NHL free agency started last week, and the Philadelphia Flyers were mostly spectators. The reason: According to CapGeek.com, the Flyers are more than $3 million over the league's $69 million cap limit right now. Therefore, the Flyers cannot afford to add a contract of any significance to help improve the team.
The best way to clear out cap space is to trade a high-salaried player who does not fit much in the team's future plans. The most logical player on that list is veteran forward Vincent Lecavalier.
Lecavalier was signed by former general manager Paul Holmgren last summer to a five-year, $22.5 million contract. Lecavalier's deal also contains a no-trade clause. His annual cap hit, according to CapGeek.com, is $4.5 million.
CBC's Elliotte Friedman indicated that it was former coach Peter Laviolette who pushed for the signing of Lecavalier last summer and that Holmgren noted Lecavalier was not a very good fit in Craig Berube's more defensive-oriented system.
The results back this up. Lecavalier scored only 20 goals and 37 points during his first season in Philadelphia. He also had a minus-16 plus/minus rating ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NHL
Article written by Brad Kurtzberg
Why Trading Vincent Lecavalier Is the Key to the Flyers’ Offseason
July 7th, 2014 by Brad Kurtzberg Leave a reply »
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