Peter Sidorkiewicz doesn't want to leave the Ottawa Senators, and considering the complex nature of the NHL expansion draft, a return is not impossible even though he is now the property of the New Jersey Devils.
On Thursday, the goaltender will be among those made available to the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim and the Florida Panthers in Phase I of the NHL's 1993 expansion. He should hope one of them drafts him so he can stay in Ottawa.How's that?
"It was a shock, no question about it," Sidorkiewicz said after being traded Sunday by Ottawa - which drafted him last year from Hartford - to New Jersey, which left him unprotected. "Everybody is a little upset. Now my daughter has to move to her third school in three years. We all like it here (Ottawa). We bought a home."
Don't sell it . . . yet.
Once the Ducks and Panthers are stocked with 24 of hockey's has-beens, never-will-bes and a few pleasant surprises, they have a day to decide which players to retain. Then, in Phase II, 1992 expansionists Tampa Bay, San Jose and Ottawa - who along with the league's other 21 existing teams had to make players available in Phase I - get to choose two players each from the "available" lists of the Ducks and Panthers.
That means Sidorkiewicz, acquired for Devils goaltender Craig Billington, could go from Ottawa to New Jersey to Florida to Ottawa without making a save.
And it would be hard to blame goaltender John Vanbiesbrouck for being a bit confused about his future - be it with the Vancouver Canucks, the Ducks, the Panthers or . . .
Vanbiesbrouck will be another of the top names available Thursday in Quebec.
In addition to Vanbiesbrouck and Sidorkiewicz, others up for grabs are Detroit goalie Vince Riendeau, Boston forward Dmitri Kvartalnov, a 30-goal scorer last season; Joe Sacco of the Maple Leafs, Sean Hill of the Montreal Canadiens and Mike Stapleton of the Pittsburgh Penguins.