Despite reports to the contrary, the Flyers say Dan Cleary has no guaranteed deal in place.
That’s what GM Paul Holmgren told the Philadelphia Inquirer on Tuesday, saying “there are no promises” for a Cleary contract -- this despite Monday’s report claiming the Flyers will sign the 34-year-old to a three-year, $8.25 million deal.
Holmgren said Cleary is only in Philadelphia on a professional try out (PTO) for training camp, which will begin on Sept. 12 at Wells Fargo Center.
It’s possible Holmgren is toeing the line with regards to tampering/cap circumvention.
The Flyers are currently over the cap and won’t be able to officially sign Cleary until Chris Pronger goes on long-term injured reserve -- so while there might be a “handshake deal” in place, Holmgren isn’t going to go public with such details.
Cleary, who has spent the last eight years in Detroit, turned down an offer from the Wings to head to their training camp on a PTO.
He cited the need for stability (and the fact he’d already been offered guaranteed deals), adding the only reason he waited so long to join another club was because he wanted to remain in Detroit.
UPDATE: Here’s the official word on Cleary’s status, from the Flyers website...
Cleary signed a PTO with the Flyers Tuesday and will be in camp with the team Thursday. This likely means the Flyers will not bring Simon Gagne to camp on a tryout. If the Flyers want to sign Cleary - or Gill for that matter - they’ll have to clear some cap space first, which could be on Sept. 30, when Chris Pronger is oficially moved to the long-term injury list and his money comes off the salary cap.
