I have not posted on here in a while but the recent kevin Dupont article written in the Boston Globe had me thinking. The Tampa Bay Lightening will almost 100% likely make Vincent Lecavalier available at the trade deadline this season. The two top candidates that are rumored around to be looking for his services: he Montreal Canadiens and the Boston Bruins. But when thinking about it would you really want "your" team to make the deal?
Think long and hard about this one. Think of the type of player that you will be getting in Vinny Lecavalier. A true franchisee player. No one of this caliber has been moved since the 2005 debacle that Bruins fans remember as "Black Wednesday" (November 30, 2005 - I remember it like it was yesterday), when Joe Thornton was traded from the Black and Gold to the San Jose Sharks in exchange for Marco Sturm, Brad Stuart, Wayne Primeau, and a couple of one piece composite sticks. I realize that Marian Hossa was moved last year at the deadline but he is no where near the type of impact player that Thornton and Lecavalier are.
But before you jump the gun here, throw all of your eggs into the basket, and ask "where do I sign?", here are a few things to consider. First, the size of the contract that Vinny is about to enter, an 11-year, $85 million deal. The cap hit comes to $7.72 million a season, with years 10 and 11 only coming in at about $1.5 million and $1 million. But let's not forget that when years 10 and 11 do come around, he will be at a ripe young age of 39 and 40 years old.
Next, think about what it is going to take to get a player of this caliber. Unless your former Bruins GM Mike O'Connell, your not going to just take this years scrubs, a couple draft picks and call it a day. Your going to want young, proven NHL talent, along with additional draft picks to rebuild, which the Tampa Bay Lightening surely need to do.
Did I mention that the talent that you would have to give up would almost definitely have to be salary cap friendly? If the Lightening are going to be rebuilding and getting out of bad salary contracts, then why the hell would they want your bad contracts? Young, proven, salary friendly, impact players. Are you ready to part ways with that?
I'm sure as hell not. Think about the strain Vincent Lecavalier's contract will put on your team in the salary cap NHL, to sign your young impact players. I would much rather use that money in order to sign David Krejci (who I think is going to be a bon-a-fide superstar on this team for year's to come), Milan Lucic (my favorite player), Phil Kessel, Blake Wheeler, Tuuka Rask, etc. These guys may not turn into Vincent Lecavalier but they are all going to be damn good players. Depth is what wins championships in the NHL. Ask Vincent Lacavalier how he is making out right now with crap around him.
I also don't want the Bruins to enter a bidding war with the Habs for Lecavalier a la the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox. If Montreal wants to part ways with its future and cap themselves with this contract, then go right ahead. As well as my team is playing right now, I do not want them to break up the core nucleus of this team to make a heavy run this season. I don't want a one and done. You have something great going right now that every other NHL team looks to build. I do not want this team to sacrifice the future just to keep the Habs from getting Vinny. I would rather see a deal made for a Keith Tkachuk type that wont cost much and can add a little offensive punch.
Sure Vincent Lecavalier will sell a lot of jerseys for my home team, but he doesn't guarantee a cup - the thing every NHL fan covets.
I'd like to get a Canadiens fan perspective on this topic.
5 comments:
I may not be a Candians fan D (I think I may know one though...) but I have to agree with you here. Under different circumstances, I'd say I'd be cool with the B's bringing on a big name if that big named carried consistant big time numbers. Unfortunately, Vinny hasn't exactly been the model of cosistency since signing his uber-deal. Granted, he's playing with crap talent for a crap organization: he ain't gonna be worth it just cause of the cash.
If he landed in Black and Gold, he'd be a stud and it'd help the Higher's Up add a face to a blossoming franchise. He'd have an absurd amount of talent around him and he'd almost certainly explode for a HUGE season. But, like you said, when it comes time to dish out cash for talented young guys like Krejci, they'll be sacrificed off by an already stingy owner (see: Boyes, Brad). So yah, we'd probably make a real good run this year, but what happens when they have to explain to the die-hards why Lucic is now the best player in Colorado?
I say keep the cast of unknowns and market what you have: a gritty bunch of hockey players with names Boston fans for the most part can't pronounce. When Joey T. was traded, they tricked (and continue to trick) fans into thinking a mediocre, second line center with the puck handling skills of a sandwich in Pat Bergeron was going to be the franchise, thus justifying trading the "actual" franchise. Few years later, when he's actually one the ice, Bergeron is still a second banana and he always will be. Sure, fans know who he is, but he's probably the fourth or fifth best player ON HIS OWN BENCH. We don't need to be told who the franchise is just for the sake of having one.
Unless T.B. picks up some of that cash or takes MUCH less in terms of prospects (we have few elite) or draft picks...let another big market spender have him.
I'll go ahead and chime in now.
One, Montreal probably couldn't take the cap hit Lecavalier brings.
Two, even if they could, Bob Gainey doesn't want to. This is a GM who has consistently driven Montreal fans crazy at the trade deadline, preferring to either sit on his hands, or make "additions by subtraction" (Huet, for example.)
We have watched all the prime talent go elsewhere: Briere, Shanahan (twice now), and Sundin. We have also watched Montreal give up players they did not want to give raises: Souray, Streit, Bonk, and Ryder.
As a realistic fan, why should I think for a moment that getting Lecavalier is a possibility?
All that aside, even if it were a possibility, I don't think I would WANT Lecavalier. Forget that Montreal would have to give up Higgins, Halak, and perhaps one of the Kostitsyns (among others). The real issue I have with Lecavalier is that he is a cancer. He was the reason Tortorella was fired, and he was the catalyst for the firing of Barry Melrose.
Brief history lesson: John Tortorella was fired as Tampas's coach on June 4 2008. On July 13th, Lecavalier signed his 11-year, $85 million contract. The two had a long history of infighting, and it seems reasonable to assume that Tortorella's firing was a prerequisite to re-signing Lecavalier.
Barry Melrose was fired after 16 games with Tampa Bay, again, amidst a tumultuous relationship with Lecavalier and Tampa Bay's best players, in addition to Tampa's dysfunctional management.
It's this dysfunctional management that enabled Lecavalier to play sides in order to get his way. It's unfortunate when it happens, but players sometimes find themselves in situations they realize they can manipulate for their own purposes. When that happens, the player stops becoming just a player, and starts becoming a politician. It's the reason Chris Chelios was traded from Montreal: he led the infighting, and the team was suffering because of it. Kobe Bryant is a prime example in the NBA. He drove away his teammates and his coach. He may be a superb talent, but his behavior has severely harmed the Lakers.
So no, I don't want Lecavalier, at any price. He can have fun tearing down the Lightning organization from within, but he'd better stay away from the Habs. And I am NO fan of either Tortorella, Melrose, or even Carbonneau for that matter, but not liking a coach is not nearly a good enough reason for involving oneself in every aspect of a team's management. It breeds infighting and cliques, and those kinds of teams are not successful.
By the way, great article.
Lecav should stay there in TB and chew on that contract for the rest of his life. The Habs could keep about 6 players who do more on the ice and in the room than he does for the same price. Therefore, trade DO NOT WANT. Also Bob's got a capologist. No way he'd calculate "oh yes, eliminate Markov, Higgins, Plekanec, our future love Subban and a pick for an overrated expensive player that is barely leading his team of stars along with a few other dregs where one could have been picked up on waivers two months ago...yessss that makes perfect sense right now and in the long run." If Bob did it, I'd seriously question his sanity.
Boston as well. That would be the stupidest move ever if they do it.
Plus the weather alone would make him grumpy. I knew him in school, he hated our winter cold.
Frankly, the Bolts dug themselves in that hole. Let them drown in it. I can say the same for all those franchises suffering the weight of rediculous contracts...
As a habs fan I'd actually like to see Gainey go for Vinny but I'm not so sure it will happen. It depends on the price of course but as long as it doesn't involve Subban or more than one 1st rounder I'm all for it. Montreal has a more prospects than they'll be able to develop in the NHL but no superstars and they can afford to drop 2 or 3 (Higgins, like Ryder and many other would probably thrive elsewhere). With the new contract Vinny is a poor mans (and older) Malkin/Crosby but his contract isn't so high that it will cripple the rest of the team (see: Pittsburgh) and Vinny's much better defensively, much better on the forecheck, is great in the playoffs (when he's been there at least) and has won a Stanley cup.
More importantly Montreal needs a dominant and consistent scorer. They don't have one right now (as much as I like Kovalev he's too streaky to fulfill that role). What happens with Montreal right now (and last year in the playoffs) is that when they run into a hot goaltender or tough defense they lose their scoring and they don't have anyone who can break through and lead the charge and they go down like dominoes. Boston has Savard, Washington has Ovechkin etc.
As for MTL vs BOS I haven't heard of Boston going for Vinny but I think if either team gets him it would make them the favorite by a head in the East. I couldn't see either team beating the other if Vinny's part of the package.
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