Stephen
Moderator
- Feb 28, 2002
- 79,201
- 54,473
What kind of legacy has Vincent Lecavalier built for himself up to this point in his career? Who is he comparable to historically? He was obviously a player who came into the league with some immense expectations, and has admittedly accomplished some fantastic things both personally and as a part of a team in the NHL and on the world's stage, but overall, his career trends towards an inconsistent swinging between short bursts of elite play and then failing to deliver consistently. Given his talent and size, he should have easily been as reliable as Joe Thornton over the years.
The fact that he wasn't a reliable source of elite level offensive production over the course of his career, has also made him a relatively unreliable franchise player for Tampa Bay over the years, as well as the fact that he has needed special attention for motivation and maturity at various points. Despite that franchise constantly trusting him into a Steve Yzerman type role as their cornerstone, annoiting him captain at the age of 20, investing a decade plus contract on him, etc. he has more often than not been overshadowed by his teammates whether it be Brad Richards' Conn Smythe, Marty St. Louis' Hart calibre seasons, and even Steven Stamkos' Rocket Richard year.
Speaking as a big fan of his, his career has been fairly frustrating to follow over the years. If everything continues on pace for the next decade, barring an unforeseen second act where he thrives again, or suffers a total collapse, he'll probably still walk away from the game with some gaudy career totals, a very healthy peak, a championship and some international success. The compiled resume will still look great but somehow the journey feels a bit less satisfying.
Overall, who does he compare to historically as an underachieving franchise player? I've heard Bobby Smith's name thrown around. Maybe a contemporary would be Eric Staal?
The fact that he wasn't a reliable source of elite level offensive production over the course of his career, has also made him a relatively unreliable franchise player for Tampa Bay over the years, as well as the fact that he has needed special attention for motivation and maturity at various points. Despite that franchise constantly trusting him into a Steve Yzerman type role as their cornerstone, annoiting him captain at the age of 20, investing a decade plus contract on him, etc. he has more often than not been overshadowed by his teammates whether it be Brad Richards' Conn Smythe, Marty St. Louis' Hart calibre seasons, and even Steven Stamkos' Rocket Richard year.
Speaking as a big fan of his, his career has been fairly frustrating to follow over the years. If everything continues on pace for the next decade, barring an unforeseen second act where he thrives again, or suffers a total collapse, he'll probably still walk away from the game with some gaudy career totals, a very healthy peak, a championship and some international success. The compiled resume will still look great but somehow the journey feels a bit less satisfying.
Overall, who does he compare to historically as an underachieving franchise player? I've heard Bobby Smith's name thrown around. Maybe a contemporary would be Eric Staal?