Contrary to what Paul Holmgren had told the media for months, the Philadelphia Flyers GM released a statement Tuesday saying his team will buyout the remainder of goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov's contract after two seasons with the club.
This is the second and final compliance buyout Holmgren will use (the other being Danny Briere,) which
means the Flyers will not be charged against the salary cap for the remainder of his contract, unlike a regular buyout would.
Holmgren called the move "a difficult business decision" in the release on the Flyers' website, and no wonder. This move is the biggest contract buyout in NHL history according to the great CapGeek.com, and guarantees that Philly will pay Bryz a little over $1.6 million a year for the next 14 years.
Bryzgalov, usually a very outspoken person despite an obvious language barrier, didn't have much to say about the team's decision, telling three Philadelphia beat writers on speaker phone, "Congratulations, you guys win," before hanging up and refusing to talk to them any further.
Oh, Bryz.
Bryzgalov will be an unrestricted free agent on July 5th now, making this summer's offseason much more interesting. Before we take a look into what the future holds for Mr. Universe, let's take a long, well-deserved look back on all the magical moments Bryzgalov gave us during his short tenure as the starting goalie in Philadelphia.
This is the second and final compliance buyout Holmgren will use (the other being Danny Briere,) which
means the Flyers will not be charged against the salary cap for the remainder of his contract, unlike a regular buyout would.
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| (Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) |
Bryzgalov, usually a very outspoken person despite an obvious language barrier, didn't have much to say about the team's decision, telling three Philadelphia beat writers on speaker phone, "Congratulations, you guys win," before hanging up and refusing to talk to them any further.
Oh, Bryz.
Bryzgalov will be an unrestricted free agent on July 5th now, making this summer's offseason much more interesting. Before we take a look into what the future holds for Mr. Universe, let's take a long, well-deserved look back on all the magical moments Bryzgalov gave us during his short tenure as the starting goalie in Philadelphia.
