Gulls Try to Get Drulia, Make an Offer to Tuer

Less than one week after signing John Anderson, the 1991-92 American Hockey League most valuable player, the Gulls have reached an agreement to sign Stan Drulia, Anderson’s high-scoring linemate at New Haven.

“We’ve agreed on terms, but it’s a three-way deal with Tampa Bay,” Don Waddell, the Gulls’ vice president of hockey operations, said Monday. “We’ve stayed away from those situations in the past, but he’s a good player.”

Drulia, who had 49 goals and 54 assists last year after being released by three NHL clubs in six years, accepted a tryout with the NHL expansion Tampa Bay Lightning. Under terms of the three-way deal, Drulia will be sent to the International Hockey League Gulls if he does not make the Tampa Bay roster, but he could also be claimed by another NHL team that wishes to match his salary.

Tampa Bay could also recall Drulia. Waddell is pushing for a stipulation that says the Lightning must not do so after a certain date.

“We’ve talked about Feb. 1, they’ve talked about April 1,” said Waddell, who will want to know whether the 5-foot-11, 190-pounder from Elmira, N.Y. will be with the Gulls during the playoffs. Waddell said he is confident that Drulia, 24, will wind up in a Gulls uniform and terms of the agreement will be made final within 48 hours.

“He’s a good player, but (Tampa Bay has so many players on tryout contracts) via the expansion, he’d have to be the best guy (in camp for the Lightning to keep him). What he’s looking to do is come back here and put big numbers up as a free agent.”

Playing opposite Anderson, who reached agreement on a two-year contract with the Gulls as a player/coach Thursday, Drulia continued to put up big numbers in the minors last year. In six of seven seasons, Drulia averaged 111.3 points. His only unproductive season came in 1989-90, when he managed only 21 points in 47 games between Phoenix of the IHL and Cape Breton of the AHL.

In five seasons of junior hockey, he became the all-time leading scorer in the Ontario League. He has never played an NHL game, despite having been signed by Pittsburgh, Edmonton and Boston. Both Anderson and Drulia had been expected to sign with the expansion Ottawa Senators.

Waddell said he has also offered a contract to veteran defenseman Al Tuer, team captain at both New Haven last year and with the Gulls in 1990-91. Waddell gave Tuer, a 6-0, 190-pound tough guy who played 45 games with the Kings in 1985-86, a Monday deadline to accept his offer. Tuer, 30, is said to be seriously considering a player/coach offer from Muskegon of the East Coast League.