Flyers deal Gagne to Tampa Bay

Hockey Betting Lines

07/19/2010 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Philadelphia Flyers have traded left wing Simon Gagne to the Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange for defenseman Matt Walker and fourth-round pick in 2011 NHL Entry Draft.

Gagne, an oft-injured but talented forward, had one year left on his contract worth a reported $5.25 million and had to waive his no-trade clause. The Flyers also needed to make a move to get under the salary cap and add depth on the blue line.

"This was a move to solidify our defense," said Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren. "Matt Walker is a right shot defenseman that we like; he brings size, grit and toughness to our back end. Simon Gagne played 10 seasons for the Flyers and was not only a good player for us, but also handled himself in a first class manner on and off the ice."

The 30-year-old Gagne was the longest-tenured Flyer, spending 10 seasons with the franchise. He appeared in just 58 games this past season, sitting out the first 24 contests following abdominal surgery, and notched 17 goals with 23 assists for 40 points.

A broken foot suffered in the first round of the playoffs this spring, though, only cost him four games as he returned well ahead of the projected 2-to-4 week prognosis. He tallied nine goals and three assists for 12 points in 19 games to help the Flyers reach the Stanley Cup Finals.

"I'm very excited right now," Gagne said. "I'm looking at this opportunity as a new challenge and a new start. Tampa Bay was a team I was more than willing to waive my no move clause for. I really like the direction the team is headed in with a solid owner, Steve Yzerman as GM and coach Boucher. I'm really looking forward to playing with guys like [Vincent] Lecavalier, [Steven] Stamkos and [Martin] St. Louis. I'm excited to be a member of the Lightning and I'm looking forward to starting next season in Tampa Bay."

Concussion and groin problems allowed him to play just 46 games during the 2002-03 season and he appeared in only 25 games in 2007-08 because of concussion symptoms.

Gagne has twice reached the 40-goal plateau and in 664 career regular-season games has compiled 259 goals with 265 assists for 524 points.

"In adding Simon to the Lightning today, we acquire a very talented player that will play alongside our top forwards," said Lightning general manager Steve Yzerman. "With his combination of speed and skill we are excited to have him with us and grateful he was willing to waive his no movement clause. This trade not only makes us a better team in the short-term, it helps create long- term flexibility for us, which all along has been one of our top priorities."

Walker had signed a multi-year deal last summer and spent just one season with the Lightning. He posted a mere two goals with three assists for five points and had a minus-11 rating in 66 games.

The 30-year-old veteran has also played for the Blues and Blackhawks in his seven-year career. He has four goals and 26 assists for 30 points in 306 NHL games.

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FOOTBALL BETTING : Crabtree's base deal: six years, $32 million

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In the wake of the news that the 49ers have signed receiver Michael Crabtree after an extended holdout, there has been not a hint of the dollars to be paid to Crabtree.

And since this means that his agent hasn't leaked the numbers, it means that his agent feels no specific motivation to do so.

Possibly because his agent isn't all that thrilled to have his name on the deal.

So the numbers will come from sources other than Crabtree's agent. And we've gotten our mitts into them.

Per a league source, Crabtree has signed a six-year, $32 million contract. (The total includes guaranteed money, base salaries, and the one-time incentive based on achieving minimum playing time.)

The deal also includes $17 million in guaranteed money.

As reported elsewhere, the deal can void to five years based on performance triggers, wiping out a final year base salary of $4 million. But they won't be easily reached.

The source tells us that, in his first four seasons (including 2009), Crabtree must either qualify for two Pro Bowls, or he must qualify for one Pro Bowl in one year and he must participate in 80 percent of the offensive snaps in a separate year in which the team makes the playoffs.

In other words, if in 2010 he qualifies for the Pro Bowl and the team makes the playoffs and he participates in 80 percent of the snaps, he'll still need to make it to the Pro Bowl or achieve the 80-percent/playoffs in another season.

Since the chances of Crabtree making the Pro Bowl or participating in 80 percent of the offensive snaps this year is roughly zero percent, he'll have three years to get it done.

And it won't be easy. Frankly, he'll be hard pressed to make it to one Pro Bowl in three years with the likes of Larry Fitzgerald, Calvin Johnson, Anquan Boldin, Steve Smith, the other Steve Smith, Hakeem Nicks, DeSean Jackson, Johnny Knox, Percy Harvin, Greg Jennings, Roddy White, T.J. Houshmandzadeh in the same conference for sportsbook betting.

So, by all appearances, it's a six-year deal. And at $17 million in guaranteed money, the per-year guarantee is a tepid $2.83 million per year.

There's another problem with the deal -- it has no mid-tier incentive package. Instead, the additional $8 million that Crabtree can earn (pushing the max value to six years, $40 million) requires the kind of unrealistic, mega-star performances that no rookie is likely to ever achieve.

So while the contract paid to Packers defensive tackle B.J. Raji covers five years and pays $22.5 million, he has the ability (if he's a solid player) to make up the difference between his base deal and Crabtree's five-year, $28 million haul via the mid-tier incentive package in Raji's deal.

And unless Crabtree meets the performance thresholds necessary to void the sixth year, he'll be stuck under contract for another year at a base salary of only $4 million.

There's one other area of concern with the deal. Crabtree, per the source, received no option bonus. Instead, he has significant money tied to a fairly new device known as a "discretionary salary advance," which unlike an opition bonus is subject to forfeiture if Crabtree decides in a year or two that he wants to hold out for a better deal. (We're also told that the 49ers have included language that would make certain escalators subject to forfeiture, too.)

Meanwhile, the deal falls well short of the mark for which Crabtree and agent Eugene Parker were aiming -- the five-year, $38.25 million contract paid by the Raiders to receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey, the seventh overall pick in the draft.

Even if Crabtree successfully voids the final year, he'll make more than $2 million per year less on average than Heyward-Bey.

Thus, as we explained earlier in the day, this is a deal that Crabtree could have done in July, which would have given him a much better chance of making a contribution to the 49ers during his rookie year.

So while the final outcome can be described as win-win, the broader view suggests that it's really a lose-lose situation.

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