By now, the Lightning are ready to take the ice against Philadelphia. For a brief moment, the focus will

be on the team, not Vinny Lecavalier. For the first time since the rumor mill heated up about a

potential trade to Montreal involving Vinny, we had our chance to ask questions first hand.

   The entire Tampa Bay media along with a couple of Canadian reporters fired away at Vinny and GM

Brian Lawton. I came away with the distinct feeling that all was not said today. For one, I was thoroughly

unconvinced that the Lightning are not at least thinking about moving forward without Vinny. Lawton

said the team was not shopping  Lecavalier, nor are they looking to trade him, anytime soon. What does

anytime soon mean? I'll tell you. It was a statement for management to buy time as they explore and

discuss life without Vinny. The boys in the Ivory Tower have yet to come to a conclusion. Or perhaps,

all the hub-bub that has fired up since the rumors started is all the barometer Lightning owners will need.

   Then again, there is this thing called the economy. It stinks. And the Lightning are feeling it, as is

every other franchise outside of baseball, which apparently is immune to such a thing. Listen, 10M a

year is a heck of a lot of money for this franchise, but then again, Vinny Lecavalier is the face of this

franchise. You would think by now that the NHL owners would get their senses in order. These long

term deals ( 11-years for Vinny) are idiotic. The league can't sustain those kind of numbers, and certainly

not this franchise. Remember, the Lightning only made money one year, the Stanley Cup year. That's

a recipe for bankrupcy, unless your billioniare Bill Davidson, who could sustain those losses for a time,

and then said, the hell with it.

   Lawton also told us today that he sat down with Vinny and told him he was not on the market. When

Vinny was asked if he had spoke to Lawton about this, he said, "not really." There was a discussion,

but by Vinny's tone, not much was accomplished. That tells me Lecavalier is not exactly convinced he

won't be dealt, or he just didn't want to say anything.

    This trade rumor will not go away until the Lightning come out and say Vincent will not be traded.

Lawton would not commit to that, saying ' who knows what will happen in 10 years." Fair enough. But

this decision will not be made in 7-8-9 years, it will be made soon, perhaps by season's end.

Here's where it gets dicey. Should the Lightning trade Vinny, my guess is the lockeroom will deflate

like a balloon, no matter who the Lightning get in return. V is well liked, but there is something he needs

to do to be the complete franchise player. He needs to take a more active leadership role. If all he

wants to do is play the game at the highest level he plays at, fine. But, if I was his owner, I want him to

be a guy like Dave Andreychuk. Andy was the single most reason why this franchise won a Cup. He

brought leadership, he brought a presence on the ice and in the room, and he taught the team how to

respect the crest. I would have thought Vinny would have developed into that guy by now, but he

hasn't.  Marty St. Louis has, who at this given time, is the MVP of this team.

    The one person who I'm am growing ever more impressed with is Interim Head Coach Rick Tocchet.

I like the way he is dealing with this situation. I like the way he teaches these players. I like the way

he delivers his message to the youth and vets alike. He's a keeper.

The question now - Is Vinny a keeper?

Tom Korun