from Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun,

Is Vincent Lecavalier a bigger name than he is a player at this stage of his professional career? That is a matter NHL teams will need address in the days heading toward July 5.

Lecavalier (left) is not as old as you might think, 33, but this coming season will be his 15th in the NHL. He is not the star he once was. He is not a candidate for Team Canada, where once he was assured a place.

And he has missed 20% of his team’s games the past three seasons after seven years of averaging 80 games a season. How much is left with Lecavalier, and how much is he willing to give? In the past, both the Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens thought they had acquired him in what would have been mega-deals.

He’s not a mega-deal player anymore. He’s still capable. The question is: How engaged will he be in his 15th season and his first outside Tampa Bay, after being informed he would be bought out by the Lightning. If you’ve watched enough of the Lightning in recent years, he had taken on a secondary role. The team that signs him will be dealing as much from hope as anything else.

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