NHL Trade Rumors 2016: Philadelphia Flyers Trade Vincent Lecavalier, Luke Schenn to Kings

By Jude Abastar, Christian Post Contributor Friday, January 08, 2016

The Philadelphia Flyers and Los Angeles Kings swapped players on Wednesday with both teams addressing their different needs, with the former hoping to make a roster upgrade and the latter focused on clearing some cap space.

In sending forward Jordan Weal and a third round pick in the upcoming June draft to the Flyers, the Kings got forward Vincent Lecavalier and defenseman Luke Schenn. An interesting side of the deal is the agreement that Philadelphia will be retaining half the salary owed to Lecavalier and Schenn as per condition by the Kings to make everything work.

Asked about the peculiarity of the agreement, Kings general manager Dean Lombardi had the most direct answer. "Yes, that's the only way it works," he said.

For Lecavalier, it is the best deal he could have possibly envisioned after experiencing a rough stint with the Flyers this season. He only played in seven games and had minimal production for the team. Another interesting fact about this deal is that the 35-year-old veteran actually announced that he will be retiring at the season's end, which means that he no longer will go for the $3 million salary he is slated to get in his remaining two years.

However, there is no question that the Canadian can provide a lot of firepower for his new team before he calls it quits. He has scored at least 20 goals in almost every season he played in the NHL. He has produced 932 points in 1,170 games with both the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Flyers.

Schenn, on the other hand, made two goals and delivered three assists for Philadelphia this season. He will be an unrestricted free agent at the season's end. There's a good chance he'll fit right into the Kings' lineup in the blue line so expect him to be staying a little longer with the team.