Flyers Could End Up Paying Lindros $85,000

Eric Lindros is not guaranteed $8.5 million next season, even if he signs the qualifying offer the Philadelphia Flyers submitted to him last month.

The qualifying offer includes a two-way contract that would allow the Flyers to send Lindros to their AHL affiliate, the Philadelphia Phantoms, and pay him a minor league salary of $85,000.

Lindros, still recovering from his sixth concussion, would have to clear waivers before playing for the Phantoms. Any team claiming him would have to pay the $100,000 waiver price, and pick up the remainder of his hefty contract.

In making the two-way offer, the Flyers invoked a clause in the collective bargaining agreement that states that a qualifying offer to a restricted free agent can be a two-way offer if the player has played fewer than 60 games the previous season.

Lindros played 55 games last season because of various injuries, including four concussions sustained in slightly more than four months.

As a restricted free agent, Lindros has until July 31 to accept the qualifying offer.

If he doesn’t, he can file for non-binding arbitration or sign an offer sheet with another team. The Flyers could receive five draft picks if they decide not to match the offer.

The San Jose Sharks are trying to use the same tactic with forward Todd Harvey, another restricted free agent. They want to pay him $880,000 if he plays in the NHL next season and $75,000 if he plays in the minors.

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Defenseman Andreas Lilja, a native of Helsingborg, Sweden, has agreed to terms with the Kings. Lilja, 25, was a second-round pick and the 54th player taken in last month’s entry draft. He had eight goals, 11 assists and 88 penalty minutes in 49 games last season with Malmo of the Swedish Elite League. A 6-foot-3, 215-pounder, Lilja appeared in eight playoff games, with no points and eight penalty minutes.

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The Mighty Ducks signed center Jonas Ronnqvist, their fourth-round pick in last month’s entry draft, to a two-year contract. Ronnqvist, 26, scored 39 points in 49 games for Lulea HF of the Swedish Elite League last season and also represented Sweden in this year’s World Championships.

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The Atlanta Thrashers agreed to terms with former Philadelphia defenseman Adam Burt and re-signed forward Denny Lambert. Burt, 31, who was an unrestricted free agent, agreed to a two-year contract with an option for a third. He played 67 regular-season games for the Flyers last season. Lambert, a six-year NHL veteran, had five goals and six assists for the Thrashers. He also led the NHL in penalty minutes with 219. Lambert agreed to a three-year contract.

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The St. Louis Blues re-signed defenseman Todd Reirden to a multiyear contract and signed free-agent goaltender Dwayne Roloson. Reirden had four goals, 21 assists and 32 penalty minutes in 56 games for the Blues last season. Roloson had a 1-7-3 record with a 2.86 goals-against average in 14 games for Buffalo last season in place of an injured Dominik Hasek. The unrestricted free agent was then selected by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the expansion draft.