Reports are swirling that Vincent Lecavalier, recently bought out by the Tampa Bay Lightning, has found a new home. Darren Dreger of TSN is reporting that Lecavalier will sign a 5 year 22.5 million contract (a 4.5 million cap hit) with the Philadelphia Flyers.
The Deal is also reported to include a full no movement clause.
With 32 points in 39 games this past season, and with 205 points in 250 games over the past four seasons, it is clear that Lecavalier is still a top 6 centre in the NHL. While he may not have been living up to the mega deal that the previous Tampa ownership signed him too, he may have been the best free agent forward on the market.
Lecavalier is 33-years-old and not be subject to the restrictive provisions of the CBA surrounding a 35+ contract.
Lecavalier has 383 career goals, and 874 career points in 1037 career games, all with Tampa. He was a member of the Lightning 2004 Stanley Cup Champion team. A team that beat the Philadelphia Flyers in the 2004 Eastern Conference Finals.
Lecavalier replaces Daniel Briere as the Flyers second line centre. Briere was recently bought out by the Flyers.
There were apparently as many as 15 teams who were interested in Lecavalier including the Montreal Canadiens, Toronto Maple Leafs, Detroit Red Wings, Boston Bruins, Dallas Stars, and others.
Paul Holmgren will now have some interesting games to play with the NHL’s salary cap as the team is right up against it, and still needs another goaltender.
Thanks for reading, as always feel free to leave comments below and follow me on twitter @lastwordBKerr. Give the rest of the hockey department a follow while you’re at it – @BigMick99, @IswearGAA, and @LastWordOnNHL, and follow the site @lastwordonsport.
Interested in writing for LastWordOnSports? If so, check out our “Join Our Team” page to find out how.
