A case of the mondays

A few tidbits today.

-It's now expected that Emery will sign with the Ducks, then spend a few weeks on their AHL team.

-The top scorers for the Flyers' opponents are dropping like flies. It's expected that today the Bruins will announce Savard as done for the year. Malkin is likely out for the year, and Crosby is still out indefinitely (though I would expect for the playoffs, no doubt). Good news for the Flyers I guess.

-Tim Panaccio reports that the Flyers have two options on the table for Ville Leino.

Several sources tell CSNPhilly.com that the Flyers are offering a three and four-year contract worth between $9 million and $12 million, depending upon length.

At least one prominent executive in the Flyers organization believes the 27-year-old right wing won’t get a better deal in unrestricted free agency this July than what the Flyers are offering.

Bill Zito, the agent for Leino, said he remains optimistic that an agreement will be reached before free agency. Zito would not comment on the two proposals or why his client hasn’t accepted one yet.

Others believe Zito wants to wait out the season and see how Leino’s numbers stack up against other players in free agency, and what his overall impact was on the Flyers.

Today, incidentally, is the one-year anniversary of Leino becoming a Flyer.

Leino said he remains optimistic on re-signing. On Friday, Leino said no formal offer has been presented to him.

As I understand it, the Flyers can't sign Ville Leino until after the season because that would put next year's payroll over the current cap, even if they expect the cap to go up next year. I previously calculated the Flyers have roughly $2.5 million in contract space to sign Leino without making other sacrifices. I think that's still more or less accurate. As Leino carried on at almost a point/game pace this season, however, I began to wonder if that would be enough.

It's good to see both parties want to make a deal. I'm sure the Flyers love how Leino fits this roster so perfectly, and honestly it's the perfect place for him to flourish. That said, if Leino has another big playoffs, other teams might be willing throw money at him as an UFA and it's hard to walk away if a significantly larger bid comes in. Personally, I will be nervous about Leino staying with the Flyers until the ink is dry on his new contract.