I remarked last week that it sounded unlikely the Flyers would be able to sign goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov due to his rumored contract demands. Based on chatter and comments from Bryzgalov this weekend, though, it appears that early discussions between his camp and the Flyers have been positive.
Bryz arrived in Philadelphia on Thursday with his wife for in-person discussions with his agent and general manager Paul Holmgren. According to CSNPhilly, the bulk of the contract discussions took place the first day and both sides left the table confident that an agreement could be reached.
Bryz toured Philadelphia on Friday and decided that it was as good a time as any to sign up to twitter. One of his posts, written in Russian and translated by Slava Malamud of the Russian Sport-Express, said, “Wait for the news. Soon, soon.”
My favorite tweet was, “Went to Geno’s and ate legendary phillycheesesteak! If you are there be sure to ask for new item on the menu… phillycheesebryz.”
If that doesn’t scream “the Flyers have laid out the framework for a contract with Ilya Bryzgalov,” then perhaps the updates provided by Malamud and Teemu from Broad Street Hockey on twitter on Sunday do. “Something can happen on Tuesday or Wednesday. It’s hard to predict. I’m waiting to hear what the Flyers decide,” said Bryzgalov, according to Teemu.
Flyers fans should now prepare for next Friday- the 2011 NHL Draft. It’s the most likely time that a trade will take place to shed salary in order to take on Bryzgalov’s contract.
For the latest Flyers news and updates, you can follow me on twitter (@JoshJanet).
What do you think, Josh? 5.5, 6, 6+???
My guess, and this is purely speculation, is that the Flyers are holding out for $5.5 million and the Bryzgalov camp is holding out for $6 million. I mean, there’s no reason Bryz couldn’t- his camp holds all the cards right now.