Cost of Freedom Just Went Up

General Manager Kevin Lowe of the Edmonton Oilers might have started a trend when he asked Mike Comrie to “top off” a trade to the Mighty Ducks by paying $2.535 million for his freedom.

With so many clubs pleading poverty, Lowe could have hit upon a new way to balance the books.

Want to play on the power play? Write a check to the club for $5,000.

Eager for more ice time? That will be $10,000, please.

Lowe’s idea may seem bizarre, but it has struck a chord among fans. In a poll on Canada’s tsn.com last week, 47% of the respondents said Comrie should pay to leave Edmonton, and Cal Nichols, head of the Oilers’ ownership group, told the Edmonton Journal that support for Lowe had been almost unanimous.

Lowe said Sunday he wasn’t trying to set a precedent.

“My intent was that a player had favorable feelings about coming here and Bryan [Murray, the Ducks’ general manager] had felt in his mind he could only give so much. This was the only way, in my mind, of us getting what we needed, the player got what he wants and Bryan got what he needed,” he said.

“The deal as it stood alone wasn’t enough for our hockey club.... The problem in dealing a guy like Mike Comrie is, he presents a difficult transaction because he’s a young guy who’s already producing in the league and that has incredible upside. What Bryan was offering back [a prospect and a draft pick] was futures, and futures don’t help us now.”

He added that the request for payment from Comrie was for this deal and might not be part of a trade with another team, should it come to that.

Murray said Lowe told him Dec. 5 they had a deal and permitted him to talk to Comrie’s agent, Rich Winter. Murray and Winter agreed on a contract Dec. 8. Murray called Lowe and was told Lowe had to “have a conversation with the Comrie camp.” Murray said Winter told him of Lowe’s financial stipulation.

Murray undoubtedly felt blindsided, though he won’t say so because he still wants Comrie and probably will wait through the holiday roster freeze, which runs from Friday through Dec. 27.

“It was disappointing I wasn’t involved somehow,” Murray said. “That’s all I have, a little disappointment.... [Lowe] never asked me for money. He never asked me for other players.”

In the meantime, the Ducks are foundering. As Murray said, dryly, “It’s not like we need a guy who can score goals. We don’t need anybody like that.

“All I know is, the Oilers and Mike Comrie somehow or other will try to resolve the issue. I assume. Maybe they won’t. Maybe it will go nowhere because there won’t be any give and take on either party’s part.”

No matter the outcome, it won’t match a trade Murray made while general manager of the Red Wings.

“I made the best deal of all time with Mike Smith for Kris Draper,” he said. “[Smith] said, ‘Buy me a beer sometime,’ and I never even paid for that.”

Don’t tell Lowe -- he’ll ask Comrie to ante up for a six-pack.

Beware Falling Stars

Did Dallas Coach Dave Tippett suddenly get stupid? Or is Tippett, who led the Stars to a West-leading 111 points last season, mired in bad circumstances he can’t control?

Owner Tom Hicks said last week his team was “playing like garbage,” and added, “They’ll either get better or we’ll make changes. Hopefully they’re going to get better.” He also said his decision not to re-sign Derian Hatcher didn’t explain why the low-scoring Stars were 12th in the West.

“Detroit doesn’t have Hatcher either, and they are playing way better than us,” Hicks said.

That doesn’t wash. Detroit had Hatcher for three games before he wrecked his knee; Hatcher was the Stars’ foundation for 12 seasons, a physical force who was able to move the puck up quickly.

Losing him, and trading Darryl Sydor in a three-way deal that brought them Teppo Numminen, removed two key links from a team that functioned efficiently because players fed off each other and put grit before finesse.

Let’s not forget that Hicks, who also owns the Texas Rangers, grossly overpaid Alex Rodriguez in a 10-year, $252-million free-agent deal and now would love to get rid of that contract. So his instincts aren’t great regarding free agents.

Tippett didn’t get dumb, any more than Darryl Sutter got dumb last season in San Jose and got smart this season in Calgary. Tippett has a crybaby captain in Mike Modano (minus-16), who let financial woes distract him on the ice, and has lost Philippe Boucher and Jere Lehtinen because of injuries. If Hicks is foolish enough to approve firing him, Tippett won’t be out of work long.

Chairman Ron’s Thoughts

Ron Wilson felt for Bruce Cassidy, who succeeded him as coach of the Washington Capitals and was fired last week.

“[Cassidy] was frustrated, and that can happen to a young coach, a coach with not a lot of NHL experience,” said Wilson, now coach of the San Jose Sharks.

“You’re pushing, and that team’s got to take some accountability too. The players have got to show up and play. Whenever a coach is fired, you know there’s messages. It’s usually a cheap excuse for not wanting to work hard.

“That team needs to work very hard, like any team. The thing that separates good teams from bad is work ethic. If you’ve got talent and you don’t work, you will lose to the team that works the hardest.”

Wilson’s Sharks are working hard enough to sit second in the close Pacific Division.

“It is wacky, what can happen in one night,” he said. “It’s almost like it’s flipped upside-down from what people thought it was going to be.”

The Sharks and Ducks are in the midst of a 13-day stretch in which they’ll play each other four times. The Sharks will also play back-to-back games against the Kings Dec. 26-27.

“I prefer this would happen in March,” Wilson said. “I would love to play within your division that last month, when there would be so much on the line. It would be great for the game. The fans would love it, plus it would cut down on travel.”

Slap Shots

Adam Oates, a key member of the Ducks’ run to the Stanley Cup finals last spring, said he was “a little surprised” he received no offer from the Ducks last summer. He signed a one-year, $1.95-million deal with Edmonton Nov. 17 but has only two assists in eight games.

“But you’ve got to be mature about it,” he said. “It’s going to take a little while.”

Coach Craig MacTavish is willing to be patient.

“On the power play, he’s going to be highly effective. Five-on-five, it’s going to take him a little while to get back into the flow of things,” said MacTavish, whose team plays the Kings tonight at Staples Center. “We’re really, with him, looking to the last half of the season as the guy who’s going to come in and really help us.”

Oates attributed the Ducks’ struggles to the roster turnover.

“They did make a lot of changes, significant changes, and [cohesiveness] doesn’t happen overnight,” he said. “Maybe there’s a little finals hangover, but they’re a well-coached team and they’re a good hockey team.”

Paul Maurice, the NHL’s longest-tenured coach, had lost his Carolina players’ attention, as often happens when a coach lasts more than three seasons. The Hurricanes reached the Cup finals in 2002 but dropped to 30th last season, partly because Maurice relied too heavily on the trap and stifled the creativity of some highly skilled players.

Replacement Peter Laviolette, who shouldn’t have been fired by the New York Islanders, is sure to allow more offensive freedom. That could work as long as Kevin Weekes remains exceptional in goal.

With Commissioner Gary Bettman in town, the Florida Panthers gave away tickets for last Wednesday’s game. They said offering each season-ticket holder four additional tickets was a perk, not a ploy to fool Bettman into thinking they sell out. Enough fans took advantage to get the crowd figure to 17,465, above the previous average of 14,182.

Chris Levesque, a third-string goalie for the University of British Columbia, thought it was a prank when he was pulled out of the school library and asked to dress as the Canucks’ backup last Tuesday, after Dan Cloutier got hurt and minor leaguer Alex Auld couldn’t reach Vancouver in time. He signed a one-day amateur contract and watched from the bench.

“All the guys were really friendly and introduced themselves, as if I don’t know who they are,” said Levesque, who returned to school the next day for an 8:30 a.m. geography exam. “It was kind of surreal.”