Vincent Lecavalier set to retire, relieve Philadelphia Flyers of cap hit

Sep 21, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Flyers center Vincent Lecavalier (40) during a preseason game against the New York Islanders at PPL Center. The Flyers defeated the Islanders, 5-3. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 21, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Flyers center Vincent Lecavalier (40) during a preseason game against the New York Islanders at PPL Center. The Flyers defeated the Islanders, 5-3. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

Vincent Lecavalier is officially retiring, which will save the Flyers a lot of money.

When the Philadelphia Flyers traded Vincent Lecavalier to the Los Angeles Kings this past January, the teams agreed to split the remainder of the deteriorating player’s contract. Now the Flyers don’t have to worry about the remainder of that contract.

Lecavalier confirmed his retirement Tuesday, giving the Flyers $2.25 million of available cap space.

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This does not come as much of a surprise. Lecavalier announced that he would retire in April and he’s held up to that affirmation. Lacavalier finished his career with a total of 421 goals and 528 points.

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Unfortunately, only 28 of those goals came during Lecavalier’s tenure in Philadelphia, which lasted two and a half years.

Lecavalier was brought in to help take the Flyers’ scoring to new heights, but that never ended up happening. Lacavalier was largely ineffective in Philadelphia and routinely found himself sitting in the press box.

Despite the rocky situation, Lecavalier handled it with class and was eventually traded to the Kings, where he had himself a small resurgence, scoring 10 goals and 17 points in 42 games. Thanks to the trade, Lecavalier was able to finish his career on the ice and even make a playoff appearance.

The Flyers now have a healthy amount of cap space going into the free agency period, giving the team enough fire power to potentially land the top-six forward they desperately need.