SIDELINES : Kurri Closes In on Italian Deal

Jari Kurri says he is close to signing a multiyear contract to play hockey in Italy next season.

“I’m waiting for them to put it together, we just have to finalize some things,” Kurri said Monday from his home in Helsinki, Finland.

Kurri’s contract with the Edmonton Oilers of the NHL runs out in five days. He and his agent, Don Baizley, are negotiating with the Milan Devils for a deal that would reportedly make Kurri Europe’s highest-paid player.

Kurri said he wants to sign before his annual hockey school starts in mid-July.

“It should be done by the first or second week of July for sure,” he said.

“We are back and forth on certain points that are unresolved,” Baizley said. “We still haven’t seen the documents from them. There will be further discussions.”