Lecavalier bought out...

[nihilz]

If they did that and the Habs ever won a cup with vinny it would be the stuff of legend.

IT'S ONLY BLASPHEMOUS IF THE CANADIENS AND BELIVEAU BOTH DIDN'T WANT IT.

Thank you outside the ridged box thinker.

[The Chicoutimi Cucumber]

I think you're confusing the 33-year-old Vinny with the guy who had three or four dominant seasons back around 2007. He isn't that guy anymore. Now he's a 60-70-point player. The idea of un-retiring the sweater of one of the greatest hockey players of all time for a 65-point player is beyond the pale if you ask me.

[tebo64]

Just a thought, why would Lecavalier go to Montreal? Purely financially it does not make sense. Florida, no income tax but he has to leave so when he looks around where can he go that would match the Florida tax situation? Texas has no income tax so that makes Dallas an attractive location. Tennessee, no income tax so why not Nashville as a surprise landing spot? The tax paid to Quebec and Canada will certainly take a good portion of his income. If he just want to play in Montreal because of the history of the franchise then maybe. Not for the money and not for the lack of media pressure which he has now. I do not see him in Montreal or a Canadian city.

[nihilz]

I think you're confusing the 33-year-old Vinny with the guy who had three or four dominant seasons back around 2007. He isn't that guy anymore. Now he's a 60-70-point player. The idea of un-retiring the sweater of one of the greatest hockey players of all time for a 65-point player is beyond the pale if you ask me.

lmao.. seriously. SO if he was 33 year old scoring 75-85 points that would make it more palatable?

I disagree with this current philosophy.. the past is just that.. gone and done. Habs fans clinging to the good ole days.. will suffer. This is just the type of move the organization would need to make to make the present and the past current. ANd, im sorry but.. its just a bloody number. Get off your high horses, you'd think most habs fans bled in the lockers with these guys.

Y'all love to talk about the torch and ghosts.. honestly, what better move would embody those concepts?

'93 and 86' were long times ago... what kind of history and tradition has the org created since then? Profit. Time to light the imagination of the staunch hab fan stuck in the past.

[nihilz]

Just a thought, why would Lecavalier go to Montreal? Purely financially it does not make sense. Florida, no income tax but he has to leave so when he looks around where can he go that would match the Florida tax situation? Texas has no income tax so that makes Dallas an attractive location. Tennessee, no income tax so why not Nashville as a surprise landing spot? The tax paid to Quebec and Canada will certainly take a good portion of his income. If he just want to play in Montreal because of the history of the franchise then maybe. Not for the money and not for the lack of media pressure which he has now. I do not see him in Montreal or a Canadian city.

So your calling him shallow and a passionless individual that wouldn't be proud to put on the Habs jersey cause of taxes.

Is hockeybuzz closed today?

[Guest Stogey24]

I wouldn't give him Beliveau's number 4.... no Way.

I don't mind Lecavalier... woudl even give him 5.5. for 4 years.

But no to Beliveau's number.

He can take number 44, and buy Drewiske a nice Rolex.

5.5 is a good number

[nihilz]

lmao.. seriously. SO if he was 33 year old scoring 75-85 points that would make it more palatable?

I disagree with this current philosophy.. the past is just that.. gone and done. Habs fans clinging to the good ole days.. will suffer. This is just the type of move the organization would need to make to make the present and the past current. ANd, im sorry but.. its just a bloody number. Get off your high horses, you'd think most habs fans bled in the lockers with these guys.

Y'all love to talk about the torch and ghosts.. honestly, what better move would embody those concepts?

'93 and 86' were long times ago... what kind of history and tradition has the org created since then? Profit. Time to light the imagination of the staunch hab fan stuck in the past.

Let me retort, cause that came out sounding wrong in my treacherous non-filtered internal dialogue..

Imo, this is the best habs forum, bar none. I think its perfectly underground so that the hockey fans that dislike the 'fanatical fans' will find Habsworld a recluse or Sanctuary.

So in saying that.. I know. Beliveau #4. C'mon, its synonymous. But, I have come to believe that History is there to teach us and not to bind us.

Soo in saying that. Imo, there are very very few moves that would have the same effect on the organization or the fan base, than Vinny and Jean shaking hands and the number being passed as he's named captain. That sh!t would turn the page and be a great on ice addition.

While writing this I thought of Saku. And, he would be another player Id be inquiring about to play in a special teams 4th liner role. He probably wouldn't be down for that considering, and with Vinny being captain in my current scenario, I wounder if that would dissuade(disrespect) or persuade(less media and language nonsense) him.

With the youth already in the system. DD with a very trade-able contract. Again, Imo barring injury even Vinny at 36 is still an upgrade on what DD will add to this current core of players. Unfortunately for him.

I digress, in the end, its up to Jean Beliveau alone.

[JGC21]

Even if Bobby Orr came out of retirement and signed with the Habs, he ain't wearing #4. Sorry.

[The Chicoutimi Cucumber]

Greatness means greatness, not just "pretty good," which is what Lecavalier is now. Honouring the past means just that, not pretending that Lecavalier is somehow equivalent to Beliveau in order to make fans who never got to experience greatness enjoy some pathetic simulacrum. Honouring the past doesn't mean expressing irrational enthusiasm for a good-not-great player by ripping a retired jersey from the rafters. Why don't we put a statue of Lecavalier in the Bell Centre Plaza while we're at it? Why don't we give Price #33 if he wants it? Or Subban - a far more impactful player than Lecavalier - Doug Harvey's #2?

As for naming Lecavalier captain, that's just amateur hour. If he comes to the team and demonstrates commitment and leadership - if he becomes the true leader of the team - then he should be captain. Otherwise, we'll be doing just what Serge Savard did when he anointed Pierre Turgeon captain. Gio is captain until further notice.

The whole line of thought worries me, because it suggests that the fanbase will have a wildly delusional understanding of the player they're actually getting. They're NOT getting a franchise player. They're getting a quality player on the back-9 of his career. A little dose of reality is what the doctor ordered here.

[Colin]

Wow. All this talk over a guy whose game is in not-quite-freefall and isn't even half the player he was when he was vastly overrated years ago. I wonder if anyone would even look in his direction if his name was Fred Bloom. I'll take Horton over him any day of the week. Oh sure, Vinny has that coveted size. He can protect the puck well enough, but he does *absolutely* nothing else with that size.

And how do you make room for him on the ice? He says he'd play the wing, and I'm sure he'd do that for a handful of games before he decided he really just wanted to play centre so get him there now. Do you try to trade Desharnais and his large contract and low production (MB's only error thus far), or maybe try to convince Plex that his superior game will have to be traded elsewhere so fans can have their French "Superstar" (and that's using the term in absolutely the loosest manner possible). Maybe you get rid of the youthful and continually improving Eller or Galchenyuk for a 33-year old guy on the way down.

Haven't we seen this show before? Signing older players to stupid contracts then bitching shortly thereafter when they aren't what they were in their mid-20's and boy did we overpay and it's going to take us years to get over the mistake and rebuild again?

Please, do as the rumours say and go to Dallas, Vinnie.

[Guest Stogey24]

Wow. All this talk over a guy whose game is in not-quite-freefall and isn't even half the player he was when he was vastly overrated years ago. I wonder if anyone would even look in his direction if his name was Fred Bloom. I'll take Horton over him any day of the week. Oh sure, Vinny has that coveted size. He can protect the puck well enough, but he does *absolutely* nothing else with that size.

And how do you make room for him on the ice? He says he'd play the wing, and I'm sure he'd do that for a handful of games before he decided he really just wanted to play centre so get him there now. Do you try to trade Desharnais and his large contract and low production (MB's only error thus far), or maybe try to convince Plex that his superior game will have to be traded elsewhere so fans can have their French "Superstar" (and that's using the term in absolutely the loosest manner possible). Maybe you get rid of the youthful and continually improving Eller or Galchenyuk for a 33-year old guy on the way down.

Haven't we seen this show before? Signing older players to stupid contracts then bitching shortly thereafter when they aren't what they were in their mid-20's and boy did we overpay and it's going to take us years to get over the mistake and rebuild again?

Please, do as the rumours say and go to Dallas, Vinnie.

Plek is a consistent scorer and a great back checker but maybe it is time to shop him.

[The Chicoutimi Cucumber]

Pleks is absolutely a glue guy. For God's sake, don't trade him.

If by some miracle we do sign Vinny, and to a non-crippling contract, then he needs to be conceived as a replacement for Desharnais OR as a major upgrade on the wings. If he is not sincerely willing to play wing, then I pass. I'm not as contemptuous of Lecavalier as Colin - although I agree that he was overrated even in his prime, and that he is clearly not the player he once was (the fact is, I never liked Vinny, finding him moody and uncommitted much of the time). I think he would be, in principle, a valuable addition. But if we're talking about crazy scenarios where we ship out Plekanec to make room for him, sign him to a massive contract, unretire number four, anoint him captain, etc., etc., then I wouldn't touch him with a 10-foot-long McSorely illegal stick.

[Guest Stogey24]

Pleks is absolutely a glue guy. For God's sake, don't trade him.

If by some miracle we do sign Vinny, and to a non-crippling contract, then he needs to be conceived as a replacement for Desharnais OR as a major upgrade on the wings. If he is not sincerely willing to play wing, then I pass. I'm not as contemptuous of Lecavalier as Colin - although I agree that he was overrated even in his prime, and that he is clearly not the player he once was (the fact is, I never liked Vinny, finding him moody and uncommitted much of the time). I think he would be, in principle, a valuable addition. But if we're talking about crazy scenarios where we ship out Plekanec to make room for him, sign him to a massive contract, unretire number four, anoint him captain, etc., etc., then I wouldn't touch him with a 10-foot-long McSorely illegal stick.

just an option with plekanec. I wouldn't want to see him go at all. Just throwing it out there

[lazy26]

There's something that I don't think anyone has mentioned.... and it may not necessary apply to higher skilled players being bought out. Jay Mckee was bought out by the Blues and signed by Pittsburgh in 2009. Obviously, Jay isn't in the same category as Vinny or Briere, but his dad told me when Pittsburgh was negotiating the new contract, they factored in that STL was still paying him $1.3M a year. The same could be seen with the contract Armstrong signed with MTL this season (when his stock was still relatively high).

I'm just wondering if GMs will take into account that Vinny is still getting paid a fair bit by TB, and factor that amount into how much Vinny thinks he is worth. Granted, it only takes one GM (as usual) to start the overpay party, but it'd be nice to see GMs factor that amount into contract negotiations.

[Commandant]

Greatness means greatness, not just "pretty good," which is what Lecavalier is now. Honouring the past means just that, not pretending that Lecavalier is somehow equivalent to Beliveau in order to make fans who never got to experience greatness enjoy some pathetic simulacrum. Honouring the past doesn't mean expressing irrational enthusiasm for a good-not-great player by ripping a retired jersey from the rafters. Why don't we put a statue of Lecavalier in the Bell Centre Plaza while we're at it? Why don't we give Price #33 if he wants it? Or Subban - a far more impactful player than Lecavalier - Doug Harvey's #2?

As for naming Lecavalier captain, that's just amateur hour. If he comes to the team and demonstrates commitment and leadership - if he becomes the true leader of the team - then he should be captain. Otherwise, we'll be doing just what Serge Savard did when he anointed Pierre Turgeon captain. Gio is captain until further notice.

The whole line of thought worries me, because it suggests that the fanbase will have a wildly delusional understanding of the player they're actually getting. They're NOT getting a franchise player. They're getting a quality player on the back-9 of his career. A little dose of reality is what the doctor ordered here.

I agree with everything you are saying.... everything, except one small factual thing.

Serge Savard never anointed Turgeon captain.

When Serge was fired, the captain was still Mike Keane, who would later be traded to Colorado in the Roy trade, and then the captaincy was given to Turgeon by Houle.

[dlbalr]

I'm just wondering if GMs will take into account that Vinny is still getting paid a fair bit by TB, and factor that amount into how much Vinny thinks he is worth. Granted, it only takes one GM (as usual) to start the overpay party, but it'd be nice to see GMs factor that amount into contract negotiations.

It will start that way but if as many teams are interested as are being reported, it won't take long for the contract to approach market value.

[tebo64]

So your calling him shallow and a passionless individual that wouldn't be proud to put on the Habs jersey cause of taxes.

Is hockeybuzz closed today?

Not really but hockey players are business people as well as passionate hockey players. Nothing wrong with looking out for your financial interest when making any decision that will impact your family and future. Lecavalier is a passionate hockey player and I am sure he loves Montreal but when he makes a decision he must look at all the factors and one of those has to be financial benefits. I would love to have him in Montreal but I just do not have a great deal of confidence it will happen.

[dlbalr]

Listening to TSN's draft coverage, teams were apparently told he's looking for 5 years, $5 M per year.

[Machine of Loving Grace]

Listening to TSN's draft coverage, teams were apparently told he's looking for 5 years, $5 M per year.

Molson, Bergevin and Therrien all met with Vinny yesterday.

[Colin]

Hopefully to discuss when they'd be meeting for a golf date and nothing more.

[Neech]

Pleks is absolutely a glue guy. For God's sake, don't trade him.

If by some miracle we do sign Vinny, and to a non-crippling contract, then he needs to be conceived as a replacement for Desharnais OR as a major upgrade on the wings. If he is not sincerely willing to play wing, then I pass. I'm not as contemptuous of Lecavalier as Colin - although I agree that he was overrated even in his prime, and that he is clearly not the player he once was (the fact is, I never liked Vinny, finding him moody and uncommitted much of the time). I think he would be, in principle, a valuable addition. But if we're talking about crazy scenarios where we ship out Plekanec to make room for him, sign him to a massive contract, unretire number four, anoint him captain, etc., etc., then I wouldn't touch him with a 10-foot-long McSorely illegal stick.

This is how I feel, particularly about Vinny's value outside of ethnicity. I think a line of Desharnais - Lecavalier - Pacioretty with alternating centremen could work pretty well and jumpstart some careers. It would be such a circus, though, regardless of how well he does. It would take the spotlight off the real key players like Pleks and Subban. After every shift people would be in hysterics one way or another.

[The Chicoutimi Cucumber]

This is how I feel, particularly about Vinny's value outside of ethnicity. I think a line of Desharnais - Lecavalier - Pacioretty with alternating centremen could work pretty well and jumpstart some careers. It would be such a circus, though, regardless of how well he does. It would take the spotlight off the real key players like Pleks and Subban. After every shift people would be in hysterics one way or another.

I'm actually a little worried that Bergevin won't go after him aggressively because of the "circus" factor. I think I know what MB wants - a tight, synergistic, determined group with total team commitment - and I could see him passing on Vinny just because he doesn't want one guy overwhelming the rest of the club. But unless you've concluded that Lecavalier is not a team player (and maybe this is a valid conclusion) that would be sort-sighted IMHO. Eventually the hysteria will die down and the situation will normalize, or get as "normal" as Montreal ever gets. So passing on a useful player for that reason would be dubious in my view.

[dlbalr]

I'm actually a little worried that Bergevin won't go after him aggressively because of the "circus" factor. I think I know what MB wants - a tight, synergistic, determined group with total team commitment - and I could see him passing on Vinny just because he doesn't want one guy overwhelming the rest of the club. But unless you've concluded that Lecavalier is not a team player (and maybe this is a valid conclusion) that would be sort-sighted IMHO. Eventually the hysteria will die down and the situation will normalize, or get as "normal" as Montreal ever gets. So passing on a useful player for that reason would be dubious in my view.

They've indicated a strong interest. I listened to one of the interviews with Bergevin (sounded like it was during the 4th round), when asked what the Habs' interest in Lecavalier was on a scale of 1-10, he answered "very high." I think they'll be aggressive in their pursuit.

[Chris]

DD at 4 years 3.5 mill or VL 5 year at 5 mill. I'll take VL.

If they go after him they have to move DD or Pleks.

[sbhatt]

DD at 4 years 3.5 mill or VL 5 year at 5 mill. I'll take VL.

If they go after him they have to move DD or Pleks.

If DD can be dumped, I'm loving Vinny at 5.