Lindros Mess Gets Stickier : NHL: When the Nordiques finally make a deal for unsigned No. 1 draft choice of 1991, they apparently make two, with Flyers and Rangers.

MONTREAL —  In a stunning turn of events--even by NHL standards--the long-running Eric Lindros saga entered a strange new world Saturday.

The Quebec Nordiques, who were unable to trade Lindros anywhere for the last year, apparently made separate deals with two teams in the morning before the NHL’s entry draft.

Philadelphia’s entourage of front-office staff at the Forum here openly celebrated the apparent acquisition of Lindros. The Flyers even called the 19-year-old Lindros at his relatives’ home in Northern Ontario to find out whether he was willing to play in Philadelphia.

Lindros, who said he would never play for the Nordiques even before Quebec drafted him a year ago, told the Flyers he wanted to join them.

Then the phone rang at the Flyers’ draft table. The Nordiques then said the deal was off, and Lindros was headed to the New York Rangers.

Immediately, the Flyers filed a protest with the NHL. And hours later, the league issued a statement, saying the Flyers, the Rangers and the Nordiques have agreed to a hearing before an independent arbitrator. A decision is expected today.

Flyer President Jay Snider could barely contain his anger.

“Quebec is impossible to deal with,” he said. “They still don’t know how to deal with people. I hope (Flyer General Manager) Russ (Farwell) will do what he feels is good for the club, but the way (the Nordiques) act, it doesn’t make you like them very much.”

Said Farwell: “I thought we had a deal and it was left hanging.”

Quite possibly, the Flyers’ anger and disappointment was matched by Bonnie Lindros, Eric’s mother. She has been a vocal critic of the Nordiques long before the team drafted her son.

“We’re not going to say anything right now,” she said. “But there’s lots to be said. Just hold tight.”

As for the other side, Ranger President and General Manager Neil Smith refused to talk about the legal issues, saying: “It’s very complicated.”

Just as the Lindros case has been from the beginning. Quebec General Manager Pierre Page has played host of the Lindros auction, taking bids and upping the price since most of the involved teams arrived in Montreal earlier in the week.

Chicago was thought to be the front-runner for three consecutive days. The Flyers, however, stayed in contention with a reported package of right wing Mike Ricci, defenseman Steve Duchesne, center Rod Brind’Amour, goaltender Ron Hextall, last year’s No. 1 draft choice Peter Forsberg, draft picks, and $15 million.

But Smith, armed with team owner Paramount’s corporate dollars, made inroads when he negotiated with Nordiques until 4 a.m. Friday. According to various reports, Smith was thought to be offering goaltender John Vanbiesbrouck, defenseman James Patrick, right winger Tony Amonte, center Doug Weight, Soviet stars Alexei Kovalev and Sergei Nemchinov and $20 million.

Today’s arbitration hearing will turn on what kind of evidence of a trade that Farwell and the Flyers can provide. Farwell is believed to have nothing more than a verbal agreement.

So, when is a deal truly a deal in the NHL?

Different general managers had different answers. And the way the NHL operates is still shrouded in mystery. President John Ziegler and the league still considers that its constitution and bylaws are confidential.

“That (a verbal agreement) is the old way of doing business,” King General Manager Rogie Vachon said. “It’s an official deal once the two parties exchange faxes. But, in many cases, you can say you have a deal by just saying it.”

The Nordiques and owner Marcel Aubut evidently were planning to upstage the draft with an announcement of the Lindros blockbuster. But Saturday, the controversy reached an unprecedented level, providing additional evidence that the NHL sometimes is seemingly out of control.

“You could have sat at your computer for a long time and not come up with an ending like this one,” said Bob Goodenow, the executive director of the NHL Players’ Assn. “Not one deal--but two.”

Said Vachon: “It’s very unfortunate, but I wouldn’t call it embarrassing. With a deal of this magnitude, it’s unfortunate that the two parties didn’t make absolutely sure.”

He paused and said, joking: “Maybe (Lindros) can play one-half of the season with one team and the second half with the other.”

Notes

The Kings’ first-round draft choice was transferred to the Flyers via Pittsburgh as the final piece of last spring’s trade for defenseman Paul Coffey. . . . The Kings have had luck when selecting defensemen from the Western Hockey League and they opted to do it once again, selecting Justin Hocking, 18, in the second round (39th overall) from the Spokane Chiefs. “We think he’s got great character” said Nick Beverley, assistant general manager. “You look at him and he’s a hard rock guy. He’s a steady, stay-at-home defenseman.” Hocking, 6-4 and 205 pounds, played for former King assistant coach Bryan Maxwell last season in Spokane. Said Hocking: “He (Maxwell) really helped me a lot. I think he sees a lot of himself in me.”

In the third round, the Kings took goaltender Sandy Allan (63rd overall) from North Bay of the Ontario Hockey League. They followed by taking two forwards in the next two rounds, Kevin Brown from Belleville (Ont.) and Allan’s teammate, Jeff Shevalier. “We always feel good after the draft,” Vachon said. “We think we did a lot of good things, but we won’t know how well we did here for another three years.”

Former New Jersey coach Tom McVie interviewed Friday with Vachon and Roy Mlakar. McVie, who has been offered a job as an assistant in Boston, gave an assessment of his skills. “I’m like Paladin,” he said. “I just ride into town and clean up hockey teams.”