Kyle Turris has potential, but a resume of two mediocre seasons does not warrant a lucrative contract. The Coyotes held all the leverage and used it by getting Turris to end his lengthy holdout Tuesday and settle on a contract. The obvious question: What was Turris thinking?

Last summer, Kyle Turris and his agent Kurt Overhardt decided to play a high-stakes game of poker with the Phoenix Coyotes. Asking for an exorbitant sum of money, they called the Coyotes' bluff in a hostile holdout situation.

The problem was that Coyotes general manager Don Maloney was holding all of the cards.

Maloney said "under no circumstances" would he trade Turris' rights to appease the restricted free agent's demands. He kept his word.

After a heated 19-game holdout, Turris signed a two-year deal with Phoenix on Tuesday worth a total of $2.8 million, as first reported by TSN's Darren Dreger. The deal is reportedly worth $1.2 million this season and $1.8 million next season, a far cry from the reported $3 to $4 million Turris tried to stronghand the Coyotes for last summer.

It is at this moment that we ask: what the heck was Turris thinking?

Turris had just eight days until the Collective Bargaining Agreement deadline of Dec. 1 to be under contract or miss the entire season. That is proof that Turris and his group caved to accept an offer that was probably less than what he could have signed for in August.

Let's be clear: Turris, still 22, is a top prospect. But he's nothing more than that.

Turris and his agent bargained with the Coyotes as if he held a can't-miss resume, like fellow 2007 first rounders Patrick Kane or James van Riemsdyk – not the resume of an unproven commodity, which he remains.

"Kyle is a top young player who will make us a better team," Maloney said in a statement. "We look forward to having him in our lineup."

Turris broke into the league as a 19-year-old in 2008-09, collecting eight goals and 12 assists in 63 games. He then spent the entire 2009-10 season in San Antonio, Texas, where he tore up the AHL with 63 points in 76 games.

That's all well and good. But back in the big leagues last season, Turris showed little improvement from his rookie season.

Given 65 games to impress coach Dave Tippett and his staff, Turris posted just three more goals and two more assists than he did as a rookie two years prior.

Which of those numbers indicate a player who is poised to be paid top dollar?

In Philadelphia, Turris' numbers don't hold a candle to those of van Riemsdyk, who was selected with the pick prior to him in 2007. In roughly the same minutes per game, van Riemsdyk collected 30 more points with the advantage of 25 more games in the lineup.

Following his rookie season, van Riemsdyk did hit a wall during his sophomore campaign but did not regress to anywhere near the point where the Flyers thought he would be better served playing in the AHL after getting a taste of the NHL. In fact, he played three less games than his rookie season and netted five more points.

They also differed in a few more categories: van Riemsdyk posted 139 more shots and finished as a plus-14 instead of a minus-15 as Turris did.

Yes, when van Riemsdyk inked a six-year, $25.5 million deal in August that had to make Turris' camp salivate, the Flyers likely overpaid based on their current return. But they are paying for potential, one that the Flyers' brass got a first-hand glimpse of when van Riemsdyk dominated a two playoff series with seven goals in 11 games.

The hope is that van Riemsdyk's $4.25 million salary cap hit, which kicks in next season, will turn out to be a bargain.

Where does Turris go from here? He's missed an entire training camp and seven full weeks of the season.

"I am happy to sign with Phoenix and start playing," Turris said in a statement. "It's been a long process, but now I am focused on playing and helping the team win."

Turris called Maloney's bluff, making his unhappiness with the situation publicly known. Maloney rebuffed any trade considerations, saying to ESPN in October that they were "prepared to live with the consequences if he decides to sit out this and future seasons."

With a new contract, rumors are swirling that he could finally be on his way out of the desert. But with his holdout, Turris has damaged far more than his skills by missing so much time on the ice. He has given himself an off-ice reputation that can make teams think twice, even with a solid prospect.

Rather than signing a short-term deal and earning a larger payday, Turris held out for a lucrative deal based on two mediocre seasons. He rolled the dice and crapped out. It was a losing proposition from the start.

Frank Seravalli covers the Flyers for the Philadelphia Daily News. On Twitter: @DNFlyers

Set as favorite

Bookmark

Email this

Comments (0)

Subscribe to this comment's feed

Show/hide comments

Write comment

Name

Email

Title

Comment

smaller | bigger

Subscribe via email (registered users only)

I have read and agree to the Terms of Usage.

Write the displayed characters

Add Comment