Jeremy Roenick, who has left Chicago and might be headed for Phoenix, is flying to Washington on Monday. Not to visit or buy the White House, at least not yet.
He and his agent, Neil Abbott, are going to talk contract with the Capitals, one of several National Hockey League teams apparently still interested in Roenick’s services. And Roenick is so interested in the Capitals that he told a friend he’s probably going to sign a deal to play with them.
Mind you, Roenick didn’t tell that to us during a telephone conversation Sunday from his summer retreat on Cape Cod, Mass. But Roenick didn’t sound like a 26-year-old star who’s necessarily sold on cactus.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if the Capitals make an offer that will blow this whole thing out of the water,” said Roenick. “I’m still thinking Phoenix and I’ve had a few good talks with their people. But nothing’s been finalized.”
That’s because Roenick, whose rights were traded from the Blackhawks to the Coyotes on Friday, hasn’t signed a contract. He remains a man without a uniform, and if that sounds strange, so is Alexei Zhamnov, another free agent whose rights were traded from the Coyotes to the Hawks.
Simply put, this has to be one daffy sports transaction. And owners wonder how athletes and their accountants get all this power to drive up salaries.
Roenick and Abbott have the Coyotes in a spot you wouldn’t wish on a leopard, but it’s the Hawks who are really stickhandling around land mines. Management has parted with an immensely popular individual in Roenick with no guarantee whatsoever that Zhamnov will wind up here.
And who’s Zhamnov’s agent? Ron Salcer, a hard-nosed sort who has already gone 15 rounds with the Hawks over another of his clients, goalie Eddie Belfour. Need we say more?
Zhamnov has been accorded uncommon leverage for a 22-goal scorer. Start the bidding at $3 million per annum. Meanwhile, back in our nation’s capital, Roenick will ask $4.5 million and sounds as though he expects to get it.
The Capitals have been on the fringe of contending for a Stanley Cup for a few seasons, but have never quite made it. Acquiring Roenick would be a significant statement as they prepare to enter a new arena.
Though the Coyotes are committed to keeping Roenick, they are under considerably less pressure. Most Phoenix fans understandably wouldn’t recognize Zhamnov from a Zamboni, and they might not miss Roenick, either, if they never have him.
The Coyotes have sold more than 12,000 season tickets already, and there’s a buzz in the region about yet another major-league franchise settling in that dazzling boom town. Baseball to come. The Hawks and their whiplashed followers called off their honeymoon a long time ago.
“I love the fans and I love the city of Chicago,” Roenick said. “But it was time to go. I had a Blackhawk emblem tattooed on my butt and thought I’d be there forever. Then things just got worse and worse.”
Roenick said he has heard from only three former Hawks teammates since Friday, a source of moderate concern.
“Maybe they don’t know where to find me, maybe they’re scared to call,” Roenick went on. “But one of them was Chris Chelios. He’s furious about losing a friend in me, and where they’re going. He’s in contract talks with them now, and he’s wondering whether they’ll screw that up too.
“I’m relieved it’s over. Phoenix has shown me more respect in the last two days than the Hawks did in the last two years. I want to win the Cup, but I hope the Coyotes don’t think of trading somebody like Keith Tkaczuk so they can afford me. I wouldn’t be too happy about that.”
And what’s up on Tuesday?
“New Jersey,” said Roenick. “The Devils.”
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