Flyers open vault for Lecavalier

Vincent Lecavalier, Danny Briere and Ilya Bryzgalov have injected some more intrigue into NHL free agency.

Lecavalier kicked off the annual signing period Tuesday, three days before it officially starts, by agreeing to a multiyear contract with the Philadelphia Flyers thought to be worth upwards of $25 million.

Lecavalier unexpectedly became available after the Tampa Bay Lightning bought out the remainder of a long-term contract with their 33-year-old captain last week.