Lightning letting Lecavalier go

The Tampa Bay Lightning saidtoday they’ll buy out the contract of veteran Vincent Lecavalier, the NHL club’s all-time leader in games played and goals scored.

Lecavalier was the first overall selection in the 1998 NHL draft and has gone on to become the face of the Lightning franchise.

The 33-year-old Canadian was under contract through the 2019-20 season, part of an 11-year deal he inked in 2008. Now he will become a free agent on July 5.

Lecavalier has 383 goals and 874 points in 1,037 regular-season games. He scored just 10 goals and added 22 assists for 33 points in 39 games during the lockout-shortened 2013 season.

Lecavalier played 14 seasons for the Lightning, helping them to their only Stanley Cup title in 2004. He earned four NHL All-Star Game appearances and won the Richard Trophy as the league’s top goal scorer with 52 in 2006-07.

“Vinny has been a significant reason for many of our past successes, including the 2004 Stanley Cup, and his contributions to the community are immeasurable,” Lightning general manager Steve Yzerman said in a statement on Thursday. “The Lightning organization is indebted to Vinny; we thank him for all he has done here and we wish him well as he moves forward.”

Under the new collective bargaining agreement, the Lightning will still be responsible for paying two-thirds of the existing value — reported to be $7.73 million per year — over twice the term of the deal.

“After much internal deliberation, we believe this will prove to be a pivotal move for us as we strive to achieve our long term goal of competing at the highest level, year-in, year-out,” Yzerman said.