According to TSN’s
Darren Dreger Kyle Turris and the Phoenix Coyotes have finally solved their
contract dispute and have agreed to a two-year, $2.8 million deal. Turris will earn $1.2 million this season and
$1.6 million under the terms of the agreement.
Those numbers are way below the reported figures that Turris was seeking earlier in negotiations. Despite the new contract the question still remains whether Turris next
game will be with Phoenix or for another franchise. The 22-year-old forward had requested a trade
out of the organization in the midst of his holdout while Coyotes GM Don
Maloney is on record saying he would not trade the player this season.
Turris signing now should not be surprising
as he only had until Dec. 1 to sign if he wanted to play at all this
season. Having the deadline as leverage certainly appears to have made Don Maloney the winner in the contract battle as he got Turris for the price he wanted to pay and now has all the cards in what happens next. By adding the second year to the
deal it could increase the odds of a trade happening as the acquiring team
would not have to go through a negotiation with Turris this summer. The Flames have been the most discussed trade
possibility for the young forward, but they have little to offer in terms of
cheap, young talent. When Phoenix is
involved you always have to consider the possibility of the New York Rangers getting
involved in the discussions as Don Maloney’s familiarity and relationships in
his former organization have made them common trading partners.
