Lecavalier not contemplating an early retirement

PHILADELPHIA — A strange, uncomfortable marriage between one of hockey’s all-time highest-earning players and the club that won’t put him in the lineup took another odd turn Tuesday.

Flyers forward Vinny Lecavalier, who is still being paid by the Tampa Bay Lightning after they bought him out in 2013, missed the morning skate.

He was in the building and had worked out and gotten treatment for a sore back. He just didn’t go on the ice.

General manager Ron Hextall first said he would give an update Wednesday, but later termed it a “recovery day.” Lecavalier, who hasn’t played since Nov. 12, is healthy. The one-time scoring champion and Stanley Cup winner has been a healthy scratch for the last 12 Flyers games.

“I don’t know what to say, man. It is what it is,” a frustrated Lecavalier said as he left the building following his workout. “Obviously I’m not getting in the lineup, and I don’t know what to say anymore. I’m not going to come to the rink pissed off. I’m still going to try to come and get better. I don’t know. Wherever I get my opportunity I just want to be in shape if that happens.”

It’s no secret that the $22.5-million, five-year pact between Lecavalier and the Flyers isn’t working. If it were as simple as filing divorce papers, both sides would be happier.

“It’s a tough situation. It really is,” Hextall said. “I feel bad for Vinny. Sometimes that’s life. Things don’t go the way you want. He’s been a pro.”

Now in the third year of the contract, Lecavalier has suited up only seven games this season, averaging a career-low 9:28 of ice time. He even got more minutes under Craig Berube, who thought the 35-year-old Lecavalier was washed up and scratched him 17 times last season.

It appears as though the new regime believes the same thing, but it’s nearly impossible to trade a player of that age with a $4.5 million cap hit, especially one who isn’t getting a big piece of his current team’s pie.

“Obviously I haven’t played in a while, but the games I’ve played I haven’t played much,” said Lecavalier, who went from having 20 goals in his first season with the Flyers to having 20 total points in his second. “I believe in what I can do. Obviously you need an opportunity and you need the ice time to produce no matter how good you are or if you’re in your prime or not. You still need the minutes to be successful and I believe if I did get those minutes, I would (produce). I believe in myself. I’ve said that all along, but I’m not in that situation here.”

The options to break the contract for the Flyers are few and far between. Multiple times this season, the Flyers have called up minor-league players to play ahead of Lecavalier. It would be very convenient for them if he retired early and his contract came off the books.

“Honestly I haven’t thought about it,” Lecavalier said. “It’s something very…I don’t want to say personal, but within yourself. It’s not anybody that makes that decision up for you. It’s a personal thing. What I’m saying is that for me, I haven’t thought about it. In my mind I’m here and practicing and trying to get better.”

So an awkward situation continues.

Lecavalier signed with the Flyers in the summer of 2013 to play for Peter Laviolette, who was fired after three games. The Nashville Predators, Laviolette’s current team, reportedly nixed two different trades because ownership was still upset the Flyers signed franchise defenseman Shea Weber to an offer sheet in 2012. It was a 14-year, $110-million deal the Flyers didn’t think the Predators had pockets deep enough to match.

How does rookie coach Dave Hakstol deal with the awkward situation he inherited?

“I said it right from Day 1, with respect to Vinny and the things he’s done as a veteran,” Hakstol said. “The biggest thing to me is what he’s doing here. He shows up and works hard every day and he’s a good teammate. It’s a difficult situation for him, and I want to approach it with respect in that regard.

“Have we talked? Yeah. Have we talked a lot, every day? No. But we’ve talked.”

In the meantime, Lecavalier continues to wait for his number to be called by the Flyers. It may not be any time soon.

“There’s not really much more to say about that or what I think about the future,” Lecavalier said. “I’m just thinking about now and how it is and obviously it’s tough, but I’ve chosen not to come to the rink pissed off or be a distraction. That’s the last thing I want to do.”

Dave Isaac; (856) 486-2479;disaac@gannettnj.com.