Flyers continue to work on deal with Bryzgalov

Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren is attempting to do the seemingly impossible this offseason: sign Russian goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov and re-sign unrestricted free-agent left winger Ville Leino.

First order of business may be signing Bryzgalov before this Friday's NHL draft.

"Well, we would like that to get resolved at some point," Holmgren said Monday on a conference call. "There is still enough time after the draft to get a deal done. The important thing is that there was progress made when Ilya [Bryzgalov] and his agent, Ritch Winter, were in town. I don't see any reason why that's not going to continue.

"I don't have a crystal ball, so I can't really give you a definitive answer. There is enough progress, which kind of gives me hope, anyway, that we can make a deal at some point."

Holmgren added that the two sides will talk again on Tuesday.

Bryzgalov was in Philadelphia for two days last week and toured the city, got to know the Flyers goalies coach, Jerry Reese, and even looked at potential homes in South Jersey, all while Winters negotiated with Flyers brass.

Since the Flyers acquired Bryzgalov's rights on June 7, the goalie has made it clear he would like to sign with the team.

"Like I said, on Friday, we know where they're at and what they want to accomplish," Holmgren said. "I think they know where we're at. Obviously to make a deal, there is going to have to be some sort of a compromise. It might take some time and we are going to keep looking at it."

At this point in the negotiations, Holmgren said that there needs to be a compromise on both the years and the dollar amounts that are being kicked around.

Bryzgalov, who will turn 31 on Wednesday, won 36 games last season, with a 2.48 goals-against average for the Phoenix Coyotes and is expected to command somewhere between $5.5 million and $6 million in annual salary.

The salary cap number plays a large role in what happens with Bryzgalov and how many of the current Flyers could remain his teammates. Holmgren said he doesn't know what next year's cap number will be just yet, but TSN in Canada reported Monday that the teams and agents are being told the 2011-12 salary cap will be set at $64 million, with a $48 million floor. The Flyers currently have nearly $59 million tied up in 18 players for next season.

Holmgren will have to juggle Bryzgalov's potential cap number with whether to retain Leino or to trade another veteran for cap space. If draft picks were to be involved in a trade for cap relief, it would make sense that such a deal would come before Friday's draft.

Complicating matters, the Flyers cannot exceed last season's $59.4 million cap until this coming season's salary cap numbers are announced. And after July 1, NHL teams can exceed the salary cap by 10 percent for the summer, buying time for the Flyers to agree to a deal with Bryzgalov, then decide which players to trade.

Leino, who tallied 53 points in 81 games last season, is a piece that Holmgren would like to retain. The GM didn't seem to think the Flyers' potential salary cap issues were an urgent matter.

"I don't feel like we are in a position to have to clear cap space," Holmgren said. Asked if he thought the team could sign both Bryzgalov and Leino, Holmgren said, "We'll see how it goes. There are things that we want to accomplish as we get closer to training camp, but that's a long time from now. There is no fire sale going on here."