TSN in Canada along with the Tampa Tribune and St. Petersburg Times report today Vincent Lecavalier is set to sign a new contract extension with the Lightning that should keep him with the team for the rest of his playing career.

According to TSN’s Bob McKenzie the deal is for nine-years at $77 million, breaking down to around $8.55 million per season against the Lightning’s salary cap although the final year of the deal will only pay him $3 million, suggesting this will likely be a front-loaded deal akin to those signed last summer by Scott Gomez with the NY Rangers and Daniel Briere with the Philadelphia Flyers.

In other words, Lecavalier could see $10-$11 million per season for the next couple of seasons after which it’ll gradually decline.

The deal will also reportedly come with a “no-movement” clause, meaning he can’t be traded or demoted to the minors without his consent, although given Lecavalier’s status as one of the league’s elite forwards it’s not something he’d have to worry about for a long time, if ever.

This deal cannot be officially announced until July 1st as that’s the earliest date the Lightning can re-sign Lecavalier, as it would then be the final year of his current contract. The new one would start in 2009-10.

So much for all that mindless speculation of Lecavalier waiting to sign with the Montreal Canadiens next summer.

Good move by the Lightning’s new ownership to lock up their franchise player to a long-term deal at a price that should make this deal more affordable as time goes on, particularly if as expected Lecavalier remains among the league’s best forwards for most if not all of those nine years.

Scuttlebutt around the NHL has it that former Los Angeles Kings head coach and current ESPN hockey analyst Barry Melrose could be soon returning behind the bench.

Despite his recent assertion that no one has approached him it’s been speculated for several weeks that Melrose could in fact become the new bench boss of the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Those rumors gained speed recently when a Toronto Star article, calling it “the worst kept secret in hockey” claimed that incoming Lightning ownership OK Hockey, led by Hollywood producer Oren Koules, would fire current head coach John Tortorella and replace him with Melrose.

The Tampa media has suggested it’s all but a done deal while also casting doubt over the future of GM Jay Feaster in the process.

I can understand why a new ownership of a hockey club would want to bring in their own people. As the old saying goes, a new broom sweeps clean, and despite the 2004 Stanley Cup on the respective resumes of Tortorella and Feaster, the Lightning have been on a slow but steady decline since the NHL returned from the lockout, so naturally a new owner would want to change things up.

It would be too bad in Feaster’s case, for despite the flak he took for locking up too much money in Vincent Lecavalier, Brad Richards and Martin St. Louis, whilst allowing Nikolai Khabibulin to walk, quite frankly, he had no choice. The Lightning were defending Stanley Cup champs and they simply couldn’t allow their three best players, who’d also shone for Team Canada in the 2004 World Cup of Hockey, to be potentially lost to free agency or contract holdouts or a potential offer sheet.

Feaster’s hands unfortunately were tied by the unwillingness of the current ownership to keep pace with the rising cap, as well as the very salary cap that was supposedly designed to help teams like the Lightning.

Tortorella had to make do with the roster Feaster provided him, but he also has a demanding, vocal, and occasionally abrasive coaching style. It worked well for a while but after six seasons the Lightning players might be growing weary of that style and could perhaps benefit from a coaching change.

Plenty of good coaching options are available in Ron Wilson, Joel Quenneville, Pat Quinn, Craig Hartsburg, Paul Maurice, Bob Hartley and Pat Burns, who’ve all coached in the NHL within the last five years, most of whom have experience coaching under the NHL’s new rules.

So why would Oren Koules consider hiring an analyst who hasn’t coached in the NHL in thirteen years?

Apparently Koules knows Melrose and it’s from that connection that Melrose could be in line for that coaching job. Melrose is a notable hockey analyst with ESPN and has been working with them for years, but does that qualify him to return behind the bench of an NHL franchise today?

Melrose has had coaching success in Junior “A” , coaching the 1988 Medicine Hat Tigers to the Memorial Cup, and in the AHL, coaching the Adirondack Red Wings to the 1992 Calder Cup. He joined the LA Kings as head coach in 1992-93 and that club went to the Stanley Cup Finals before falling in five games to the Montreal Canadiens.

After that, the success ran out for Melrose, as the next two seasons with the Kings weren’t happy ones as the team missed the playoffs both seasons. Following that he went into his current role as an analyst.

It’s been nearly a decade and a half since Melrose was last behind the bench coaching an NHL franchise. The game has changed considerably since then.

Does Melrose have what it takes to coach in today’s game? Maybe, maybe not, but for a franchise that has fallen from Cup champion to bottom feeder in four short years, hiring a guy who hasn’t coached since Wayne Gretzky was in his heyday would be a heckuva risk, one this franchise shouldn’t be taking.

If the new ownership does fire Tortorella the Lightning will need an experienced, steady hand behind the bench, not someone whose NHL success was limited to a miracle run to the Stanley Cup finals fifteen years ago.

No disrespect to Melrose, but hiring him doesn’t sound like a good hockey decision; rather, it smacks of sensationalism, more about generating “buzz” than in rebuilding a struggling team.

Such a move could also have significant consequences regarding the future of Vincent Lecavalier, the Lightning’s franchise player.

Despite the pining of Montreal Canadiens fans for Lecavalier to sign with the Habs, Lecavalier loves living and playing in Tampa Bay, and although he’s eligible for UFA status in 2009, he’s willing to entertain a long-term contract extension from the Lightning.

However, the potential moves that the incoming ownership makes could have an adverse effect upon those potential negotiations. Lecavalier might decide to adopt a “wait and see” posture over the summer and perhaps into next season to get a sense of the direction the new ownership is taking the Lightning.

If it’s not a good direction, that might give Lecavalier second thoughts.

Melrose recently brushed aside the rumors, admitting that while he’d love to return to coaching in the NHL he's happy in his current role. For his sake and that of the Lightning, I hope he sticks with his current job, because I don't foresee a happy ending for either side.

As more than one pundit noted, no one affiliated with this story have yet to outright reject the possiblity of Melrose as the Lightning's new head coach.

It wasn’t all that long ago, less than ten years in fact, when the Lightning was considered the laughingstock of the NHL. It took that franchise years to build itself up from a joke to a champion, due to strong management and coaching.

It would be a pity if an over-eager, inexperienced owner were to turn them into a laughingstock again.

The NHL recently released the list of finalists for their individual awards for this season. What follows is the listing and my prediction as to which players will win.

CALDER MEMORIAL TROPHY (outstanding rookie): Evgeni Malkin, Pittsburgh
Penguins; Jordan Staal, Pittsburgh Penguins; Paul Stastny, Colorado
Avalanche.

Staal is the best all-around player of the three, and Stastny, son of Hall of Famer Peter Stastny, proved the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree with a strong rookie campaign, but Malkin will likely get the nod.

FRANK J. SELKE TROPHY (outstanding defensive forward): Rod Brind'Amour,
Carolina Hurricanes; Samuel Pahlsson, Anaheim Ducks; Jay Pandolfo, New
Jersey Devils.

Pandolfo and Pahlsson have both be very good defensive forwards and as valuable to their team's success as their more talented, better-known star teammates, but Brind'amour not only has always played a strong two-way game, he's also the only one of the three with a plus-minus rating on the happy side of plus, and in the end that tips it in his favour.

HART MEMORIAL TROPHY (most valuable player to his team): Martin Brodeur,
New Jersey Devils; Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins; Roberto Luongo,
Vancouver Canucks.

Brodeur and Luongo are THE stars of their respective teams and invaluable to their club's respective successes, but let’s face it, they played for teams that going into this season had the talent to make the playoffs. No one other than die-hard Penguins fans expected Pittsburgh to clinch a berth, let alone finish the season with over 100 points. The player directly responsible for that is 19-year-old Sidney Crosby, who also won the Art Ross as the league’s leading point-getter.

JACK ADAMS AWARD (outstanding coach): Lindy Ruff, Buffalo Sabres; Michel
Therrien, Pittsburgh Penguins; Alain Vigneault, Vancouver Canucks.

Therrien and Vigneault both did very good jobs with their respective clubs, but their teams still suffered from deficiencies (defensive for the Penguins, offensive for the Canucks). Ruff turned the Sabres into the best team in the NHL, with no real weaknesses. He gets the nod.

JAMES NORRIS MEMORIAL TROPHY (outstanding defenseman): Nicklas Lidstrom,
Detroit Red Wings; Scott Niedermayer, Anaheim Ducks; Chris Pronger, Anaheim
Ducks.

Niedermayer led all defensemen in assists and points and Pronger logs more ice time, but Lidstrom finished the season with a plus-minus of +40, better than Niedermayer and Pronger, had fewer penalty minutes and finished the season with 62 points. I think that makes him the better all-around blueliner.

LADY BYNG MEMORIAL TROPHY (sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct): Pavel
Datsyuk, Detroit Red Wings; Joe Sakic, Colorado Avalanche; Martin St. Louis, Tampa Bay Lightning.

Datsyuk and St. Louis both play well without putting their teams in penalty trouble, but no one has the respect of NHL players or plays with more class than Burnaby Joe. Sakic will likely win this one.

LESTER B. PEARSON AWARD (most outstanding player as voted by fellow members
of the NHLPA): Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins; Vincent Lecavalier,
Tampa Bay Lightning; Roberto Luongo, Vancouver Canucks.

I think Crosby should win this, but I get the sense that because of his age that his peers may not believe he’s fully matured enough to deserve this award. It’s a tough call between Luongo and Lecavalier, but I think Lecavalier will win this.

VEZINA TROPHY (outstanding goaltender): Martin Brodeur, New Jersey Devils;
Miikka Kiprusoff, Calgary Flames; Henrik Lundqvist, New York Rangers;
Roberto Luongo, Vancouver Canucks.

No offense to Lundqvist and Kiprusoff, but this one comes down to Brodeur and Luongo, and if one compares their stats for this season, it’s no contest. Brodeur led Luongo in wins, shutouts, goals-against average, save percentage, saves made and shots-against. Luongo will one day win this award, but not today.

There appears to be some debate amongst hockey fans and pundits over which player should be awarded the 2007 Hart Trophy as this season’s most valuable player.

The choice has come down to three players: Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby, Tampa Bay’s Vincent Lecavalier and New Jersey’s Martin Brodeur.

To me, the choice is crystal clear: Crosby is the most valuable player of the 2006-07 season.

At only 19 years of age, Crosby is leading the NHL in points with (as of this writing) 106, ten more than Lecavalier. Barring injury or a slump, Crosby will win the Art Ross trophy as the league’s leading point scorer.

He’s also tied with Joe Thornton with the most assists with 75, and this season he became the youngest player in NHL history to rack up consecutive 100 point seasons.

There is of course no overlooking the performances of Lecavalier and Brodeur.

Lecavalier is well on his way to winning the Richard trophy with currently 48 goals, finally rounding into the consistent offensive force he was projected to be when the Lightning drafted him in 1998.

Brodeur continues to establish himself as one of the game’s greatest goaltenders, notching yet another 40 win season, on pace to possibly break the single-season wins record for netminders (47), leads the league in victories and shutouts and is among the league leaders in save percentage and goals-against average.

However, there are several factors which in my opinion puts Crosby above Lecavalier and Brodeur for the Hart.

First, there’s the age of the three. Brodeur is 34, a fourteen-year NHL veteran who is well established as one of the game’s best goaltenders. Lecavalier is 26, an 8-year NHL veteran, who’s over the past three seasons has begun to establish himself as an elite forward.

Crosby, however, is only 19. He’s still not fully matured as a player, still a teenager, yet he’s been leading the point-scoring race since December over rivals who are older and more experienced. In only his second NHL season, he could win the Art Ross trophy, something not even Wayne Gretzky accomplished at 19, although he did tie for the scoring lead in his rookie season but lost the Art Ross to Marcel Dionne based on goals-scored.

Not to take anything away from Brodeur and Lecavalier, but that's a phenomenal achievement by Crosby, a glimpse of further greatness to come.

Next, there’s the teams these three play for.

Brodeur backstops the New Jersey Devils, since the mid-1990s one of the NHL’s elite clubs. He’s played a major part in keeping the Devils at that status, but it must not be overlooked this year’s Devils club is with veteran players, many of whom were part of previous Devils championship teams. They know what it takes to win and consistently play their system year in and year out.

Lecavalier is a key component of the Tampa Bay Lightning, a club only three years removed from winning its first Stanley Cup title, which has rebounded from a sub-par performance in 2005-06 to battling this season for the Southeast Division title. Like the Devils, it’s a veteran laden team, many of whom were part of the 2004 championship season.

Crosby’s Penguins, on the other hand, are predominantly stocked with young players, all of whom have yet to play a post-season game, let alone win a championship. They weren’t expected to be in playoff contention this season, let alone challenging the Devils for first in the Atlantic Division or finding themselves among the top teams in the East.

On the Penguins, Crosby is clearly the straw that stirs the drink. The second-leading scorer on the team, rookie Evgeny Malkin, is 30 points behind Crosby’s 106 points. Take “Sid the Kid” out of the equation, and the Penguins aren’t a playoff team. It’s that simple.

Crosby isn’t the Penguins captain yet he might as well be. Like Gretzky’s Oilers in the early 1980s, the Pens clearly take their lead from their young superstar. He’s carrying a developing Penguins team into the playoffs, which is a significant achievement.

Finally, there’s the overall value to the league.

Brodeur and Lecavalier are unquestionably great players, but they don’t have the star power of Crosby. For the NHL to improve its visibility, it needs a great superstar, a player who towers over his rivals, a talented player who can attract excitement everywhere he goes.

Crosby, like Gretzky and Mario Lemieux and Bobby Orr before him, has those qualities.

Whether fans love him or hate him, they’re interested in Crosby. They’re following his status in the scoring race. They’re marveling at his offensive gifts. They’re thrilled by his play and that of his young, energetic teammates. Crosby and the Penguins are bringing excitement back to the National Hockey League at a crucial time in its long history.

Moreover, does anyone really believe the city of Pittsburgh and the state of Pennsylvania would’ve committed to building a new arena for the Penguins if Crosby and friends hadn’t turned the team into one of the most exciting franchises in the NHL?

Mario Lemieux may have saved the Penguins several times over the years, but he wouldn't have been able to save them this time without Crosby.

Crosby’s detractors claim he’s unworthy of the Hart because, in their eyes, he’s a petulant whiner who takes dives to attract penalties.

Yes, Crosby has complained to officials when penalty calls sometimes don’t go his way. Yes, he’s looked childish at times, and yes, at times he hasn’t been above taking a dive.

Yet there are many NHL veterans who’ve done similar tactics which draw far less criticism. Crosby’s only 19, so immaturity should be expected from him at this point in his career, something hopefully he’ll grow out of it. Older players who continuously act that way have no excuse.

It should also be noted that Crosby has chopped his penalty minutes nearly in half this season, from 110 in 2005-06 to 56 this season. A good number of his penalties last season came from stupid retaliatory penalties and mouthing off at officials. This season, Crosby has learned to keep his temper in check, instead letting his play do the talking.

Besides, Gretzky and Lemieux heard similar complaints from, yet when their careers are recalled, few remember “Whiner Wayne” or “Moaning Mario”, and it certainly didn’t prevent them from winning the Hart Trophy multiple times.

Taking these factors into account, I believe it’s obvious that Sidney Crosby deserves to win the Hart Trophy as the league’s most valuable player.

It’s been a while since I’ve heard a trade rumor reported in the media that made me laugh derisively out loud, but the following did just that.

I was watching Sportsnet’s Hockeycentral tonight, and the panel was discussing the latest speculations, when toward the end of the segment host Darren Millard almost sheepishly mentioned an internet rumor of the Colorado Avalanche supposedly discussing a potential trade with the Tampa Bay Lightning.

The supposed deal? Goalie Marc Denis and center Vincent Lecavalier to the Avs for goalie Jose Theodore and possibly another player.

Good thing I wasn’t drinking my Sidney Street Stout at that time or that would’ve resulted in a painful noser.

While I brayed with laughter,Millard's fellow panelists Bill Watters and Nick Kypreos were quick to dismiss this rumor leaving poor Millard looking more sheepish for having brought it up.

I’m not calling Millard stupid. He didn't cite it as a fact, wasn't suggesting this had any chance of happening, definitely didn’t look comfortable mentioning it and was left almost cringing after Watters and Kypreos were finished ripping it apart. I’m not shooting the messenger.

Millard isn’t stupid. The rumor is.

As Watters and Kypreos pointed out, Theodore simply hasn’t been playing well since last season. Montreal Canadiens GM Bob Gainey somehow enticed then-Avs GM Pierre Lacroix into acquiring Theodore last March, but apart from a few decent playoff games, the 2002 Vezina-Hart winner has shown no signs of returning to form.

This season, Theodore’s been outplayed by backup Peter Budaj, and it wouldn’t surprise me if Budaj takes over full time by March when the playoff races tighten up and every game becomes important. That'll leave the Avs with a $5.5 million backup riding the pine down the stretch.

It’s common knowledge the Lightning aren’t very pleased with Marc Denis poor performance since acquiring him last summer from Columbus, but you can bet what’s left of your Christmas turkey they won’t take a chance on a shaky Theodore and his hefty salary.

As for Lecavalier, even Watters and Kypreos don’t believe he (or Brad Richards or Martin St. Louis) will be going anywhere.

If the Avs want to be rid of Theodore, they’ll have to wait until June when they can buy out the remaining year of his salary at two-thirds its value.

Even without factoring in all the obvious salary cap issues such a trade would raise, this is most definitely the stupid trade rumor of the day, and the first really stupid one of the New Year.