Wednesday, July 4, 2007; E02

Michael Nylander, a 34-year-old center who signed a four-year, $19.5 million contract with the Washington Capitals on Monday, apparently had entered into a written agreement with the Edmonton Oilers on Sunday, the Oilers said in a statement issued last night.

"On Sunday, July 1, 2007, Kevin Lowe, Oilers General Manager, and Mr. Mike Gillis, Certified Agent for Michael Nylander, negotiated and agreed to a multi-year NHL Standard Players Contract, starting in 2007/08," the statement read in part. "Mr. Gillis confirmed same to the Oilers in writing. However, while the Oilers were expecting the returned, signed agreements from Mr. Nylander and Mr. Gillis, the Oilers discovered . . . that Mr. Nylander had subsequently entered into a long-term contract with the Capitals."

Because Nylander and Gillis did not return a signed standard player's contract to the Oilers after negotiating the terms of an agreement, sources said it's unlikely that any remedy would jeopardize Nylander's pact with the Capitals, signed and approved by the NHL.

"To our knowledge, there has been only one Standard Player's Contract executed and filed with the League, and under our CBA, that contract should be enforceable," Deputy NHL Commissioner Bill Daly said in a written statement. "But if, after reviewing all of the relevant facts here, there has been a breach of a contractual commitment, we will certainly assist the Oilers in any way we can in seeking an appropriate remedy."

The Oilers' only recourse would appear to involve taking action against Nylander and Gillis. The club could seek damages from the player or the agent, or petition the NHL players' association to take disciplinary action against Gillis.

When Nylander spoke from his home in Stockholm several hours before the Oilers released their statement, he said several clubs made offers to him in the first 24 hours of free agency and that he wrestled with the decision to return to Washington, where he played from November 2002 to March 2004. "It was a busy, busy day," he said, referring to Monday. "It was hard for different reasons. It's tough emotionally. It's been a roller coaster."

Gillis did not return an after-hours phone message or e-mail seeking comment. The Oilers and Capitals declined to comment.

-- Tarik El-Bashir