The Vincent Lecavalier Dream Thread - Part I: Compliance Buyout

[Gomez91]

That's the crux of it.

Getting him isn't good if you think of it as getting Vinny Lecavilier, french Canadian star #1 center. It can be good if you pay him with the idea of getting a guy with good offensive skill, size and shooting ability to play an offensive role somewhere in your top nine. He's a good add if you get him for what he's going to be rather than what he was.

Listen Mario Lemieux was suppose to leave Pittsburgh around the last few years of his career Montreal was interested and spoke out he should come to Montreal, French Canadian, Superstar and good representative for the team similar to Vinny. He has no faults or flaws Spezza is hurt almost every year still a superstar. Montreal would be making a big mistake not to pursue Vinny

 

[overlords]

How weird and convoluted can it get?
Lets tear down the number of the original #4 so some guy who built and won for another team can wear his 4?
Just because we've been pining for a local star?
How far has this fan base fallen?
Just the mention of this is blasphemous

As for Vinny himself i wouldn't mind him on the team for the right term and cap hit. That being said whether you like it or not, You still need DD around if you want to claim that you have depth at center.
I still dont think he'll sign here

You don't need DD on the wings to have depth at center, you just need to acquire yourself a young C in hamilton who can step up in case of injuries to 2 of our top 9 centers. Even that is a pretty big redundancy.

 

[MSLs absurd thighs]

I agree with a lot of what you say here, and you can call me part of the 'apologizing crew' all you like, but if Vincent doesn't come here, it's because he didn't want to come here. If he's going to snub the habs because of a million or two million dollars, if that's what stops him from 'coming home' as so many like to put it, the guy can **** right off. It's not Bergevin's job to lay down a red carpet and potentially threaten the cap security of the entire team for one guy.

I just can't imagine Lecavalier being that expensive. We'll see, and nobody can say for sure though.

That being said, I KNOW Toronto is going to be on this one in full force. And I think at anything around 4-5M for 4 years or less, we CAN'T let this guy slip to a division rival for a matter of a few hundred K.

Of course, it's all speculation, but Bergevin can't snob this one and say Lecavalier can't make our current roster/clearly outplay our top-3 Cs. Not with his background. Not with his history in the playoffs. Not the way he ALWAYS plays against us. Not with the size of our C line.

 

[AntonCH]

You don't need DD on the wings to have depth at center, you just need to acquire yourself a young C in hamilton who can step up in case of injuries to 2 of our top 9 centers. Even that is a pretty big redundancy.

Ok, I'll play
name a center in Hamilton that we can call up
Don't think there is one
Where can we pick one up?
Not sure, as its been a need for the past bunch of years that we haven't been able to properly address
Don't tell me that the arrival of Vinny means that now Nokelainen or a version thereof can fit the bill?

I don't like DD myself, but to proclaim center depth you have to keep him around (Galchenyuk is not ready yet)

 

[Kimota]

- It's not like Galchenyuk and Eller are ready to be #1/2 next year.
- Vinny's not gonna take the team on his back at this stage. Trade him or move him to wing if/when required.
- There's plenty of icetime for everybody. The 'experts' around here agree that Pleckanek could use less minutes, for example.

The keyword here is depth. We don't have much depth and size un front and we arguably miss a big, though dman as well. Getting Vinny would solve half the problem for free.

Yea I agree it would be good for the depth. But dammit, I want Eller on the second line next year.

 

[McGuires Corndog]

Yea I agree it would be good for the depth. But dammit, I want Eller on the second line next year.

Then you package Plekanec for an elite winger. That's what we need if we land Vinny, not saying that Plekanec is lesser than Vinny. He's a far more complete player. I just think our need for a goal scoring winger with size is a pressing need, something that only Plekanec could fetch us in a trade.

Imagine if we could get Bobby Ryan? Or Chris Stewart(at this point stlouis is adding assets). We'd finally have the skill and size to go the extra mile.

 

[Banjo Cat]

I just can't imagine Lecavalier being that expensive. We'll see, and nobody can say for sure though.

If the price is right, I hope Bergevin would be all over it, but you have to think a lot of teams are going to be looking at Lecavalier now that he is on the market. He is not what he used to be, but nonetheless, he is now one of this years big fish.

It would be awesome if Vinny really wants to play here.

 

[dreamingofdrouin*]

I think everyone who wants vinny in montreal should change their pics to one of him in bleu, blanc et rouge and everyone who doesn't should change it to the grinch or scrooge

 

[BigDaddyLurch]

I think everyone should change their avatars to a pic of vinny in bleu, blanc et rouge

With ya!

 

[Kimota]

Then you package Plekanec for an elite winger. That's what we need if we land Vinny, not saying that Plekanec is lesser than Vinny. He's a far more complete player. I just think our need for a goal scoring winger with size is a pressing need, something that only Plekanec could fetch us in a trade.

Imagine if we could get Bobby Ryan? Or Chris Stewart(at this point stlouis is adding assets). We'd finally have the skill and size to go the extra mile.

That would be a good alternative.

 

[Banjo Cat]

I think everyone should change their avatars to a pic of vinny in bleu, blanc et rouge

If he reads HF boards, that could possibly tug at his heart strings. Not a bad idea.

 

[Sorinth]

Gomez and Kaberle weren't traded. They were bought out and if we didn't have the buyouts we'd still be stuck with them. We won't have the luxury of a buyout with Lecavalier.

They were traded by the teams that signed them to those deals.

 

[Habaneros]

If he reads HF boards, that could possibly tug at his heart strings. Not a bad idea.

Im positive he doesnt need HF boards to show him love....Go watch the 2009 standin ovation he got at Bell Centre on youtube...he knows

 

[Banjo Cat]

They were traded by the teams that signed them to those deals.

Yeah, to us. That's why the possibility of Vinny being another bad contract is kind of scary for some. If we sign him for 4 years over 5 million and his production drops off enough, Vinny is no longer the coveted star but another guy we complain about. I would love to have him on this team, but that possibility has got to be considered.

 

[dutchy29]

this is so 7 years ago

 

[Sorinth]

Yeah, to us. That's why the possibility of Vinny being another bad contract is kind of scary for some. If we sign him for 4 years over 5 million and his production drops off enough, Vinny is no longer the coveted star but another guy we complain about. I would love to have him on this team, but that possibility has got to be considered.

The point I was making was that even if he struggles with us he will still be tradeable. There will always be a GM willing to take the risk so long as the deal is realistic i.e 4 years 22m.

 

[void]

Ok the Vinny obsession is getting creepy now..

 

[Genesis76]

Nty will take a few enforcers instead.

 

[Banjo Cat]

The point I was making was that even if he struggles with us he will still be tradeable. There will always be a GM willing to take the risk so long as the deal is realistic i.e 4 years 22m.

I suppose. We were in the bad position of being the second team for those players not to live up their then current contracts. Still though, it's not the best position to put yourself in where you have to count upon some GM taking the risk.

In the end, it's up to Bergevin. I think he will do what's best.

 

[VAN-HAB]

I think it's all up to Vincent now. If he wants to come to Montreal - and I hope he does, MB will give him a good contact- he had no choice.
Vincent is one of my favorite players and signing him will give MB an excuse to get rid of Desharnais.

 

[Brainiac]

Ok the Vinny obsession is getting creepy now..

I for one was all against trading for him back in the days. Whatever the details, that trade was obviously ridiculously bad for the Habs.

But getting him for free? He's older and brings less to the table, sure, but he's also stable in the last few years. His value is at its lowest so we won't overpay.

I just don't see how a 4 years deal could hurt the Habs, especially if we give him a limited NTC. There's gonna be a way to work around anything, unless he goes full Gomez and doesn't score for a year. In which case I will gladly ask my cat to go and fetch me a big juicy crow.

 

[Never]

If the price is right, I hope Bergevin would be all over it, but you have to think a lot of teams are going to be looking at Lecavalier now that he is on the market. He is not what he used to be, but nonetheless, he is now one of this years big fish.

It would be awesome if Vinny really wants to play here.

He never did before, dunno why he would now.

I don't want him anyway. He's not what he used to be, but unfortunately the French media and a chunk of the French fanbase (some, not all, before some of you get all mad) will still proclaim him to be this saviour or French-Canadian superstar that we apparently so desperately need, neither of which is true anymore.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

They were traded by the teams that signed them to those deals.

And we couldn't trade them away. We were stupid... you want us to be stupid again.

Again, your whole strategy surrounds us finding somebody dumber than we are. Didn't happen this time, no reason to expect it to happen again.

Stop being silly.

The point I was making was that even if he struggles with us he will still be tradeable. There will always be a GM willing to take the risk so long as the deal is realistic i.e 4 years 22m.

No there isn't. If there was then Danny Briere and scores of other players would've been dealt. Fortunately for many of these teams had the advantage of being able to have buyout amnesties, something we won't have the luxury to do this time around.

We can't afford to be stupid and you have no valid point here man. You're suggesting that it's okay if we're stupid and sign a ridiculous contract. It's not okay, we won't necessarily find somebody dumber than we are and we shouldn't go down that path.

Stop it with these ridiculous arguments.

I for one was all against trading for him back in the days. Whatever the details, that trade was obviously ridiculously bad for the Habs.

But getting him for free? He's older and brings less to the table, sure, but he's also stable in the last few years. His value is at its lowest so we won't overpay.

I just don't see how a 4 years deal could hurt the Habs, especially if we give him a limited NTC. There's gonna be a way to work around anything, unless he goes full Gomez and doesn't score for a year. In which case I will gladly ask my cat to go and fetch me a big juicy crow.

The 22 million dollar contract you suggested earlier is far from "free". We dodged a bullet last time and now you want us to go out and get shot?

How is it that we never learn?

Unless he offers a hometown discount then tell him to piss up a rope.

 

[25get]

Seems to me that Vinny could compare to Brad Richards.

Some team will offer 4-5X6M.
Even could be Sather.

For teams with money, the compliance buy-out allows is almost same as having a bigger SCap.
Habs saved 11.5M on SCap. Flyers did save 12M.
St-Louis needs a center and is now in line to try a run at the cup.

 

[MasterDecoy]

I know how this will sound but...

If Lecavalier signs a reasonable deal with another team but the Habs I will place 100% of the blame on Bergevin and his incompetence and he will have an enemy for life.

If the guy found it wise to extend the likes of superstars Peter Budaj, Davis Drewiske, Francois Bouillon and David Desharnais -- he better not miss out on Lecavalier.

overreaction much? besides the obvious in that we need a backup (budaj), short term, no money, depth deals (drewiskie and bouillon) and locking assets for reasonable money and reasonable term (desharnais) you know it takes two to tango right? maybe, just maybe vincent won't want to come here to this circus and reading your post kind of makes it obvious why no?