NASHVILLE MOVES CLOSE ANOTHER TRADE DOOR FOR LECAVALIER
The Nashville Predators have gone bargain-hunting this offseason in order to address the center position. Yesterday, the club signed 34-year-old Mike Ribeiro ($1.05 million) and 31-year-old Derek Roy ($1 million) to respective one-year contracts. Back on July 1, Nashville signed 35-year-old veteran Olli Jokinen to a one-year, $2.5 million contract. In so doing, the odds of the Flyers finding a suitable trading partner for 34-year-old Vincent Lecavalier decreased even further.
Even in sharp decline as an NHL impact player, Lecavalier is still arguably the best individual player of the lot when one also considers the factor of the behavioral marks that surround Ribeiro and were the primary reason why the Phoenix Coyotes bought him out. However, when it comes to today's NHL, salary and term are what is truly paramount.
The Predators were able to acquire three offensively capable veterans at a cheap cost ($4.51 million to Lecavalier's $4.5 million) for next season. Production-wise, they are likely to get more from their money than they would from Lecavalier in 2014-15. Just as importantly, the three Nashville contracts all expire next summer, whereas Lecavalier is signed for four more years.
Supposedly, the Flyers have been unwilling to pick up any of Lecavalier's cap hit if they are going to make an otherwise unfavorable deal done specifically for cap relief. They are not interested in taking on someone other team's bad contract, either.
In the meantime, it has also been rumored that the Lecavalier camp was not interested in waiving the player's no-trade clause to go to certain destinations where the Flyers had promising trade leads at one point. Last month, the Flyers gave permission to Lecavalier's agent, Kent Hughes, to speak to general managers of other teams about potential trades.
Since that time, the one thing that is fair to say is that doors have been closed rather than opened. As a result, it is looking more and more like the Flyers may need go into September with Lecavalier on the roster and ongoing salary cap problems to solve by opening night.
Contrary to what has been written elsewhere, the Flyers do have the option of designating Chris Pronger and his $4.941 million cap hit to long-term injured reserve one day PRIOR to the start of the season. That would make Philly cap compliant with no other moves, because they are currently $3.06 million over the cap.
However, doing so on the final day of training camp would be
the least desirable option once the season starts. If the Flyers cannot move Lecavalier, they may instead explore other avenues that could open up enough flexibility to wait until opening night to use the LTIR designation on Pronger.
Even in strictly hockey terms, the Flyers are in a pickle if they go into next season with Lecavalier on the roster. He will be professional about it, and won't rock the boat. In return, the Flyers will try their best to find ways for him to be effective within head coach Craig Berube's system that heavily emphasizes skating and a collective 200-foot game.
Doing so will be easier said than done, unfortunately.
Last season, Berube moved Lecavalier all around the lineup in an effort to find a spot where his still-considerable finishing touch could be effective while also minimizing some of his limitations. Lecavalier spent stints of varying lengths on all four lines. He was tried without success on both right wing and left wing as well as his accustomed center position. Unfortunately, no matter where he was used, he had trouble keeping up with the pace of play. The player's skating and defensive deficiencies were glaring.
In actuality, the spot where Lecavalier was most effective in the second half of the season came during his stint as fourth-liner center and power play specialist. However, that was not an arrangement that made either the player or the team very happy. Lecavalier is a proud player who is used to being a key contributor on his teams. He did not come to Philly to be a fourth line player or to shuttle around the lineup.
Unfortunately, the Flyers have essentially the same team they had at the end of last season. The one major change was the Scott Hartnell trade. Right now, it would take a major leap of faith to believe that Lecavalier will fit the system any more easily than he did last season.
Philadelphia Flyers Blogger •NHL.com • 
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