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Wednesday, July 28, 1999
Russell ready, but without team
But that hasn't advanced the 30-year-old defenceman any closer to an NHL contract for the upcoming season.
Asked Tuesday if he's requested anything in particular from his agent, Russell quipped "a job."
Russell, in Nova Scotia with his family for the summer, finished last season with the Colorado Avalanche after nearly a decade playing for the Chicago Blackhawks. He became an unrestricted free-agent on July 1 when his contract expired.
He is an unrestricted free-agent because he has spent 10 years in the NHL at an average salary less than the median NHL salary.
His agent, Scarborough's Gus Badali, has spoken to a number of teams, including Colorado, about a job for his client. But the teams have spent much of the summer negotiating for superstars while leaving many of the available role players to sway in the breeze.
"My agent said some of the teams he's talked to are saying they might be interested, but not at this time," said Russell, a defensive-minded blueliner with a tough streak. "What that means, I'm not sure. Maybe they are waiting to see who they are going to be able to sign."
Badali said there has been no movement toward a deal since the last time he talked to Russell.
"We've made a lot of calls and many teams are saying they might be interested later," Badali said from his Ontario office.
Colorado lost key free-agents Theo Fleury, Sylvain Lefebvre and Valeri Kamensky to the New York Rangers. Lefebvre is a defenceman, but the Avalanche still have seven rearguards under contract from last year's roster.
Avalanche bosses have told Badali they have no interest in Russell, at least for now.
"At this point we are just making sure that my shoulder comes along," Russell said. "I went to see the doctor in Denver a couple of weeks ago and he said that I was ahead of schedule and that I would be ready for training camp. That's the biggest thing."
Russell, a fixture at Cole Harbour Place since the spring, had to settle for jogging and exercise bikes until two weeks ago when he was able to resume weight training.
Russell concedes he's uncomfortable to be without a team so close to the start of a new season.
"It's the first time in my career I've been in this situation where I've been coming into August without a contract. And especially after having major shoulder surgery, that doesn't make me feel any better. It's a concern. But I know the shoulder injury has been corrected and that I will be 100 per cent by training camp."
Russell first damaged the shoulder as a member of the Blackhawks in December, 1997.
He said it should have been repaired then, but he worked through the problems with rehabilitation.
He reinjured the shoulder playing for Colorado in February and tried to make it back for the playoffs. When the shoulder didn't respond to more physiotherapy, he had an operation to repair a torn rotator cuff and damaged socket.
"It should have been fixed (in Chicago), but it wasn't. We didn't realize how serious it was. When the doctor operated on me in Denver he informed me the majority of the injury had been there for about a year and a half."
The six-foot-four, 200-pound Russell has nine goals and 21 assists in 396 NHL games. He had a goal and two assists in 42 games last season before being hurt in a Feb. 14 game against Philadelphia.
He was traded from Chicago to Colorado on Nov. 10 for forward Roman Vopat.
