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Lightning can't afford to trade Lecavalier

January 13, 2009 05:26 PM | Posted by   Scott Morrison  

If Vinny Lecavalier doesn't want the Tampa Bay Lightning to trade him, he sure didn't say it.

On Tuesday, Lecavalier finally weighed in with a reaction to reports that the Lightning, if not shopping their star centre, have certainly had conversations about doing so, whether they generated the talks or not.

Now, Lecavalier doesn't have a no-trade clause until his new 11-year, $86-million deal kicks in on July 1. According to reports, the Montreal Canadiens have expressed an interest, as you would expect.

If Lecavalier, even without that no-trade clause, wanted to stay in Tampa, however, he easily could have put a lot of pressure on management by publicly declaring he wanted to fulfill every year of that new contract and had no interest in moving.

But he didn't quite say that.

He didn't say he wanted out, but he didn't say he absolutely wanted to stay, either.

In an interview with Montreal newspaper La Presse, he said he still loved playing in Tampa, but didn't exactly take Montreal out of the running for his services.

"I am from there. My family is from there. My friends as well. I grew up with the Canadiens. I understand there are a lot of rumours presently. But they are rumours. I have heard them throughout my career. I like playing in Tampa, I am a loyal person," he told La Presse.

But he also said that the decision to trade him is "out of my control" and admitted that Montreal would be on his short list of cities where he would like to play.

There are several schools of thought as to why Tampa might actually want to move their captain and not everyone in the organization is in agreement.

One notion is they have to tear everything apart and rebuild, that there is no big-time fix as it stands now. Another is that the huge contract he is about to enter will be difficult for them to deal with economically and will prevent them from improving over the long haul.

It says here, though, that they can’t afford to trade Lecavalier. To be able to rebuild, a trade would have to involve some contract and talent coming back, along with picks and prospects. But is the Tampa market willing to support a Lightning team that is torn right down, that will have moved Lecavalier, Dan Boyle and Brad Richards in the past year?

Will they be able to sell tickets without Lecavalier? Will they be able to sell private boxes without their best and most popular player? Will they be able to sell sponsorships and market the team?

The answer is no.

Whatever the cash they save contract wise, could and undoubtedly will be lost otherwise.

And in any trade that is made, with Montreal or any team, know this: the best player involved will be Lecavalier, which means they won't be winning the trade and the future will be bleaker for a long while.

The Lightning don't necessarily have to tear down to get better. They have to be smarter with their moves.

Again, the Lightning can't afford to trade Lecavalier ... unless he wants to go and, in so many words, he seems to have left that door open.

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