 23, nixed a $1.1275 million qualifying offer from the Oilers, his hometown team, last summer.
CR