Turco rejects Stars' best shot; offer off table
Goalie passes on three-year, $12 million deal, misses meeting
12:06 AM CDT on Friday, September 12, 2003
By RICHARD DURRETT / The Dallas Morning News
FRISCO – Stars training camp began Thursday with a team meeting that did not include goaltender Marty Turco.
Stars owner Tom Hicks and general manager Doug Armstrong gave Turco until the 8 p.m. meeting to accept a three-year, $12 million offer. When the deadline passed, so did the Stars' three-year offer. Hicks said if negotiations resumed, the club would probably offer Turco a one-year deal worth less than $4 million.
"Marty's trying to do the best thing for Marty and no one is blaming him for that," Hicks said. "But he's trying to have his cake and eat it too, and that's not going to work. That's what's wrong with hockey. We've made our best offer, and we'll move forward."
Turco skated for about an hour with his teammates Thursday in Frisco. He then gathered his equipment and left the locker room, declining to talk about the negotiations. But he did say later in the day that he was "working hard to stay in shape."
"I'm just getting myself prepared to play as soon as possible," Turco said.
A source familiar with the negotiations said Turco is seeking a contract with a base salary of $4.5 million and a list of performance bonuses that could push the deal to $5 million per season. The Stars give team bonuses in some contracts but do not include individual incentives in player deals.
"Marty's disappointed that he's not with his team right now, but we're going to continue to work on an effort to strike an accord," said Turco's agent, Kurt Overhardt. "We're just trying to properly place him in the market of starting goaltenders in the NHL."
Armstrong said the two most comparable goalies to Turco right now are Los Angeles' Roman Cechmanek and San Jose's Evgeni Nabokov. The Stars' three-year offer to Turco averaged more money per season than the salary of either goalie. Armstrong does not believe Turco is comparable to Anaheim's Jean-Sebastien Giguere, who won the Conn Smythe Trophy last season, or Montreal's Jose Theodore, who won the Vezina and Hart trophies two seasons ago.
"We'll move forward with the players at the meeting, and we're looking forward to a strong and competitive training camp," Armstrong said. "The players feel like it's a good group, and they want to prove that no matter what."
Many of Turco's teammates, including captain Mike Modano and forward Brenden Morrow, said they support Turco and hope he returns soon.
"It's a difficult situation, and we have to do our best to concentrate on our jobs," forward Bill Guerin said. "As teammates and friends, we support Marty and what he's doing. It's something he believes in, and almost every one of us has been in that position before, so we have to stand behind him. You just feel for the guy because he wants to be here more than anything, but this is a two-sided business. Players have to approach it as a business as much as management does."
Turco's backup, Ron Tugnutt, said he hopes Turco signs soon, but is prepared to go into camp as the top goalie on the depth chart.
"I can't worry about other people," Tugnutt said. "I have to worry about what's expected of me. I'd be a fool if I was preparing myself as if he's going to be here one day. Because then when it comes time to do the work, I'll be looking at the other side and wondering when he's coming. The day that it happens, and it will happen, I'll say, 'Oh, Marty's back.' But I have to be ready to play."
Tugnutt looks at this season as a chance for redemption. When Turco injured his ankle last season, Tugnutt filled in and called his play "inconsistent." He was 7-7-3 with a 2.59 goals-against average and a .887 save percentage in the 17 games he started in Turco's absence. Tugnutt said he wants another chance to prove he can eliminate the "bad games" and do a better job of keeping his team in it.
E-mail
rdurrett@dallasnews.com
WHERE DOES HE FIT?
The Stars have slotted Marty Turco with a group of goalies who have had strong single seasons. One on the list, Jean-Sebastien Giguere, has carried that performance into the Stanley Cup Finals, which helped him land a $19.5 million, four-year contract on Wednesday. Here is a look at where the Stars feel Turco fits on the list.
Player Team '03-04 sal.
Jose Theodore Mon $5.5 million
Signed through 2004-05
J.-S. Giguere Ana $4.5 million
Signed through 2006-07
Marty Turco Dallas *
Unsigned
Evgeni Nabokov San Jose $3.625 million
Signed through 2003-04
R. Cechmanek LA $3 million
Signed through 2005-06
* Was offered an average of $4 million per season for three years.
Salaries according to nhlpa.com and do not include bonuses