The Shediac Smurfs have several players who seem set to test the free agent market after the current season. Trevor Linden, David Volek, Theoren Fleury, Eric Weinrich, Dean Chynoweth, Teppo Numminen and Peter Sidorkiewicz are veterans who have yet to sign deals to keep them in Shediac beyond this year. Younger players who don't yet have contracts include Rob Niedermayer, Michal Handzus and Jochen Hecht.

Of the veterans, Linden is the most likely to re-sign before season's end. Negotiations with Fleury have already ground to a halt. He was reportedly offered an $8,000,000 salary and a large signing bonus to waive his no-trade clause, but refused. Niedermayer has also turned down a significant salary and bonus, though the figures were not announced. The team expects to retain Handzus and Hecht.

GM Nick Maillet would not comment on contract talks with any specific players, but indicated the team's general direction. "It's clear to me what I need to do. We have several players in their early to mid 20's who are ready to contribute to our success. Stephane Yelle, Nikolai Borschevsky, Scott Lachance and Evgeny Nabokov could all see some pro ice time in the near future.", he stated. Then, he added: "I also expect to significantly reduce our payroll to give ourselves a chance to attract some free agent talent in the off-season." This sounds like good news to us...