Nearly one year after making a splash to acquire him, the Flyers are working to send Vincent Lecavalier out of Philadelphia.
On Thursday, TSN reported that Philly has granted permission for Kent Hughes, Lecavalier’s agent, to find a trade partner prior to July 1. That date is a key one as it’s when the Flyers owe Lecavalier a $2 million bonus, one they’d obviously prefer not to pay if they plan to part ways with the ex-Lightning captain this summer.
And that parting of ways seems as though it’s going to happen.
Things have been slowly building up to this point -- Lecavalier, signed under the pretense he’d be a good fit in Peter Laviolette’s offensively inclined system, struggled under Craig Berube and was demoted to the fourth line late in the season, which prompted this:
Vinny visibly pissed. Asked if he thought the move to 4C was a message to him or the team, he deferred to Berube.
— Dave Isaac (@davegisaac) March 28, 2014
Berube on if he expected more from Lecavalier this season: "I think we all did."
— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) March 28, 2014
Following the Flyers’ opening-round loss to the Rangers, Lecavalier admitted he had a tough first season in Philadelphia -- just 37 points in 69 games, with a minus-16 rating -- and the Flyers’ brass acknowledged they expected more from him next year.
Now, though, that script seems to be flipped. With Lecavalier set to earn $6 million in salary next season (and another $2M via bonus), it sounds as though the organization simply wants to get out from under a deal that carries a $4.5 million annual cap hit until 2018.
Further complicating things is the fact Lecavalier has a no-movement clause, meaning he holds the hammer in regards to where he can be moved. It explains why Hughes has been brought into the mix.