PTO's are the new "it thing"
By: Corey Abbott
Several NHL teams are taking advantage of adding players to their teams on professional tryouts (PTO). In the new salary cap era this method provides clubs with very little risks and the potential for high rewards. PTO's can also give veterans and players looking for a change of scenery a new lease on their careers.
Veterans like Brad May (Detroit), Theo Fleury (Calgary), Jason Allison (Toronto) Manny Legace (Atlanta) and Mark Bell (Philadelphia) were released, but Darryl Sydor (St. Louis) ended up signing a one-year deal and will start the year on the Blues' blueline.
Maxim Afinogenov is getting a second chance to show he can compete in the NHL after agreeing to a one-year deal with the Thrashers on Tuesday, while the Wild signed Petr Sykora after a brief tryout with their team. Blair Betts may stick with the Flyers as their fourth-line center, while former 20-goal scorer Kyle Calder was cut loose by the Ducks.
Expect to see plenty more tryout contracts flying around the league in the coming years as they are proving to be a valuable tool in the NHL process.
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