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The Lightning captain wants a short-term deal worth millions more than the team is willing to pay.
By DAMIAN CRISTODERO
© St. Petersburg Times, published September 1, 2001
Can you say holdout?
Neither Vinny Lecavalier nor his agent, Kent Hughes, wanted to drop the H bomb Friday while discussing where contract negotiations stood between the Lightning and its 21-year-old captain. But it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out where all this is headed.
With training camp set to begin Sept. 11 at the Ice Sports Forum in Brandon, Lecavalier and the Lightning are far apart on money, and neither side has moved much off the opening bids.
It is thought the Lightning wants a three-year, $5.3-million contract similar to the one Boston gave Joe Thornton after his entry-level contract was up. The model for Lecavalier's camp is the two-year, $6.3-million deal Montreal gave Saku Koivu.
Asked if his client was prepared to hold out, Hughes said, "I wouldn't use the term holdout. Without a contract agreement in place, Vince can't play for the Tampa Bay Lightning."
Of the negotiations, Hughes said, "There is no progress to report at this point. But at least the lines of communication are open."
Lecavalier, a restricted free agent who made $975,000 in base salary in each of his first three seasons, said he is frustrated:
"There is no progress being done. So it comes back to me being very disappointed by that."
"I certainly would echo the frustrated and disappointed part," said Lightning assistant general manager Jay Feaster, who negotiates Tampa Bay's contracts. "We've come to the table and tried to approach things from a number of different ways. When told what it was they wouldn't do, we tried to do something different. We're apart. We're far apart."
There are many subplots.
Feaster said contracts of two to four years have been discussed. Any deal past two years would include a big bump in salary because it would encroach on Lecavalier's arbitration rights. Those rights kick in after five professional seasons. For Lecavalier that would be after 2002-03.
Feaster said the Lightning has no problem paying more to buy out arbitration seasons, but added, "The club won't pay any kind of premium for a two-year deal."
Tampa Bay believes it also is setting a benchmark for future negotiations, such as the one to re-sign Brad Richards after his entry-level contract expires after 2002-03.
"It isn't just Vinny in a vacuum," Feaster said.
Lecavalier's camp thinks the Lightning already has raised the bar by naming him captain and marketing him as a franchise player.
What will resolve the situation?
"I've tried to come up with ways to do that," Feaster said. "I've tried to come up with ways with the way we do negotiations, and we haven't been able to speak the same language."
Until a universal translator can be found -- or at least until negotiations take a positive spin -- Lecavalier, who grew up in a suburb of Montreal, will stay in the city, where he is working out with other NHL players.
"It is hard to deal with, but it's part of hockey," Lecavalier said. "It's part of the business and I have to deal with it."
MODIN'S CHECKUP: Left wing Fredrik Modin is in Los Angeles to consult with Dr. Craig Morris about an irritated hip flexor muscle that is causing occasional soreness. Morris, a rehab specialist, helped Petr Svoboda and goaltender Kevin Weekes last season overcome lower back problems. Head medical trainer Dave Boyer said the condition is not considered serious.
SPEAKING OF SVOBODA: Defenseman Pavel Kubina said Svoboda, a 35-year-old defenseman, told him he still has symptoms from a concussion sustained in December but is not thinking about retirement.
"He said he's feeling a little better," said Kubina, who lives near Svoboda in Saddlebrook. "He can play a little bit of tennis and ride a bike, but he can't practice. I feel bad for Petr. I know he wants to play."
OILERS Center Paul Comrie, 24, retired because of problems from a concussion he suffered 19 months ago. Comrie played 15 games for Edmonton, scoring a goal and three points in 1999-00.
STARS: Pat Verbeek signed a one-year contract to return to the team two years after helping it win the Stanley Cup. The 37-year-old forward wasn't re-signed by Dallas after the championship season and spent the past two seasons with Detroit. With 515 career goals, he's sixth on the active-scoring list, and his 2,833 penalty minutes make him the only player with 500 goals and 2,500 penalty minutes.
- Information from other news organizations was used in this report.