If the Vinny Lecavalier trade pot was boiling a couple of weeks ago, and it most certainly was with Montreal and Edmonton making serious offers, then these days it is just on low simmer, even on the occasion of les Canadiens being in Tampa to play the Lightning.
The Lightning have been playing much better of late and Lecavalier has been playing his best hockey of the season. There has also been a fairly strong negative reaction amongst Lightning fans and corporate sponsors to that Lecavalier trade talk, and that has chilled things quite a bit - keeping in mind that Tampa ownership had never fully committed to trading big No. 4 in the first place, in part because there wasn't unanimity of opinion within the organization.
But now, as it was when the pot was boiling, the trading of Lecavalier remains an option that will be considered. To what extent it will be considered will be based on many factors that include: how the team is playing, how Lecavalier is playing, what the offers are from other teams, and in what direction ownership decides to take this franchise in the long run. All of those will get weighed and measured on a weekly basis between now and the trade deadline.
If it makes sense to trade Vinny, they will. If it doesn't, they won't.
And even if Lecavalier doesn't move by the deadline, his no-movement clause doesn't kick in until July 1st, so it's reasonable to expect another flurry of Lecavalier trade talk and rumours at the NHL Entry Draft in June.
Oh yeah, did we mention the draft is in Montreal this year?