However, things could have been very different for the famous number 4. It is remembered that in 2009, when he was at the peak of his abilities, the Quebecer almost became a Canadien.
As confirmed by the team's former GM, Brian Lawton, Bob Gainey would have traded Carey Price, P.K. Subban, and Max Pacioretty in return for Lecavalier. It was the Lightning's owner, not wanting to strip the team, who vetoed the transaction.
Nevertheless, this was not the first time that Lecavalier almost ended up with a Canadian team. During a recent edition of the podcast 32 Thoughts, Jeff Marek claimed that early in his career, Lecavalier almost became a Leaf.
The trade would have sent Nik Antropov, Jonas Hoglund, Tomas Kaberle, and Brad Boyes OR a first-round pick to the Lightning. According to Marek, the trade never happened because Rick Dudley resigned on February 9, 2002, as GM of the Lightning and was replaced by his assistant Jay Feaster. The tumultuous relationship between Lecavalier and John Tortorella was the reason for this trade attempt.