"I never felt at any time we were remotely close on the same wavelength," Coyotes general manager Don Maloney told the Arizona Republic. "We were prepared to pay him well. But he was looking to become . . . one of the top paid players in the game. I just felt, between the dollars and the term, it just made no sense for us."
Paul Holmgren dealt a third-round pick and the rights to Matt Clackson, a player the Coyotes have no interest in signing, on Tuesday for an exclusive negotiating window with Bryzgalov a full 23 days before the remaining 28 teams in the NHL get a crack at him.
Bryzgalov wants top dollar. And if I'm Holmgren, I'd swallow hard, open Ed Snider's gilded checkbook and lure the game's top free-agent goaltender to sign on the dotted line before the Entry Draft starts on June 24. No matter if it takes upward of $25 million or $30 million over 4 or 5 years do it.
"I would love very much to be a part of the team that brings the Stanley Cup back to Philadelphia," Bryzgalov said yesterday in a statement through his agent. "It would be a great honor. I am pleased the Flyers thought enough of me to make the trade with the Coyotes. Philadelphia is a great city, a great organization and a great team with a rich history. I am looking forward to meeting with Paul Holmgren to discuss the possibility of us working together for many years to come."
The exact dollar figure is more or less irrelevant. Signing Bryzgalov, finally a goaltender who is still in his prime, will satisfy the craving of not only a rabid fan base bleeding for a competent netminder, but also an owner who has longed for another Stanley Cup parade.
For a team with depth at every position - and in an organization that has more or less never put much stock or money into its netminder - goaltending would no longer be the scapegoat.
