According to CSNPhilly’s Tim Panaccio, the Flyers have acquired Evgeni Nabokov’s rights.
According to league sources, the Flyers have a verbal agreement in place with the San Jose Sharks to fork over a seventh-round pick next season if they can sign San Jose’s Evgeni Nabokov before July 1, when he becomes an unrestricted free agent.
Unlike the recent trade for Dan Hamhuis, the Flyers do not relinquish anything if Nabokov fails to sign with the club in the next five days. This makes the deal a no-lose situation.
As Broad Street Hockey’s Travis Hughes said:
What does this mean? The Flyers essentially have the rights to speak with Evgeni Nabokov before July 1 without the risk it takes to physically acquire those rights, as they did with Dan Hamhuis. In other words, it’s brilliant.
The Flyers get all the gains of an upper hand in negotiations, and if they’re able to seal the deal in the next five days, they’ll throw their seventh round pick to the Sharks in 2011.
Brilliant indeed. The Flyers can negotiate with Nabokov exclusively for five days. If sign him, they give up a seventh round pick. If they don’t sign him, they’re in the same position they were in yesterday.