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To quote the New York Islanders’ first round pick of ‘93: "The draft is what it is. Read, watch and listen to whatever you like but make sure the bullbleep filter is cranked to the max when consuming this piffle."

Vancouver Province: LOADED: 06.28.2013

682774 Vancouver Canucks

Kuzma: How do you trade an albatross?

By Ben Kuzma, The Province June 27, 2013 6:06 PM

NEW YORK — Mike Gillis made his mark in hockey as a high draft pick, a high-profile agent and now as general manager of the highly scrutinized Vancouver Canucks. And because the agent in Gillis is naturally wired to wait and gain maximum return on a prime asset, the Canucks find themselves in the same position they were a year ago at the NHL draft — trying to trade Roberto Luongo.

Even though the Philadelphia Flyers have bought out the mercurial Ilya Bryzgalov — the whopping $23 million US is two-thirds of the remaining contract and will be paid out over 14 years — general manager Paul Holmgren said Luongo is not a viable option for the Flyers. The nine years and $40.5 million remaining on his 12-year contract that pays $6.7 million the next five seasons and has a salary cap hit of $5.3 million, is like an albatross around the goalie’s neck. Luongo’s post-trade-deadline frustration summation said it best because the contract ceiling in the new collective bargaining agreement is eight years.

“My contract sucks,” Luongo said immediately after the trade deadline. “I’d scrap it if I could.”

Nearly three months later, moving Luongo isn’t easier and is overshadowing the 2013 draft on Sunday in Newark, N.J.

A trade is preferable to going the wavier route or a buyout — imagine how owner Francesco Aquilini would react to writing that massive cheque and getting nothing in return? — but buying out Keith Ballard is going to be more palatable for a club already at the $64.3-million cap ceiling for next season. It’s why Gillis is singing a familiar refrain about eventually dealing Luongo.

“I remain optimistic,” he said. “We’ve been talking to teams, like we have for a long time. At the draft, I’m not sure what’s going to happen but we will continue to have discussions with a group of teams and we’ll see how it works out. In this business, you have to be absolutely firm in what you want to do. And that’s what we’ve done.

“There are a lot of moving parts in a Roberto Luongo deal which lots of people want to ignore. He does have a no-trade clause and a contract perfectly legal and ratified by the league at the time. We have to be patient enough to sort through it.”

What the Canucks would like to do is get a third-line centre.

What they may have to settle for are picks and even taking money back. Then again, the New York Islanders are expected to let Evgeni Nabokov flee to unrestricted free agency and Luongo returning to a team that drafted him has been broached in theory and could work under the right circumstances.

The Islanders could get the bona fide starter in exchange for the Canucks acquiring Rick DiPietro’s massive contract and then buying it out — if the Islanders also send at least a roster player their way. Buying out DiPietro’s at $1.5 million over 16 years and Ballard at $2.6 million over two years may be tough for the owner to swallow. The compliance buyout window closes July 4.

The Toronto Maple Leafs looked like a suitable Luongo suitor, but they were dangling Luke Schenn a year ago while the Florida Panthers didn’t want to surrender a prospect like centre Nick Bjugstad in a package.

At the 2013 trade deadline, the Canucks and Leafs talked up until the last minute but the deal changed with every call from Gillis. It went from a prospect to a player to draft picks and as the minutes ticked down, the Canucks asked for two second-round picks and backup goalie Ben Scrivens in exchange for Luongo. The Leafs said forget about it.

Critics say Gillis should have acted before this shortened season to dump the contract, fill a third-line hole and not create a crease conundrum with Cory Schneider. But if patience is indeed a virtue, then Gillis has to hope that the Washington Capitals and the Panthers are also taking a harder look at their goaltending. Getting something tangible in return as opposed to taking a deadline chance on Derek Roy — and giving up a 2013 second-round pick and Kevin Connauton in the process — is obviously preferable. This is a deep draft and Roy was a miss with just six points in a dozen games and one assist in the playoffs.

“A miss? That’s a question for another day,” said Gillis. “How players are integrated into your team is very important. He played well at the start but a lot didn’t play well in the playoffs, so I’m not going to blame him.”

With six picks on Sunday —Nos. 24,85,115,145,175 and 205 — the Canucks could lean toward a history of selecting by position because they’ve taken 11 defencemen and seven centres the last five drafts.

With Roy not back and Maxim Lapierre an unrestricted free agent, they may shore up the middle or the back end. But giving up that pick for Roy, a selection that should parlay into an entry-level contract, is paramount with the restraints of the new cap ceiling.

“It’s not a practice I like and the new CBA dictates it’s not a wise practice,” Gillis said of surrendering the pick for Roy. “I do see that changing. We were trying to get a centre the whole year and Manny Malhotra’s (eye) injury was devastating for him and for us. With the shortened season, there was so little opportunity (to get a centre) that would normally be there.”

Vancouver Province: LOADED: 06.28.2013

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ESPN / Lecavalier will be missed in Tampa area

By Scott Burnside

It is first and foremost a business. Always has been, always will be.

But know this: The business of the National Hockey League is, at its heart, about forging a real and emotional bond between a player and his community. Love the team, yes, but especially in places like Tampa and especially in the beginning, it is about loving the player and the player learning the game and ultimately embracing the team.

More on ESPN.com

What looked to be a rather uninspiring free-agent market for centers has heated up with Vincent Lecavalier becoming available. Pierre LeBrun »

• News: Bolts to buy out Lecavalier »

• Burnside: Will be missed in Tampa »

• Custance: Habs top list of best fits Insider

That’s why the passing of Vincent Lecavalier’s time with the Tampa Bay Lightning gives us pause to consider that -- business or not -- there is a lot of humanity that goes into a relationship like the one forged between Lecavalier and the Tampa community.

A lot.

The Lightning announced Thursday that they will use a compliance buyout to get out from under the remaining seven years and $45 million owed on Lecavalier’s contract, making him a free agent July 5.

This isn’t a lament for Lecavalier, who will receive two-thirds of the money owed him spread out over the next 14 years. (An $8 million signing bonus will have to be paid in full, our Pierre LeBrun reported Thursday.) But in the excitement of where players like Lecavalier or Philadelphia Flyers netminder Ilya Bryzgalov will land, or whether longtime Lecavalier pal Brad Richards will be bought out by the New York Rangers, we note the end of something more than just a guy playing hockey in a city.

On almost every level, Lecavalier embodied the trials and tribulations of the Lightning as the franchise clawed its way from curiosity to laughingstock to champion.

The Lightning selected Lecavalier first overall in 1998, and owner Art Williams ill-advisedly proclaimed Lecavalier would become the Michael Jordan of hockey. Against such unrealistic expectations, Lecavalier was named captain after his second season -- a designation that likely came two years too early. That designation was removed before the 2001-02 season, and clashes with then-coach John Tortorella led to much speculation that Lecavalier would be traded.

Former GM Rick Dudley had several deals in the works to move Lecavalier, but ownership would not sign off. We recall talking to Dudley successor Jay Feaster, who said he wouldn’t go down in history as the guy who traded a player of Lecavalier’s caliber.

Feaster’s faith was rewarded when the team began to jell in 2003, making the playoffs after missing out the previous six seasons and defeating the Washington Capitals before falling to the New Jersey Devils in the second round. The Lightning roared through the Eastern Conference the following season, defeating the New York Islanders, Montreal Canadiens and -- in a classic seven-game tilt -- the Flyers before nipping the Calgary Flames in another hard-fought seven-game set.

It was during the finals against Calgary that Lecavalier famously fought with his counterpart, Flames captain Jarome Iginla. Lecavalier would later assist on the Cup-winning goal in Game 7.

Although the Lightning could not recall that magic in subsequent years, struggling through a disastrous ownership change after the 2004-05 lockout and many ups and downs on the ice, Lecavalier remained a larger-than-life figure in a community he came to call home.

• In 2007, Lecavalier pledged $3 million to build the Vincent Lecavalier Pediatric Cancer and Blood Disorder Center at All Children’s Hospital. The 28,000-square-foot facility opened in January 2010.

• In 2008, he was named winner of the King Clancy Memorial Trophy for his charitable and humanitarian work.

• In the same year, he earned an NHL Foundation Award for community enrichment.

• He was honored in 2009 with an award of excellence by the local Ronald McDonald House, and in 2011, he was honored by the local Pediatric Cancer Foundation.

• Last season, he was named a Lightning community hero as part of a program introduced by owner Jeff Vinik and his wife to honor local community leaders. Lecavalier will be honored at a Lightning game next season for his work in the Tampa area.

Tom Doyle works with Clear Channel Radio in Tampa and has a long connection with the team and its charitable works. He recalls meeting Lecavalier shortly after the player was drafted and watching him grow into a leader, both with the team and in the community.

“He’s the epitome of what we want in our athletes,” Doyle, the father of three daughters who are rabid Lightning fans, told ESPN.com on Thursday morning.

Doyle said Lecavalier’s involvement in the community vis-a-vis pro athletes is “unparalleled.”

“There’s going to be a big hole to fill, and it’s a sad day for all of us,” he said. “It sucks.”

Still, one can hardly fault Lightning GM Steve Yzerman for making this call.

Outside of a surprise run to the East finals in 2011, the Lightning have not won a playoff series since 2004 and have missed the playoffs five times since their Cup win. Lecavalier has endured a number of injuries, most notably shoulder and wrist issues, and his production has fluctuated as a result. Yet he remains a consistent 20-goal scorer, and when healthy, he is a nearly point-a-game producer.

But as Lecavalier walks away from his familiar No. 4 jersey in Tampa, it is important to note that his legacy will remain, not just as the man who first hoisted the Stanley Cup in this town, cementing hockey as a part of the local sporting fabric, but also as a man who made a lasting impression on the community in many ways, ways that will not be forgotten even as he dons a new and unfamiliar jersey next fall.

ESPN LOADED: 06.28.2013

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ESPN / Source: Letang rejects $56 million extension

By Pierre LeBrun

The Kris Letang camp notified the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday evening that it was turning down an eight-year extension offer worth around $56 million, a source told ESPN.com.

A source also told ESPN.com that the Letang camp counter-offered with a long-term deal south of $8 million a year and that it was deemed too rich by the Pens.

Where it goes from here remains unclear. Perhaps another offer will come, or the rejection could spur Pens GM Ray Shero into finally putting the All-Star defenseman on the trade market.

Letang has one year left on his deal, which pays him $3.5 million. Only 26, he’d be in huge demand on the UFA market. If Shero decides to move him, the list of teams wanting a top-end defenseman like Letang would be through the roof.

Elsewhere:

• Contract talks have gone on in earnest the past few days between Bryan Bickell’s camp and the Chicago Blackhawks. Bickell is a pending UFA.

• Teams already have reached out to Vincent Lecavalier’s camp, on the same day he was bought out by the Tampa Bay Lightning. Although Lecavalier can’t sign with anyone until July 5, the league confirmed to ESPN.com that his camp is allowed to talk to teams now because he’s been bought out.

• Spoke with an executive from an opposing team earlier Thursday who said the Blackhawks have made center Dave Bolland available for trade. Doesn’t mean they’ll move him, but they’re listening ...

ESPN LOADED: 06.28.2013

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ESPN / Will Cup hero Bolland be on the move?

By Jesse Rogers

CHICAGO -- Could the player who scored the winning goal for the Chicago Blackhawks in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup finals be headed out of town? Sources tell ESPN.com's Pierre Lebrun the Hawks are shopping veteran center Dave Bolland.

"We've had some plans in place for a long time; we are going to have some changes," Hawks general manager Stan Bowman said on Thursday.

One of those changes could see Bolland and his $3.375 million contract on the move. Bolland scored a rebound goal with 59 seconds remaining of Monday's Game 6, giving the Hawks a 3-2 advantage and an eventual second championship in four years.

"(I) would love to be back here next year but whatever happens, happens," Bolland said in response to the rumors. "This is the NHL and trades happen, but I would love to be back here. I love Chicago."

In reality, anyone who follows the Hawks can't be surprised that Bolland is on the trade market. Although part of the core that has won two championships, his role was diminished as this season wore on. He averaged 13:30 of ice time per game in the playoffs this year compared to 18:39 in 2010, the last time the Hawks won it all. He was also dropped to the third and fourth lines after starting the year as the second line center.

"The third line has sort of been my key," Bolland said of his past success. "Getting to that second spot was a bit of a jump for me. It was a hurdle. I went through this year, it was a roller coaster for sure. Things went up, things went down."

Bolland had seven goals and seven assists in 35 games this year but he helped win Games 1 and 6 of the finals with key scores. Still, his role might be redundant now with the emergence of Andrew Shaw. Many have compared Shaw's skillset to Bolland. Additionally, the emergence of Michael Frolik and Marcus Kruger as defensive stalwarts clutter the landscape for Bolland. And the Hawks have some young prospects at center who might be ready to make a jump to the NHL if he's moved.

"The core of the group came from drafting and developing," Bowman said. "We'd like to continue that process and give some new players some opportunities."

Those players come cheaper than Bolland as does Shaw. The latter is still on his entry level deal which will pay him $577,500 with bonuses next year. Bolland will be entering the final year of a five-year deal he signed before the last Cup win.

The savings on Bolland could be used to re-sign forward Bryan Bickell, whose value increased during the playoffs. The compliance buyouts of Steve Montador and Rostislav Olesz will also help toward that cause. Unlike Bolland's role, there isn't a polished power forward waiting in the wings. In short, Bolland is expendable. A player like Bickell is not.

Either way, expect some movement within the roster in short order.

"There's a lot of work to be done here in a short amount of time with the schedule so tight," Bowman said. "We don't have it all sorted out yet but we have an idea of what we want to do. It just takes some time."

ESPN LOADED: 06.28.2013

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ESPN / Lecavalier adds spice to UFA center crop

By Pierre LeBrun

What was shaping up to be a not terribly deep nor exciting July 5 free-agent crop is getting some intriguing names added by the day.

Vincent Lecavalier brought some pizzazz to the unrestricted free-agent festivities Thursday. After the Tampa Bay Lightning announced they were buying out Lecavalier's contract, the star center joined goalie Ilya Bryzgalov and forward Danny Briere as players bought out and thrown into the UFA mix.

Lecavalier, 33, adds a tempting option in a UFA center class that otherwise was led by the likes of Derek Roy, Mike Ribeiro and Stephen Weiss. At the right price, Lecavalier would be one heck of an addition as the No. 2 center on a good team.

Of course, it didn’t take long for Lecavalier’s buyout to be announced for people to link him to his native Montreal. Let’s be honest: It would be cool to see him in a Canadiens uniform after all these years of trade rumors linking him there.

Two questions need answering, though. Do the Habs have interest? And would Lecavalier be willing to play under that kind of spotlight?

One of the reasons Tampa Bay suited him so well was that it isn’t a hockey fishbowl.

“Too early [to tell],” one source told ESPN.com Thursday regarding Montreal’s potential interest.

Indeed, much can happen between now and July 5, with other players being made available via buyout or trade. The landscape is shifting quickly.

I’d be shocked if the Lecavalier camp, led by agent Kent Hughes, didn’t get interest from at least a dozen teams. At the right price, he’s a stud, and this isn’t a great year for free-agent centers. And you still can’t teach 6-foot-4.

Just my own guessing out of the gate, not based on any sourcing ...

• The Detroit Red Wings need a No. 2 center as talks with Valtteri Filppula are headed nowhere. While Weiss also could be an option, Lecavalier would make a lot of sense.

• The Chicago Blackhawks? Cap space is at a premium and re-signing pending UFA Bryan Bickell is the priority. But, man, would Lecavalier ever fit well there, especially because you know Michal Handzus isn’t the long-term answer at No. 2.

• What about Lecavalier’s former coach at Tampa Bay, John Tortorella, who is in his first offseason as coach of the Vancouver Canucks?

• The Toronto Maple Leafs have been looking for a legitimate center with size for about a million years.

We will see a lot of teams linked to Lecavalier because, frankly, a lot of teams could use him.

The Lightning did not come to this decision lightly. I believe this was a very difficult move for general manager Steve Yzerman to make.

But at the end of the day, the ability exists under the compliance buyout provision in the new CBA (two per team for the next two offseasons) to extricate oneself from a cap-killing contract. And at $7.72 million a pop for seven more seasons, Lecavalier was a cap hit the Lightning just couldn’t live with.

More of a concern for any team with these types of long-term, front-loaded deals that are remnants of the old CBA is the "recapture" rule, which is part of the new CBA. For example, had Lecavalier retired before the end of his deal, Tampa Bay would have faced salary-cap charges moving forward.

It’s why the New York Rangers are debating whether to buy out center Brad Richards. It’s why the Canucks should buy out goalie Roberto Luongo if they can’t find a trade partner.

A source told ESPN.com Thursday that the Canucks don't want to buy out Luongo. They could trade him if they're willing to eat part of his deal or take back a player who's also a cap anchor for another team. Vancouver also could waive Luongo at some point and hope that another team takes him.

Letang update

My colleague Rob Rossi of the Pittsburgh Tribune created a bit of a stir in Toronto when reporting late Wednesday that if Kris Letang can’t agree to terms on an extension with the Penguins, Toronto would be near the top of his trade destinations. Rossi does a solid job covering the Pens, but Letang’s agent, Kent Hughes, was adamant no such trade destination conversations had taken place and clearly was not happy with the story.

“Our focus has been on negotiating a contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins and we have not discussed the Toronto Maple Leafs,” Hughes told ESPN.com via email Thursday morning. “He remains under contract for one more year if we don't extend his contract. We are not the source of the story, nor were we contacted to verify its accuracy beforehand.”

The Penguins have made Letang a substantial offer, but obviously it was not enough; otherwise he would have signed it.

So the clock ticks. Would general manager Ray Shero really allow Letang to enter next season in the final year of his contract? Shero would get way more in a trade this summer than he does at the trade deadline next season.

It's worth noting that the Leafs are in the market for a top defenseman, so if Letang becomes available, it'd make sense for Toronto to be among the suitors.

Tick tock ...

Speaking of the Pens ...

Great job by Shero to get Chris Kunitz signed to a three-year extension worth $3.85 million per season. That's a good value. Kunitz has one more year on his deal at $3.75 million, and he would have been a UFA in July 2014.

Credit to Kunitz and agent Ben Hankinson, too. Maybe Kunitz gets more money elsewhere, but you like where you're playing and you've found chemistry with Sidney Crosby, so why throw that away? It's not always about the money.

Kunitz will be 34 in September, which means he'll be 37 entering the final year of this extension. Getting a three-year term was the real prize for Kunitz and Hankinson.

ESPN LOADED: 06.28.2013

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ESPN / Chris Kunitz signs $11.55M extension

Updated: June 27, 2013, 12:54 PM ET

By Pierre LeBrun | ESPN.com

PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Penguins and left winger Chris Kunitz have agreed on a three-year contract extension.

The deal, announced Thursday, is worth $11.55 million, a source told ESPN.com.

One year remains on Kunitz's current deal, which will pay him $3.75 million this season. The extension begins in 2014 and runs through the 2016-17 season.

Kunitz has flourished in Pittsburgh while playing with stars Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. Kunitz led the Penguins with 22 goals this season and was second on the team with 52 points.

Malkin agreed to an eight-year extension earlier this month. Pittsburgh is also negotiating with defenseman Kris Letang and forwards Pascal Dupuis and Matt Cooke, both of whom will become free agents next month.

General manager Ray Shero said the contract will carry an annual salary cap hit of $3.85 million.

ESPN LOADED: 06.28.2013

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ESPN / Vincent Lecavalier to be bought out

By Pierre LeBrun

ESPN.com

Lecavalier, 33, has seven years and $45 million left on his deal, which carries a $7.72 million yearly cap hit.

More on ESPN.com

What looked to be a rather uninspiring free-agent market has heated up with Vincent Lecavalier becoming available, writes Pierre LeBrun. Blog

• Burnside: Will be missed in Tampa