CALGARY, Alberta - The Flyers came to this cowboy city wanting to trade Eric Lindros. They ended up dealing goalie John Vanbiesbrouck instead, although the interest in Lindros has picked up.

In his biggest gamble in the NHL's two-day amateur draft, Flyers general manager Bob Clarke traded Vanbiesbrouck to the New York Islanders yesterday for a future draft choice. To fill Vanbiesbrouck's spot, Clarke is betting all his pucks on Roman Cechmanek, a 29-year-old Czech who has never played in the league.

There could be a few hitches.

Cechmanek, who has won three world championships with the Czech national team, including this year's title, has an agent overseas named Petr Svoboda (not the former Flyer) but is not represented here.

Don Meehan, who represents the Flyers' Luke Richardson and Chris Therien, is trying to represent Cechmanek here.

Cechmanek, a longtime member of the Czech national team, has been available this long only because he has never wanted to come to North America. Montreal tried to sign him two years ago as a free agent and couldn't get him to leave Europe.

Why would he leave now? Because Clarke is dangling Vanbiesbrouck's backup role as a lure.

The Flyers took Cechmanek with the 171st pick, a sixth-rounder they acquired yesterday from the Lightning. They traded their fourth-round pick to Tampa Bay for three selections yesterday.

For Vanbiesbrouck, the Flyers received a fourth-round pick from the Islanders in next year's draft. The Flyers had six selections yesterday, picking up three in the deal with Tampa Bay - the 171st, 210th and 287th.

Of the Flyers' eight picks in the draft, four were from North America, two from the Czech Republic, one from Russia, and one from the United Kingdom.

The other news was Clarke's giving the New York Rangers, Los Angeles and Toronto permission to talk directly to Lindros and gauge his interest in them. The Flyers have until Saturday to extend an $8.5 million offer to retain his rights but are looking to trade him before then.

The goaltending move, which marked the fourth time in six years that the Flyers had drafted a netminder, was a surprise.

"We think he can play for us," Clarke said of Cechmanek. "We'll bring him over and find out. He's won three world championships, and he backed up [Dominik] Hasek at the Olympics."

And if the 6-foot-3, 187-pounder doesn't want to play in the NHL, then what?

"If he doesn't come over, we'll use [Maxime] Ouellet," Clarke said. "Ouellet has played three years of junior."

Ouellet, 19, is still developing. Scouts view him as perhaps being even better than the Flyers' starter, Brian Boucher. Ouellet was the Flyers' first-round pick a year ago and was outstanding for the Quebec Remparts of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.

However, he can't play in the American Hockey League until he is 20, since he has already played Canadian junior hockey. So he will play for the Flyers next season or remain a junior.

The Flyers had a $3.5 million option on Vanbiesbrouck. Clarke said he had to trade him because Vanbiesbrouck would not accept a two-year contract for far less money. The Flyers will pay $1.25 million to help the Islanders with his contract.

The Islanders traded two goalies Saturday and were left with the injury-riddled Wade Flaherty as their starter. That's why general manager Mike Milbury wanted Vanbiesbrouck.

Cechmanek is a standup goalie who catches left and stays in the crease. Inge Hammarstrom, who scouts Europe for the Flyers, called him "a proven player." Cechmanek had a 2.47 goals-against average in 27 games for Vsetin this season.

"He didn't want to come over before, but now he's gotten married, he has some kids, wants to come over and prove himself and go to the next level," Hammarstrom said. "He can play for anyone."