11/23/24
December 11, 2003
Lowest of the Lowe.: "A money grab is a money grab and the Oilers are just as guilty of it for their last-minute stickup of Mike Comrie as he is for holding out because they won't pay him what he thinks he's worth."
Good on the Oilers. Comrie is in no position to dicate the terms of his trade, so he shouldn't whine. "It's not about vindication," [Lowe] told the Edmonton Journal in San Jose, where the Oilers were to play the Sharks on Thursday night. "It's all about the Edmonton Oilers trying to get a deal that addressed today and tomorrow." Why should the Oilers give a player like Comrie to the Ducks for, virtually, nothing in return? Just because Comrie wants it?
posted by mkn at 04:32 PM on December 11, 2003
I see no reason against the strategy employed, though unusual, but the execution of said strategy is highly suspect. Comrie was under the impression, an impression provided via the Oilers and Ducks, that he was traded last Saturday. To Comrie, this appears to be an after-the-fact clause to complete the deal.
posted by garfield at 04:40 PM on December 11, 2003
Two first-round picks is not unreasonable for Comrie. The Oilers could do a bit better, but we're not talking about a Lindros trade here. I don't think Lowe's asking for cash is the trouble, it's the way he did it. In private with Comrie, after the deal had already been agreed upon. Why couldn't Lowe have phoned Pierre Gauthier and told him to up his ante? It strikes me as a profoundly mean-spirited thing to do, to get all the pieces of a trade together, and then at the last second, call a meeting with the player and tell him (not the team) to open his wallet.
posted by Succa at 04:54 PM on December 11, 2003
Lowe is sticking it to Comrie, sending a message, IMHO. But it could seriously backfire - who will go play for Edmonton now, knowing that they might have to pay to get out?
posted by owl at 08:01 PM on December 11, 2003
Before anyone starts calling Lowe mean-spirited they should be sure of who told Comrie that a deal was done. Pierre Gauthier, the overated hypocrite, was fired by Anaheim after the 2001-02 season. Bryan Murray is the Duck's GM. Eric Duhatschek explains that the Oilers overpaid Comrie for his first contract to secure his rights for the long term. Now that he wants out, Lowe wants the bonus cash back.
posted by Steve-o at 11:40 PM on December 11, 2003
Steve-o, that is a vital detail to the story, but 'overpaid the first contract' argument doesn't fly, because he played for the duration of the contract. If the payment structure was for the future, they should've drew up a longer contract.
posted by garfield at 08:18 AM on December 12, 2003
The scuttlebutt I'm hearing is that this is Lowe's revenge on Comrie. This info is third-hand at best, (a friend knows someone who does some work for the team) but I am informed that Lowe has been heard to say something to the effect of "that (bleep) is never playing for my (bleep) team again." The first bleep rhymes with a popular Leaf. Public opinion in Edmonton is pretty firmly behind Lowe, FWIW. I know I haven't seen a player with as little concern for the defensive aspect of the game since, say, Joe Mullen or Kent Nilsson.
posted by alex_reno at 03:45 PM on December 12, 2003
diminutive malcontent You have to respect the way with words the Canadian press has. IMHO, Comrie deserves to eat all the shit Lowe can stuff into the sandwich. It may be a last-minute stick-up, but remember ... Comrie tried to pull the heist first.
posted by wfrazerjr at 04:46 PM on December 12, 2003
I'm not sure how shit tastes, but I'd bet it doesn't taste like moving east to a Division leader, which just happens to be ahead of the defending Stanley Cup champs. And for the record fraz, Comrie rejected a minimum raise contract offer, after scoring 133 pts in 192 games, starting as a rookie.
posted by garfield at 04:31 PM on December 16, 2003
"there is also something quite delicious about the Oilers' demand. It is negotiating at its most brutal; hardball the way agents dream of playing it, if only they had the, ahem, necessary equipment."