The sad saga of Vinny Lecavalier and the Philadelphia Flyers continues, though most in and around the NHL probably forget that Lecavalier, a four-time NHL All-Star, former Maurice Richard Trophy-winner and one-time Stanley Cup champion, remains an active - or rather, inactive - member of the Flyers franchise. And really, it'd be hard to blame them. Lecavalier, 35, has appeared in just seven games for the new-look Flyers this season. He's collected all of one point - an assist - and for the year he's a minus-one.
And while it's become clear to the few Flyers and NHL fans still paying attention that Lecavalier's place on the Philadelphia roster is gone, has been gone, and won't be coming back anytime soon (barring a set of catastrophic injuries), Lecavalier remains adamant that he's not going anywhere - at least not for the duration of his current contract, which pays him $4.5 million for this season, and the two following.
"Absolutely," Lecavalier said recently when asked if he'll continue to play through 2017-18 by Randy Miller of NJ.com. "Yeah. I'm mentally strong. (Retiring) hasn't entered my mind. I think it's personal with everybody what people go through, not just being a hockey player, when that time comes. But it definitely hasn't crossed my mind."
18 times during the 2015-16 NHL season Lecavalier has been a healthy scratch - Tuesday night against the Ottawa Senators marked nine in a row. Lecavalier, who appeared in at least 68 games through the first 11 seasons of his NHL career, was on the ice for just 57 games for Philly last season. That total figures to go down this year.
But Lecavalier, after telling Miller it was "obvious" the Flyers had given up on him, won't be giving up on them - or at least won't be giving up on that contract.
"That's the only thing I can do right now," Lecavalier told Miller. "Obviously, it's tough. But my mindset hasn't changed. Whatever they do, whatever their vision is ... it's not going to change the way I think."
Fortunately for both parties, there does seem to be light at the end of the tunnel. Flyers GM Ron Hextall has been trying to trade Lecavalier almost since the day he took over for Paul Holmgren. But there are no takers. Deals reportedly came close in the past - most notably in a rumored deal with the Nashville Predators and the coach Lecavalier signed on with the Flyers to play for, Peter Laviolette, who, coincidentally, could use a talented center addition - but with his advancing age and the term left on his deal - and the limited rise expected in the salary cap - Lecavalier's not going to be picked up by anyone (in their right mind) anytime soon.
As Miller notes though, the Flyers can buy out the final two years of his contract after this season. They'll be forced to pay out cap hits for "twice the remaining years of the deal" - something close to $3 million the first season, $2.5 million the second and just under $1 million the final two - but it's likely a small price to pay to take what would both literally and figuratively be a big step away from the mistakes of the recent past.
Until then Lecavalier practices and trains and waits. And the Flyers, trying to move forward into the Hextall-Dave Hakstol era, grit their teeth and try to make the best of what has become a difficult situation for everyone involved.
