SLAM! Sports
SLAM! Hockey
[an error occurred while processing this directive]
COLUMNS
NHL
The Teams
Full Schedule
Monthly Schedule
Standings
Statistics
Rosters
Injury list
Movement
Trades
Hits Gallery
INTERACTIVE
JUNIOR
MORE HOCKEY
ALSO ON SLAM!
Sunday, November 7, 1999
Yashin must use his sense
Ottawa Senators wayward captain Alexei Yashin turned 26 on Friday, which is hardly a milestone, except now we will find the answer to the question: Another year older, any wiser?
If there is anything more than warm, fuzzy thoughts about Carol Alt circulating behind his eyes and between his ears, then Yashin will smarten up and rejoin the Senators before all heck breaks lose tomorrow, when the club's deadline for him to reappear takes effect.
In case you missed it, Yashin has refused to honour the final year of his contract (worth $3.6 million) unless the club renegotiates a rich extension. Truth be told, Yashin has been missing since the playoffs last spring, but he has only officially been AWOL since training camp.
Whatever, the Senators (apparently with the support of the NHL) have threatened to suspend Yashin for the remainder of the season and claim he still will owe them the final year on his contract if he doesn't rejoin the team by tomorrow.
If Yashin doesn't show and the Senators stick to their guns, then the future indeed will be interesting for everyone in the NHL, not just the parties involved. Needless to say, the NHL Players' Association would challenge the matter either before an arbitrator or a judge, citing the fact there is no provision in the collective bargaining agreement to allow the Senators to declare that the final year of his contract didn't expire.
And what if Yashin eventually does show up, a day or a month late, and the Senators refuse to rescind the suspension? Can the Senators stop him from trying to honour his contract? Alert the lawyers.
The simple solution would be for Yashin to return tomorrow, or for the Senators to maximize the potential for return and trade him while the New York Rangers are still reeling, not that there is any immediate threat of that changing.
But then, life isn't always simple, although some of the people involved seem to be.
THIS AND THAT: Oilers captain Doug Weight's name has been mentioned in trade talks with not only the Devils, but the Rangers, too. He once was traded by the Rangers to Edmonton for Esa Tikkanen six years ago ... Speaking of the Rangers, they head into Chicago tonight winless in seven games (0-5-2). Lose to the Blackhawks and they will be waiting for the other Gucci to drop in New York and it probably will land on coach John Muckler, who isn't to blame ... The NHL is looking at opening next season in Japan. Nashville is interested ... The talk in Phoenix is that free-agent goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin is talking contract again. A good start by the team and replacement goaltender Mikhail Shtalenkov just might have started a fire under Khabibulin, but a deal is definitely not done ... The Red Wings have offered winger Brendan Shanahan a three-year, $15-million US extension. He becomes an unrestricted free agent in the summer.
 Bert's back on blades Blue Jays boot game Bombers drop Peterson Felicien rebuilds race | Visit our Polls Archive |