Vincent Lecavalier says he approved a trade to Montreal in 2008

The Montreal Canadiens announced on Friday that they've hired Stanley Cup champion Vincent Lecavalier as a special advisor to hockey operations.

On Friday afternoon, Lecavalier met with the media via Zoom and told them that he approved a trade to the Montreal Canadiens in 2008 that would have seen him join the team just as they were set to celebrate their centennial.

It was rumoured in recent years that the trade would have seen Carey Price, P.K. Subban, Max Pacioretty and a first round pick go to the Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange for Vincent Lecavalier. The trade fell through, but it remains unclear as to why.

Montreal's general manager at the time was Bob Gainey and while it would have been nice to see Lecavalier play for the Canadiens, giving up those three, plus a first round pick would have gone down as one of the worst trades in franchise history.

Lecavalier finished his career with 949 points (421 G, 528 A) in 1,212 regular season games. He won the Stanley Cup once, as a member of the Lightning in 2004, as well as the Rocket Richard Trophy in 2006-07 when he put up 52 goals that season.

Lecavalier says that in 2008, he authorized the trade that fell apart that would've sent him to the Canadiens.— Eric Engels (@EricEngels) February 18, 2022

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