Lindros is the 18-year-old son of a nurse and an accountant. His size and physical skills make him a player in demand and he is aware of his market value.
He could, for example, play Olympic hockey for Canada and make at least $500,000 a year from corporate sponsors. He could refuse to play for the Quebec Nordiques, who plan to make him the top draft choice. He also could force a trade from Quebec to a high-profile team in a major market. Or he could join a new league called the Continental Hockey Association, which has talked to his agent about paying Lindros about $1 million a season.
"Lot of money, isn't it?" Lindros said at a news conference today. "I've grown up in a family that really has never been short of money. I've been very fortunate. But money isn't everything. Some days, my dad comes home -- and he's got a good ticket -- but he's not happy. Money isn't everything. There's always going to be money somewhere down the line. I re-signed all my endorsement deals this week. I'm in fine shape. I'll get by."
The Lindros matter is overshadowing everything else going on here as the N.H.L. opens its annual summer convention. This afternoon, Lindros and his agent, Rick Curran, met with about 100 reporters, some of whom wondered if Quebec might soon trade his rights.
"A lot of things could happen between now and tomorrow," said Lindros. "You never know what will happen."
One thing that won't occur in his case is a traditional rite of first-round draftees. It is customary for a first-round choice to don the jersey of the team that selects him and pose for pictures. Lindros says he will refuse to do this.
"Putting on a jersey would be a commitment, and at this time I don't think it would be right to commit to something I haven't really thought out," Lindros said. "It would be false."
Some of today's questions, particularly from French-Canadian reporters, were harsh, asking Lindros to defend himself against the perception that he is dictating terms to the league and that he is "bigger than the game."
"I don't think I'm bigger than the game," he said. " All I want to do is look at my options. I'm not dictating to the N.H.L. I'm just not going to follow the regular footsteps. I want to see what's best for me.
"I'm speaking up for myself. I won't be dictated to. I dictate to myself."
His decision, he said, involves "more than money."
"It's happiness," he said. "It's being in a situation you know is going to go up. A winning attitude. I'm sure in this whole mess there is one place that is right for me.
"All I want to do is do what is best for myself. If people have a hard time understanding that, that's fine. That's their perspective."
He compared his situation to that of Raghib (Rocket) Ismail, who spurned first-round status in the National Football League draft to sign with Toronto of the Canadian Football League.