Steve Yzerman sent a big wave through the National Hockey League earlier this morning as he announced that the Tampa Bay Lightning will use a compliance buy-out on team captain Vincent Lecavalier and his eleven year, $85MM contract. Lecavalier, who has been with the Lightning since being drafted first overall in 1998, will become an unrestricted free agent.
In 1037 games with the Lightning, Lecavalier tallied 874 points. It was after the 2007-08 season, in which he put up 92 points, that he was awarded his monstrous contract. The statistics show that production was not the issue with Lecavalier. He is the franchise’s leader in games played, goals, power-play goals, and game-winning goals. This decision came down to dollars and cents.
Lecavalier was more than just a hockey player in the Bay Area. He was a community member, and one of the most respected individuals around. In addition to all that he did on the ice, which was endearing enough, Lecavalier did fantastic things outside the rink. In 2003 he started the Vincent Lecavalier Foundation and in 2010 he was able to open the Vincent Lecavalier Pediatric Cancer and Blood Disorder Center at All Children’s Hospital. Regardless of where he ends up, Bolts Nation will always love and respect number four. Steve Yzerman said it best in today’s media release.
Vinny has been a significant reason for many of our past successes, including the 2004 Stanley Cup, and his contributions to the community are immeasurable. The Lightning organization is indebted to Vinny; we thank him for all he has done here and we wish him well as he moves forward.
While Lecavalier certainly did a lot of good for the Lightning and Tampa as a whole, his contract had become increasingly burdensome due to Collective Bargaining Agreement pressures. With a $7.7MM cap hit on a pact that extended well into the future, Lecavalier’s contract just didn’t fit on a roster that has a plethora of young players coming up through the ranks. Steve Yzerman wants cap flexibility, and it’s clear that he views this buy-out as a way to get it.
After much internal deliberation, we believe this will prove to be a pivotal move for us as we strive to achieve our long term goal of competing at the highest level, year-in, year-out. The economics and structure of the CBA are necessitating this decision and we at the Lightning are excited at the newly created opportunities this presents to us.
It’s hard to argue with what Yzerman is saying. Buying out Lecavalier presents the Lightning with real opportunities to make this team more balanced and competitive in the long-run. With Jon Cooper now at the helm and a bunch of prospects ready to make the jump to the NHL level, nobody can argue that Steve Yzerman hasn’t made a big mark on this franchise. While Lecavalier will be missed dearly, this move will help the Lightning.
So, without Lecavalier on the roster and locked into the second line center slot, the Lightning have a hole to fill. Fans will point to Tyler Johnson as a potential replacement, but his skillset may not be the best complement to Steven Stamkos’s. Lecavalier worked behind Stamkos because he had size and strength to match Stamkos’s speed and skill. With that in mind, it would make sense for the Lightning to take a serious look at Aleksander Barkov at this weekend’s draft. While Barkov may not be ready for NHL duty quite yet, he is arguably the perfect candidate to replace Lecavalier. Al Murray, the Lightning’s Director of Amateur Scouting,
said it best.
He’s a combination of a goal-scorer and a playmaker. He played the past two years in the Finnish Elite League and this past year was very impressive. He was top 10 in scoring in the men’s league as a 17-year-old. …He’s big, he’s mobile, he’s a very good skater, he’s got puck handling ability and he’s a good defensive player.
With all that in mind, I’d like to take this opportunity to thank Vincent Lecavalier for all that he has done for the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Tampa Bay area. His time with the team will always hold a special place in every fan’s heart, and I think I can speak on behalf of everyone when I say that he will be missed. Vinny is a class act, through and through.
As always, thanks for reading.
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