Sport-scan daily brief

Lecavalier becomes an unrestricted free agent on July 5, free to sign with any team. He does not have to clear unconditional waivers because he has a no-move clause in his contract.

"Listen, we're going to sit down and have conversations and start looking through various teams with possible needs, fits," Lecavalier's agent Kent Hughes said. "He's got a young family. He's got to go through hockey-wise what fits and family-wise and make a decision."

The Lightning is not only losing a player, but part of its history.

Lecavalier leads the franchise with 1.037 games, 383 goals and 60 winners. He was the franchise's first 50-goal scorer and was one of the stars of the 2003-04 Stanley Cup run. His fight with Calgary's Jarome Iginla in Game 3 was a flashpoint of the final series which ended with a 2-1 Game 7 win in which Lecavalier assisted on both of Ruslan Fedotenko's goals. And it would be tough to forget his between-the-legs goal against the Canadiens in the East semifinals.

Lecavalier in 2007, though his charitable foundation, also donated $3 million to help establish the Vincent Lecavalier Pediatric Cancer and Blood Disorders Center at All Children's Hospital in St. Petersburg.

He has always said he wanted to play his entire career with the Lightning.

On the ice, the move is a two-edged sword for the team.

On the plus side for the Lightning, it is out from under Lecavalier's 11-year, $85 million deal, which had seven years and $45 million remaining and carried a $7.727 million salary cap hit. That was an enormous burden for a team that had more than $60 million in cap commitments for 2013-14 and up to five roster spots to fill.

The move also relieves Tampa Bay of potential substantial penalties under the new collective bargaining agreement's salary cap recapture rules that would have hit the team if Lecavalier retired before the end of his contract. The Lightning is in that position because Lecavalier's salaries in eight of the 11 years of his contract were more than his salary cap hit. That advantage would be punished if Lecavalier did not fulfill his deal.

The negative is the Lightning now has a huge hole in its lineup. Lecavalier, 33, is still almost a point-a-game player. He won 55 percent of his faceoff last season and he plays against some of the bigger opposing bodies, which creates space for his linemates.

General manager Steve Yzerman said he does not have a way, as yet, a way to fill that spot. In fact, Yzerman admittedd the team, in the short term, may be worse on the ice because of the move.

"That's a possibility," Yzerman said, and added, "If we're going to take a step backwards, let's take a step backwards today and start the process of going forward and continue reorganizaing and rebuilding this team and go from there."

How will he do that?

"We'll look at free agency. We'll look at the draft," Yzerman said. "We'll look at trades. We'll look at the potential free agent market."

Still, Yzerman admitted, "I do not have a solution for anyone today."

And he does not have plans this summer, he said, to use the second compliance buyout available to all teams.

Some potential solutions are former Lightning center Brad Richards, who might be bought out by the Rangers, and potential unrestricted free agent centers Tyler Bozak and Valtteri Filppula.

Whatever happens going forward, Lightning center Nate Thompson said it will be odd not seeing Lecavalier in the locker room.

"Absolutely," he said. "To look to my right and not see Vinny Lecavalier there, it will be strange. Just his presence in the locker room, on the ice, it's going to be an adjustment. Whoever does get him, they're going to get a great hockey player and an even better guy."

Here's the announcement from the team about Lecavalier's buyout:

The Tampa Bay Lightning will use a compliance buy-out, as allowed by the NHL’s Collective Bargaining Agreement, on center Vincent Lecavalier, vice president and general manager Steve Yzerman announced today. Lecavalier becomes an unrestricted free agent on July 5, eligible to sign with any team in the NHL, except Tampa Bay. The Lightning will pay Lecavalier two-thirds of the value of his existing contract over twice the term of the deal.

"Vinny has been a significant reason for many of our past successes, including the 2004 Stanley Cup, and his contributions to the community are immeasurable,” said Yzerman upon announcing the buyout. “The Lightning organization is indebted to Vinny; we thank him for all he has done here and we wish him well as he moves forward.

“After much internal deliberation, we believe this will prove to be a pivotal move for us as we strive to achieve our long term goal of competing at the highest level, year-in, year-out. The economics and structure of the CBA are necessitating this decision and we at the Lightning are excited at the newly created opportunities this presents to us.”

Lecavalier was a first overall selection by the Lightning in the 1998 NHL Entry Draft. He is the Tampa Bay’s all-time leader for games played with 1,037, goals with 383, power play goals with 112 and game-winning goals with 60. Lecavalier played 14 seasons in Tampa Bay, posting 12 consecutive seasons with 20 goals or more, four NHL All-Star appearances and a Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy as the league’s leading goal-scorer (52 in 2006-07). He served as an alternate captain in 2004 when the Lightning won the franchise’s first and only Stanley Cup. The NHL also recognized Lecavalier for his community contributions with the King Clancy Memorial Trophy and the NHL Foundation Player Award in 2008. He formed the Vinny Lecavalier Foundation in 2003, eventually opening the Vincent Lecavalier Pediatric Cancer and Blood Disorder Center at All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg in 2010.

Tampa Bay Times LOADED: 06.28.2013

682769 Toronto Maple Leafs

Maple Leafs: Possible Toronto deal for Letang, Lecavalier?

By: Curtis Rush News reporter, Published on Thu Jun 27 2013

Wouldn’t Vinny Lecavalier and Kris Letang both look good in a Toronto Maple Leafs jersey?

Leaf fans can only drool at this prospect, but it might not be all that far-fetched.

The Lightning has bought out the rest of Lecavalier’s contract, and in Pittsburgh there is talk Letang, a Norris Trophy finalist, wants out and would like to come to Toronto.

Sources told Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reporter Rob Rossi that Toronto has emerged as a potential destination if Letang can’t work out a long-term deal with the Penguins.

Letang, 26, is said to be disgruntled because some members of management rate Paul Martin ahead of him on the Pittsburgh blue line.

Penguins GM Ray Shero has not ruled out trading Letang, who is in the last year of his contract and is trying to work out an extension, according to Rossi.

Letang has not asked for a trade, but with the entry draft coming up on Sunday, trade talk could heat up.

Letang’s agent, Kent Hughes, said he and Shero are “still talking” about a new deal for the high-scoring defenceman: 38 points, tied with P.K. Subban for the league lead, despite missing 13 games.

The price to acquire Letang would be steep: a roster player, first-round pick and top prospect, or two roster players, according to Rossi.

Meanwhile, the Lightning are buying out the rest of Lecavalier’s 11-year, $85-million contract. He becomes an unrestricted free agent on July 5.

Lecavalier had $45 million left on the deal and will be paid two-thirds of that over the next 14 years. The Lightning will get relief from the centre's $7.727-million salary cap hit.

Lightning GM Steve Yzerman issued a statement in which he thanked Lecavalier for “all he has done here.”

Economics were behind the decision to buy out Lecavalier, 33, who had 10 goals and 32 assists in 39 games last season.

“When you get the phone call and you're told you can't play for the Lightning, it was pretty rough on everybody,” Lecavalier said on a conference call. “My family, and myself, I've been there 14 years so it was definitely — and still is — very hard.”

He has 383 goals and 491 assists in 1,037 NHL games, all with the Bolts.

“I think the new CBA puts the team in a tough spot and that's why it's understandable,” Lecavalier said. “It was their decision and I have to respect that.”

Montreal fans are pushing hard for the Canadiens, who have not had a French-Canadian star in many years and want to get bigger up front, to sign Lecavalier. With 20 players signed and $9 million in salary cap space open, they should be able to afford him.

On his blog, Mathieu Darche, a former Canadien and Lightning player, urged Habs GM Marc Bergevin to sign him.

Toronto Star LOADED: 06.28.2013

682770 Toronto Maple Leafs

Could Letang now be Leafs-bound?

By Lance Hornby ,Toronto Sun

First posted: Thursday, June 27, 2013 11:34 PM EDT | Updated: Thursday, June 27, 2013 11:41 PM EDT

Kris Letang got a substantial offer from the Pittsburgh Penguins last night, then promptly turned it down, refuelling rumours the star D-man could be headed Toronto’s way. (Jocelyn Mallette, QMI Agency)

Kris Letang apparently has expensive tastes, which only a club such as the Maple Leafs might ultimately be able to indulge.

In a dizzying day of negotiating that followed Wednesday’s report linking Letang and the Leafs, the Pittsburgh Penguins stretched their budget to offer around $56 million over eight years to the young Norris Trophy nominee. But Letang’s agent, Kent Hughes, said no, and multiple reports late Thursday said his counter offer to add $500,000 to the annual $7 million proposed by the Pens was also rejected.

The Pittsburgh Tribune Review said talks would continue as teams gather in New Jersey for Sunday’s NHL draft. At the draft in Pittsburgh a year ago, Jordan Staal turned down an offer from Pens’ general manager Ray Shero and was traded to Carolina.

Either of Thursday’s deals would double Letang’s stipend of $3.5 million for this coming year, a raise that only a few other teams, such as Toronto, could afford under the shrinking cap.

The Pens insisted Thursday morning they hadn’t approached the Leafs and Toronto GM Dave Nonis was caught off-guard by Wednesday’s Tribune report that Letang’s camp saw the Leafs as a potential landing spot. It created massive speculation the Leafs would have to deal defenceman Jake Gardiner and move Dion Phaneuf’s salary by trade or buyout.

Like many of his peers, Nonis is amazed by the number of big-name players suddenly available or on the verge of being moved. But as he cautioned earlier this week, spreading around too much money in pursuit of quick fixes is how many teams got in cap trouble in the first place.

The Leafs will be paying at least one compliance buyout in the next few days to Mike Komisarek. They aren’t in bad shape to get under the lowered cap of $64.3 million this year and have only five players under contract in 2014-15, when the ceiling could rise and they wipe $1-million buyouts for Darcy Tucker and Colby Armstrong off the books.

Nonis has a few projects going this weekend, the draft, trade talk, in-house free agents such as Tyler Bozak, a new contract for Jonathan Bernier and perhaps announcing a new Marlie farm coach.

SCOUT’S HONOR

From the moment Gary Bettman recites “the 21st pick in the NHL draft belongs to the Toronto Maple Leafs”, to announcing the newest blue and white saviour, about a minute will elapse.

But that short span does no justice to the days, weeks and months of tracking that went into the decision and all the arguments behind closed doors. On a team trying to foster a feisty identity, it’s often the amateur scouts who get most worked-up, defending their favourite picks, their region and their horse sense against their peers.

“You have to be passionate in our business,” said Dave Morrison, the Leafs’ long-time director of amateur scouting, as he readies his staff for Sunday.

“Usually, our heated arguments have happened already, though we had another big meeting planned (Thursday). I’m not opposed to them having a heated discussion. It’s a funny dynamic. It can get pretty loud and people get up and leave. But they take a walk outside, come back in and it’s like it never happened. We always find a solution.”

FEELING A DRAFT

Anticipation is building whether the Leafs will trade up in the draft as they did in 2008 (Luke Schenn) and 2011 (Tyler Biggs) or stay at 21st in what’s considered a banner year for depth.

Choosing amid the bottom 10 as opposed to taking Morgan Rielly fifth overall last year means prospects will have to be vetted all that more by the scouts and Leafs brass in case they drop in the order.

“The further down you go to where we are, there’s a range of possibilities,” Morrison said. “At 21, we’ll get a good player ,but it will likely take longer for him to make the NHL. We’ll just have to be patient with his development.”

Mock drafts, such the Sun’s, have scrappy left winger Kerby Rychel under strong consideration, though more than one projection has rangy 6-foot-5 Rimouski centre Frederik Gauthier fitting Leafs needs under the Nonis-Randy Carlyle definition. Rychel can also score — 40 goals back-to-back with Windsor — while Gauthier (60 points in 62 games) could satisfy the craving for more size in the middle.

“Everyone always talks about taking the best player available,” said TSN analyst Craig Button. “In this draft, there are lots of different types of best player available.”

START THE PARTY

The Leafs are planning several major celebrations around their 100th anniversary, but they wouldn’t mind a head-start.

The date of the first game by the Toronto Arenas of the newly formed NHL was Dec. 19, 1917, but Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment will angle to host some NHL events starting in 2016-17. Having already landed the preliminary round of the 2017 world junior tournament, they will likely request the all-star game as early as the winter of ’16-17 and the draft somewhere in the ’16-18 window. Montreal was the site of the latter two events in its centennial year of 2008-09.

“The league is aware we have special year coming up,” said Tom Anselmi, president of MLSE. “But we haven’t (officially bid) on anything, yet.”

LOOSE LEAFS

Bernier says the frustration of backing up Jonathan Quick was getting to him by his last season with the Kings. “I was pretty miserable in L.A.,” Bernier told 590 the Fan on Thursday. “It was really hard. I play hockey to play games, not only practise.” ... While the Leafs are holding off decisions on UFAs such as Bozak and Clarke MacArthur, they are also mum on the fate of unsigned Marlies such as veteran centre Mike Zigomanis and goalies Jussi Rynnas and Mark Owuya. The netminders are not likely returning with Drew MacIntyre and rookie Garret Sparks apparently set for this year.

Toronto Sun LOADED: 06.28.2013

682771 Vancouver Canucks

Arniel won’t coach Utica Comets, pursuing NHL assistant job

June 27, 2013. 4:27 pm

Elliott Pap

The Canucks finally settled on a head coach for the big club this week and now they’ll need to find one for their new American Hockey league farm team, the Utica Comets. Scott Arniel, who was under contract for two more seasons, said Thursday he won’t be heading to Utica and will instead sign with an NHL club as an assistant coach.

Arniel is in the running to join the staff of new Canuck head coach John Tortorella. Other possibilities are the New York Rangers and Dallas Stars where Arniel has ties to the new bench bosses there, Alain Vigneault and Lindy Ruff. There is believed to be a fourth team in the running as well.

“I’m not going to go to Utica,” Arniel said. “I talked to Mike Gillis and Laurence Gilman and Lorne Henning and told them I am going to pursue an assistant job in the National Hockey League. I still want to be a head coach again in the NHL and I think this is the way to go.”

Arniel, 50, has had one stint as an NHL head coach in Columbus but lasted only one and a half seasons with the Blue Jackets before receiving the boot. Prior to Columbus, he coached the Canucks’ AHL affiliate in Winnipeg, the Manitoba Moose, for four seasons. He was rehired by the Canucks to coach the Chicago Wolves in 2012-13.

“Last year I kind of knew I wanted to get back into coaching and it was a good fit to take the Chicago job, even though I had some opportunities to be an assistant in the NHL,” Arniel explained. “I am going to go to the draft this weekend to gather more information about the teams and players and to find out about roles. I think I will have to make a decision fairly shortly.”

Earlier this week, Canuck GM Gillis confirmed he has agreed to let other organizations talk to Arniel about their assistant positions. “We’re extremely hopeful to keep Scott but when teams ask for permission, you’re pretty obligated to guys who have worked for you, and are loyal to you, to allow them to speak to other teams,” Gillis said.

Arniel played two seasons in Buffalo while Tortorella was an assistant coach there. Arniel also served as an assistant coach in Buffalo for three seasons under Ruff and, of course, worked closely with Vigneault while the latter was Canuck head coach and he was nurturing the farmhands in Manitoba and Chicago.

Vancouver Sun: LOADED: 06.28.2013

682772 Vancouver Canucks

Arniel won’t coach Utica Comets, pursuing NHL assistant job

June 27, 2013. 4:27 pm

Elliott Pap

The Canucks finally settled on a head coach for the big club this week and now they’ll need to find one for their new American Hockey league farm team, the Utica Comets. Scott Arniel, who was under contract for two more seasons, said Thursday he won’t be heading to Utica and will instead sign with an NHL club as an assistant coach.

Arniel is in the running to join the staff of new Canuck head coach John Tortorella. Other possibilities are the New York Rangers and Dallas Stars where Arniel has ties to the new bench bosses there, Alain Vigneault and Lindy Ruff. There is believed to be a fourth team in the running as well.

“I’m not going to go to Utica,” Arniel said. “I talked to Mike Gillis and Laurence Gilman and Lorne Henning and told them I am going to pursue an assistant job in the National Hockey League. I still want to be a head coach again in the NHL and I think this is the way to go.”

Arniel, 50, has had one stint as an NHL head coach in Columbus but lasted only one and a half seasons with the Blue Jackets before receiving the boot. Prior to Columbus, he coached the Canucks’ AHL affiliate in Winnipeg, the Manitoba Moose, for four seasons. He was rehired by the Canucks to coach the Chicago Wolves in 2012-13.

“Last year I kind of knew I wanted to get back into coaching and it was a good fit to take the Chicago job, even though I had some opportunities to be an assistant in the NHL,” Arniel explained. “I am going to go to the draft this weekend to gather more information about the teams and players and to find out about roles. I think I will have to make a decision fairly shortly.”

Earlier this week, Canuck GM Gillis confirmed he has agreed to let other organizations talk to Arniel about their assistant positions. “We’re extremely hopeful to keep Scott but when teams ask for permission, you’re pretty obligated to guys who have worked for you, and are loyal to you, to allow them to speak to other teams,” Gillis said.

Arniel played two seasons in Buffalo while Tortorella was an assistant coach there. Arniel also served as an assistant coach in Buffalo for three seasons under Ruff and, of course, worked closely with Vigneault while the latter was Canuck head coach and he was nurturing the farmhands in Manitoba and Chicago.

Vancouver Sun: LOADED: 06.28.2013

682773 Vancouver Canucks

Gallagher: Advice to NHL draft watchers ... 'make sure the bullbleep filter is cranked to the max'

By Tony Gallagher, The Province June 27, 2013 6:06 PM

Gallagher: Advice to NHL draft watchers ... 'make sure the bullbleep filter is cranked to the max'

Vancouver’s new head coach John Tortorella certainly injected a little reason into this Sunday’s NHL entry draft in New Jersey when he noted at his local presser on Wednesday that the draft was a day for scouts and that he wouldn’t be attending.

"That is the scouts’ day, they do a lot of work and I think coaches get in the way," said Tortorella. "We don’t know who they (drafted players) are. I will not (attend) because it’s a very important day for those people who work very hard."

It’s almost a pity that more people don’t heed this advice, because when it comes to NHL draft day there are maybe 60-90 people in the whole building who have even the slightest idea who the players are that are being selected and they’re the scouts.

And if you ask any general manager in the league, there’s considerable skepticism about what even those scouts know with respect to how these potential draftees will do in an NHL environment.

And yes, the rest of those suits hanging around are pretty much in the way other than the GMs and their closest counsels using the event as a catalyst for possible trade moves, which is one of the chief reasons our Ben Kuzma will be there.

Other than simply presenting who was drafted by which team, much of what the media will do or say at the event will create a sea of baffling information which history will almost certainly prove is a mountain of horse manure.

Your agent has considerable experience at shoveling some of it himself, having attended many of these turnouts in the past. One shudders to think about what one might have written about Jason Herter, Libor Polasek or Dan Woodley on the days they were taken by the Canucks in the first round, but you can be sure it won’t be going in any old fashion scrap book other than perhaps one being kept by the mother of the named players.

Draft day coverage presents so much misinformation and bad speculation about players it’s actually sad. It’s done because people watch or read or listen and therefore the respective outlets feed their patrons’ appetite.

But the only coverage that really makes sense with respect to a draft are those programs or stories that look back in time, particularly at those drafts which had a tremendous impact on the league or the game or brought a pack of stars into the league. Only then can accuracy be part of the equation instead of wild predictions, most of which turn out to be complete drivel.

Many people speak of draft day as one of hope for teams and a wellspring of optimism for the years to come for fans of teams on the down and out. Well, that’s what is being sold by the NHL and every other pro sports league that holds such an event and in some cases that’s true, particularly if you get Roberto Luongo in a trade as the Canucks did back in ‘06 or you draft a known superstar quantity like Sidney Crosby. But in so many cases the optimism being sold is nothing but illusion when the player taken turns out of be Alexandre Daigle, Joe Murphy or Gord Kluzak.

How many years now have the Edmonton Oilers been at or near the very top of the order of selection? Each one of those new stars was supposed to lead the team out of the sewer and on the way to the promised land the way Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook have done for the Blackhawks. But so far progress has been somewhat muted. At this point, you would have to think that they’ve drafted so high so often that even if Maggie the Monkey was running this team they’d be good eventually, but so far that hasn’t happened.

The Canucks have never had a first pick overall but they had some very good positions over the years and still managed to finish under .500 for 15 consecutive seasons. How much hope being sold to Vancouver fans over those years has turned out to be camel dung?