Finally, the Vinny Lecavalier era has come to an end for the Philadelphia Flyers.
General manager Ron Hextall traded Lecavalier and defenseman Luke Schenn to the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for forward Jordan Weal and a third-round pick in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft.
According to TSN’s Darren Dreger, Hextall was able to ship Lecavalier, who hadn’t cracked the lineup since November 11th, in part because he agreed to eat half of both players’ remaining salaries.
The good news for the Flyers is that they will likely be out of both contracts after the season ends, because Schenn’s deal (with a $3.6 million cap hit) expires at the end of the year and Lecavalier, per his agent, plans to retire with two years left on his deal. For a team like the Flyers that has been so restricted by the salary cap as of late, the implications of the move are massive if Lecavalier retires.
In return, the Flyers get a player in Weal who has zero points in ten career NHL games that all have come this season. Last season, the 23-year-old was the MVP of the AHL’s Calder Cup playoffs.
Regardless of how Weal and the third-round pick do in orange and black, the Flyers made this deal for financial reasons. And as long as Lecavalier retires at the end of the year, it looks like Ron Hextall has struck again.
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