Vincent Lecavalier and Brian Lawton insist a trade is not in the works for the Lightning captain. So why then do the rumours persist?
Although the 2008-09 NHL season has yet to conclude, Vincent Lecavalier is still answering questions about where he might play next year.
"Oh yeah, what are they saying today?" Lecavalier asked sportsnet.ca on Wednesday morning.
When informed that his name was being bandied about once again at the NHL general managers meeting in Pittsburgh, the captain of the Tampa Bay Lighhtning chuckled. It seems no matter how much Lightning GM Brian Lawton insists Lecavalier is not available for trade; other GMs insist the 2007 Rocket Richard Trophy winner as the NHL's top goal-scorer can be had for the right price.
The Lightning's ownership is said to be strapped for money and Lecavalier's 11-year, $85 million contract extension kicks in next season. The contract calls for Lecavalier to be paid $10 million a year for seven years and $8.5 million in the eighth year. With the salary cap rumored to being going down next season -- and possibly even more the year after - the deal is bad news for the Lightning.
Good for Vinny; bad for the organization.
One rumour has the Los Angeles Kings being very interested in acquiring Lecavalier. I am certain there are other teams interested, too.
Regardless, Lecavalier is determined to prepare for next season as if he'll be skating for the Lightning.
"I really don't worry about it now," Lecavalier said. "During the year it was a little bit different when there was talk about me going to the Montreal Canadiens. The rumor seemed to have more legs then. For now, all I can do is prepare myself for next season. Everything else is out of my control."
The one thing Lecavalier does control is his future on the ice and to that end he is working hard to be prepared for next season. In fact, he started training hard two weeks ago following a six-week hiatus while recuperating from off-season surgery to repair a torn labrum in his right shoulder.
"I'm riding the bike right now getting ready for my workout," Lecavalier says.
Five years after winning the Stanley Cup, the Lightning struggled through a miserable year of disappointment and unrest. Things looked bright when Hollywood entrepreneur Oren Koules, along with former NHLer Len Barrie, purchased the team. But it quickly took a turn for the worse when they decided to pull Barry Melrose out of mothballs and put him behind the bench as coach.
Melrose decided first overall pick Steven Stamkos wasn't ready for the NHL and limited his ice tim. Ultimately, Rick Tocchet, who had no head coaching experience, replaced Melrose and the team was never able to recover from a horrible start, finishing with a 24-40-18 record.
Even now, rumours of the team's financial woes. Not to mention rumours ownership is insisting Lawton trade the captain. You wonder if Lecavalier, 28, might not rather be traded once and for all and escape the lunacy that has been the Tampa Bay Lightning.
"Actually, no," he insists. "It would be nice to be able to just worry about playing the games and not dealing with this, but I have an attachment to Tampa Bay and I love playing for the Lightning. My history is with this team."
If finances weren't such a concern, there would be plenty to like about the Lightning. How many teams have the front-end talent of Lecavalier, Martin St-Louis, Stamkos and Ryan Malone? Throw in the fact Tampa Bay has the second overall pick in this month's NHL entry draft and you'd have to think the organization is sitting pretty.
But we all know off-ice considerations often trump what happens on the ice. For his part, Lecavalier insists he will not affect how he plays next season.
"The contract has no bearing on what I expect from myself this season," Lecavalier says. "I am more concerned about the fact it wasn't a good year last season and we need to be better. We finished 29th and that is what motivates me. I want to have the best year of my life."
And he just may do it. The question is: will it be in Tampa Bay?