Vincent Lecavalier: Would you trade him?

Vincent Lecavalier. What a player. Although he was slow out of the gate this year, real slow by the standards he can play to, he now has a very respectable 24 points in 28 games. However, only 6 of these points are goals. Has Vincent lost the drive to play in Tampa Bay with the sudden, yet not surprising, rise of Steven Stamkos? One would think this would drive him to be a better player, as the Lightning are becoming competitive again and are looking like a playoff team this year, but he has not looked like the Lecavalier of old. Hell he might not even make the Canadian Olympic roster. If someone had suggested that just a year or two ago they would have been mocked and ridiculed, and rightly so. Sadly though, that is the reality of it. So does he need a change of scenery to rise again? I think yes, and firmly believe he is still one of the best hockey players in the world. So imagine, if you will at the trade deadline this year, all the emotion and the passion the fans of the Montreal Canadians will express when Darren Dreger announces to all of Canada that Vincent Lecavalier has been dealt... to the Toronto Maple Leafs. What?.. Oh you thought I was going to say he was traded to Montreal, don’t be so silly, they traded for Scott Gomez over the summer remember? They have their 7 million$ center.

So why Toronto? Remember just last trade deadline, Brian Burke cut a deal with Brian Lawton that saw the Maple Leafs take on the salary of Olaf Kolzig (done for the year, then retired), Jamie Heward (done for the season, and an expiring contract) and oft-injured Andy Rogers. For this, the Maple Leafs received a fourth round draft pick and only gave up Richard Petiot. Now does this trade make a whole lot of sense? Not really, but Burke did the Lightning one hell of a favour as they were reportedly in trouble financially (shocking!). So we should now all be under the impression that Brian Burke is in Lawton’s good books, thus making them good partners for a trade, not necessarily one of this magnitude but we can make one work theoretically.

So, continuing on this path (where else would I be going really?), what do the Leafs have that the Lightning want? Well, according to my hockey wisdom (and some online scouting reports) the Tampa Bay Lightning would very much enjoy the presence of an experienced offensive-minded defenseman. Well, would you look at that, the Leafs have the one and only Tomas Kaberle on their blueline. They do not come much better than that, 460 points in 766 career games with a nice +36 to boot, not to mention he is on pace for a career high 79 points this year on a sub-par Maple Leafs squad. However, clearly this is not enough for Lecavalier, but it’s one hell of a start to the deal considering Kaberle has a year left on his 4.25 million$ contract, a steal for a player of his calibre.

What else could the Lightning possibly want from the lousy Maple Leafs? Back to my genius hockey wisdom (google is great thing), the Lightning could use some young centers to fill their depth chart, especially if they are going to be losing Vincent. So, the obvious choice here is Nazem Kadri... not a chance, the Leafs are keeping this prospect. So what now? Well luckily they still have a young man by the name of Tyler Bozak who becomes expendable if they pick up Vincent Lecavalier, as Kadri would no doubt be given the shot over him for the Leafs other top six center. Bozak played for Denver in the U.S. college hockey program and scored 57 points in 60 games, which includes 23 points in 19 games in his second year with the team. Bozak is credited as a very smart hockey player with great hockey sense, he is heralded as a great two-way player as well and will surely fit in great behind Steven Stamkos as early as next season. In his lone NHL appearance this season, Bozak was impressive picking up one assist, but was sent down the following day as he was only called up to fill in for an injured player, I don’t remember who that player was at the moment.

However, this still is not enough to pry Vincent out of Tampa Bay, no matter how good of friends Burke and Lawton could possibly be. So what else could the Maple Leafs add to the package? How does 81 goals and 142 points in 118 games for the Quebec Remparts sound? Sounds pretty good to me. The young Belarusian, Mikhail Stefanovich, plays the right wing for Quebec, but is capable of playing center as well. He has the sharpshooting ability that should make him a bonafide sniper in the NHL in the next couple of years and at 6’2” and 202lbs he is not a small boy. Scouts say he could use some work on his skating but he is only 20 years old and will most likely improve on that. Besides, his stellar offensive abilities make up for those weaknesses (Luc Robitaille was too bad of a skater to make it at this level was he not?).

Along with these players, I’m sure Mr. Lawton will say these two words at some point to Brian Burke, “draft pick”. It is factual that the Maple Leafs are lacking in the draft pick department for the next two years, well for top picks anyway (Phil Kessel was most definitely worth it though). So, the Leafs might as well drop another second rounder and not pick until the third round for the next two years. Add to the trade the Maple Leafs 2010-2011 second round draft pick, assume the Leafs make another move if need be to make this trade salary cap acceptable by deadline time, and the trade looks like this:

To Toronto Maple Leafs:

C-Vincent Lecavalier

To Tampa Bay Lightning:

D-Tomas Kaberle

C-Tyler Bozak

RW-Mikhail Stefanovich

2010-11 Second Round Draft pick

If this trade were to take place, how would the line-ups for these two teams look? Something like this, depending on how the coach wants to line them up of course:

Maple Leafs:

Ponikarovsky-Lecavalier-Kessel

Blake-Grabovski-Hagman

Kulemin-Stajan-Stempniak

Mayers-Primeau-Orr

Beauchemin-Komisarek

Schenn-White

Finger-Gunnarsson

Gustavsson/Toskala/MacDonald/Riemer/Engelage/Carlton the Bear/Chris Bosh/J.P. Riccardi/etc.

Lightning:

Malone-Stamkos-St. Louis

Tanguay-Bozak-Halpern

Downie-Szczechura-Wright

Veilleux-Konopka-Foster

Ohlund-Kaberle

Hedman-Meszaros

Walker-Krajicek

Nittymaki/Smith

Sure, the Lightning’s offensive doesn’t look as good without Vincent Lecavalier, but if he isn’t producing like he used to then I believe this trade helps the Lightning. Kaberle is a stellar defenseman and will help a lot on the powerplay especially. In time Bozak will be a very capable second line center, not Lecavalier, but paying your second line center 7+million$ is ludicrous. This also gives the Maple Leafs a legitimate first line for the first time in far too long a time, and will surely help that franchise become respectable again. Do both teams make the playoffs this year after this trade? No. I believe the Lightning will make it in either the 7^th or 8^th spot and lose in the first or second round. Although the Leafs will be better, adjusting to life after Kaberle on defense will take a bit of getting used to, but it will come in time, especially if Gunnarsson keeps developing well. However, the Lecavalier-Kessel duo up front will produce some much needed spark up front. Leafs finish in the dreaded 9^th position, take it for what it’s worth.

Boston selects 13^th and pick big left winger Quinton Howden.