If the cap keeps rising, this is a solid move. Lecavalier is a world-class talent (top-5 in the NHL imo) who just hitting his prime (which is actually a bit scary to think about). His cap hit is only about $7.73M which is less than Crosby who will probably demand an even higher contract when his remaining 5 years run out and the market is higher along with the higher cap. Barring injuries, he will continue to be one of the top scorers of the league for probably almost the rest of his career

 

The Lightning continue to be the story of the off-season lol. Btw, why did the GM resign after dramatically re-shaping the team for the better?? And this signing comes shortly after that resignation by the new GM

Is he worth the seven million now? definately. without a doubt. Will he be worth that much in 10 years? Not likely. i just dont like the length. thats the only issue i have with it. I mean, i can see way tampa would do this and it definately has its pros. you have one of the top scorers in the league for 11 seasons! they need someone to rebuild around and vince is the man. of course this rebuilding process isnt going to happen in one season, dont expect to see the lightning at the top of the east this year. surmounting the challenge of the going from last in the confrence to a playoff spot is hard enough. hopefully acquiring players like malone and veterns such as recchi and kolzig will help the cause. i guess we'll see

Unbelievably enough the contract breakdown actually makes sense:
It doesn't start until the 09-10 season and is scheduled to pay Vinny around $10 mil per for the first six years but then dwindles significantly each of the last four: whereby the last year is for only $1 mil. By the end of the contract, he'll be 40.

oh yes now that makes sense i figured it was divided evenly between all 11 seasons my bad mark

I dont think long contracts like that are good unless there are buyout clauses for both sides like after the 5 year of the deal. What happens say if the market explodes and Vinny has a real good 4 or 5 years and wants to be paid what he thinks he is worth? Now I like him but I would be nervous on the length of the contract. Especially if he get hurt or doesnt live up to his potential. It could a good deal or horrible for the franchise. One thing I will say is that the ownership is showing it is committed to a championship. That could speak volumes in the future

Well, here's the thing: the new management has already acquiesced to LeCavalier's desire to be a part of the team after his playing days are over. He wants to be a front office guy and the Lightning have already said it's almost like a service for life contract.
There almost has to be buyout clauses and there definitely IS a no-move clause which means they can't even put Vinny on waivers unless he agrees:

Unbelievably enough the contract breakdown actually makes sense:
It doesn't start until the 09-10 season and is scheduled to pay Vinny around $10 mil per for the first six years but then dwindles significantly each of the last four: whereby the last year is for only $1 mil. By the end of the contract, he'll be 40.