Philadelphia Flyers Friday Flubs, Part 1: Vincent Lecavalier

In the first of a weekly (for now) series in this hockey-less world where I examine past atrocities committed by the Philadelphia Flyers, I take a look at the Vincent Lecavalier signing.

Vincent Lecavalier used to be a very good player once upon a time before he first put on a Philadelphia Flyers jersey, a true standout for a number of years when he captained the Tampa Bay Lightning. It was all part of the plan for the top overall pick from the 1998 NHL Draft, and many thought he was headed for a Hall of Fame career.

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In the eight seasons that he played between the ages of 22 and 29, he led the league in goals once and was just shy of being a point-per-game player over that span of time, no small feat in the NHL of the early 2000’s where offense was sparse. But his early 30’s weren’t kind to him, making the mammoth 11-year contract he had signed with Tampa look like a complete albatross for the club. As a result, they bought him out with seven years left on the deal, after the end of the 2012-13 season.

That’s when the Flyers came calling for the 33-year old Lecavalier, at that point already a veteran of more than 1,000 NHL games. The move was a head-scratcher at best, with some people pointing to the 5-year, $22.5 million pact as being too long and for too much money for a player with little left in the tank.

Those people were right.

His 37 points in 69 games in his inaugural season with the Flyers weren’t pretty, and his playoff showing (2 points in a 7-game first round loss) just made things worse. He’d appear in just 57 regular season games the following year due to injuries, putting up a ghastly 8 goals and 12 assists in a miserable year for the team overall.

Lecavalier came out of the gate in his third year with the team by netting a single assist in seven games, at which point the Flyers were mercifully able to unload him and his contract on the Los Angeles Kings. It was a move only made possible because Vinny stated that he would retire at season’s end, letting any team off the hook for his salary beyond that year. It was a decision made about two years too late, as Flyers fans everywhere would love to erase his signing in 2013 from the history books.

But all’s well that ends well I suppose, as the Flyers also shipped out Luke Schenn (another mistake I might discuss in this column) in the same trade. Lecavalier’s totals as a Flyer: 28 goals and 30 assists in 133 games. All that for the low, low price of $9 million and change during that time. The organization might as well have set that money on fire, but at least they’re done paying him.

The Lightning, because of the buyout they optioned on Vinny’s contract in 2013, will still be paying him a portion of that salary until 2027. But they no doubt still stick by their decision to cut bait on a player who was past his expiration date, even one who had done so much for their club.

dark. Next. Broad Street Bullies no more

Because of his success in Tampa, he is a franchise icon. In Philadelphia? Not so much. Vincent Lecavalier is just another player the Flyers never should have taken a run at, a square peg in a round hole that did nothing but put them over the salary cap and frustrate fans. At least it was over fairly quickly.

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