Vinny Lecavalier signed with the Philadelphia Flyers during the 2013 offseason with the expectation that he'd be playing for then-Philly coach Peter Laviolette. Only three games into that year, Laviolette was relieved of his duties and replaced by Craig Berube. "Chief" and Lecavalier never seemed able to get on the same page and a period of ineffectiveness and pine-riding, the likes of which the future Hall of Famer and Stanley Cup champion Lecavalier had never before experienced, ensued. When the Flyers and GM Ron Hextall made the decision after the 2014-15 NHL season to part ways with Berube and hire former University of North Dakota bench boss Dave Hakstol, many wondered if that meant a clean slate and a new outlook for Lecavalier in Philly.
That, according to Frank Seravalli of TSN, was and is not the case.
Per Seravalli, during last season's exit meeting Hextall told Lecavalier, "Just because the coach is changing, don't expect your situation to change." And while any manner of inflection could be added to such a statement, one thing about it is clear - Hextall wasn't simply going to make space on the ice for Lecavalier this season based on prior NHL achievements. He'd have to earn his way, and with a Flyers team looking to turn the page on an ineffective and salary-cap destroying approach under former GM-turned-team president Paul Holmgren, Lecavalier's albatross of a contract - five years, $22.5 million, $4.5 million annual cap hit, expires after 2017-18 season - represented one of the last vestiges of an era Hextall is desperately trying to extricate himself from, meaning Lecavalier's chances of contributing for a rebuilding Flyers team in 2015-16 now fall somewhere much closer to none, than slim.
In fact, this may actually be a key piece of Hextall's long-term Flyer-revitalization plan. According to Seravalli, there are some in the league who believe that Hextall is silently hoping that Lecavalier becomes "disgusted enough" to walk away on his own. As a proud four-time NHL All-Star and one-time Maurice Richard Trophy-winner, it would make some sense were Lecavalier to call it quits out of a sense of uselessness and frustration.
Only, it doesn't sound like that's in the cards. Per Seravalli's report, Lecavalier isn't considering retiring "for now," and wants to go out on a good note.
It's unlikely that "good note" comes with a Flyers team desperate to shed the ill-fated decisions of Holmgren's regime, but therein lies the rub for Hextall. Dealing Lecavalier means playing him first and with the team holding an abundance of natural centers and unwilling to sit a rising young player like Scott Laughton in favor of the 35-year-old Lecavalier and with Vinny lacking the necessary skills at this point to thrive on the wing, that proposition seems increasingly difficult. Of course, the Flyers will likely have to cover at least a portion of Lecavalier's salary going forward, which Hextall is likely willing to do, so they'll continue to feel the sting of Holmgren's free agency spree for at least a couple more seasons - though Mark Streit, who was signed during the same offseason as Lecavalier, seems like a good candidate to find a new home with a contender ahead of the trade deadline this season. Streit's older, like Lecavalier, but he's an offensively-skilled defenseman in a league that prizes such assets and a seasoned power play hand that knows how to push the pace of play. He's also in the second-to-last year of his deal at a cap hit that's certainly heavy, but also affordable, relatively speaking.
But the Lecavalier situation remains a difficult one for Hextall with no easy answer in sight. The Flyers don't want him, but can't deal him. Multiple reports suggest they've tried in the past on several occasions and even come close to pulling it off once or twice, but to no avail.
If this situation is going to end, it really may take Lecavalier deciding to pull the plug and walking away on his own, because unless he finds a new level to his game and soon - he may actually get his first chance to suit up this season with the Flyers dealing with recent injuries to Michael Raffl and Sean Couturier - it's unlikely his Flyers and NHL swan song will be marked by any notes at all, good or otherwise.
