Somewhere in between profanity-laced tirades and calling out his goaltenders, John Tortorella must be wondering where the hell it all went wrong.
Just four years removed from a Stanley Cup parade in Tampa, the Bolts find themselves in the Eastern Conference toilet. An ugly ownership soap opera is getting comical. Goalies couldn't stop a runny nose. And The Big Three is suddenly The Only One.
It's time for change in Tampa.
Jay Feaster can deny it all he wants, but one of Martin St. Louis, Brad Richards or Vincent Lecavalier could very well be on his way out of Tampa in the next couple of months.
The betting here is Richards, who is minus-42 over his past two seasons — no, that is not a typo — and is a league-worst -23 in 2006-07, would be available for just about anything right now. Problem is Richards, like St. Louis, has a no-trade clause. Unless Feaster convinces him to waive his NTC and there is a general manager in the league stupid enough to trade for him, Richards will continue to be Feaster's $7.8-million problem.
Which, as you might have guessed, brings us to Lecavalier.
Now, before some of those too quick on the draw start an "Are you a complete idiot?" e-mail, let me state emphatically that Lecavalier will not be going anywhere unless it is for a king's ransom.
A ransom someone may be more than willing to pay.
With more than $20 million tied up in three players, Feaster and Tortorella have no room to improve at other key positions like, oh, I don't know, goaltending.
As unlikely as a deal may be, Lecavalier may be the only bargaining chip Feaster has.
And his value may never be higher.
It's no secret the Montreal Canadiens have bedroom eyes for Lecavalier and would probably be able to put together the type of package that would at least give the Lightning something to think about.
As the old saying goes, you have to give up something to get something in return. Right now, the Bolts don't have a lot to offer, yet need plenty of help.
Pretty simple equation.
There's no doubt Jay Feaster has little or no desire to trade away Lecavalier, his meal ticket.
The problem is, sooner or later, it may be his only choice.