At 07:10 PM 4/24/97 -0400, John Gabarra wrote:
>I'm afraid you won't get your wish to see Dunham in another uniform.  Just
>before the end of the season, he played in his 25th game, thereby taking him
>out of the free agent pool.
 
Actually it isn't quite that simple.
 
If Dunham didn't play in at least 25 games he would be an unrestricted free
agent, thus not giving the Devils any type of compensation should he leave
or the ability to match any potential offer.
 
Dunham will still be a free agent after this season but a restricted free
agent, thus the Devils will be able to match any offers.
 
I still think the potential exists for Dunham to be elsewhere because how
much is New Jersey going to pay for a backup goaltender if another team
offers him starter-type dollars?  It isn't as if Martin Brodeur is old,
he's still young and maybe only a couple years older than Dunham tops.
 
I think we can all agree that as long as Dunham is wearing a Devils'
uniform we won't know how good he can be because no one is going to unseed
Brodeur.
 
---
Deron Treadwell ([log in to unmask])