TAMPA - It was less knock-down, drag-out fight and more man-to-man conversation.
But what a difference it made.
Near the middle of last season, Lightning coach John Tortorella told Fredrik Modin he needed to shoot more after the left wing passed up a scoring chance during a two-on-one drill. Modin took offense, and the two exchanged heated words for 20 minutes in the center of the ice.
"Freddie's been a lot more consistent since then shooting the puck and doing all the little things we expect out of him," Tortorella said, "and he was a terrific player for us last year."
Monday, the Lightning rewarded Modin's development into a consistent two-way player with a three-year, $8.7-million contract, avoiding an arbitration hearing set for today. He will receive $2.9-million each of the next three seasons after making $1.87-million last season.
"I think what it states is (general manager) Jay Feaster and our coaching staff saying we trust Freddie," Tortorella said. "He turned the corner, and we need him to be a part of this team for a long time."
Modin was on a plane from Sweden to Toronto on Monday in anticipation of the arbitration hearing. But when he arrived at the airport, he received word an agreement had been reached and returned home.
"I'm obviously happy to have this settled," Modin said in a news release. "Now I'm just looking forward to getting back on the ice and starting the chase again."
Modin, 29, has been a fixture on the Lightning's top two lines in the three seasons since Tortorella took over as coach, setting career highs for points (57) and assists (28) last season. Playing primarily on a line with Brad Richards, he scored 29 goals and had a plus-minus rating of plus-31, second best on the Lightning, while playing in all 82 regular-season games. He added eight goals, 11 assists and a team-leading plus-7 rating in 23 playoff games.
Armed with a blistering slap shot, the 6-foot-4, 220-pound Modin developed into a dangerous scorer in front of the net and top-notch penalty killer who received votes for the Selke Trophy as the league's top defensive forward.
"We're really pleased to have him in the fold," Feaster said. "He continues to show his leadership abilities, and he's an important part of our success. He teams up very well with Brad Richards, and that's important, too, so we're just happy to have him with us."
Left wing Cory Stillman is the only Lightning player with an arbitration case remaining. His hearing is scheduled for Sunday.
ARBITRATION: Buffalo's Martin Biron, Anaheim's Ruslan Salei, Nashville's Vladimir Orszagh and Los Angeles' Eric Belanger won raises in salary arbitration cases. Goalie Biron got a one-year contract worth $2.8-million; he made $2.2-million last season. Salei, a defenseman, received $2.4-million after earning $1.75-million. Orszagh, a forward, will be paid $950,000, up from $700,000. Belanger, a forward, will be paid $950,000.
SIGNINGS: Nashville re-signed forward Vladimir Orszagh. Terms were not disclosed. Buffalo re-signed forward J.P. Dumont and defenseman Brad Brown to one-year contracts. Dumont's deal is expected to be more than the $1.4-million he made last season. Brown will make $700,000.
Information from Times wires was used in this report.[Last modified August 9, 2004, 23:42:14]
