Lecavalier to have minor knee surgery

Instead of dealing cards in Montreal this week, Lightning captain Vinny Lecavalier is dealing with a torn meniscus that will require knee surgery.

Lecavalier, 30, will have arthroscopic surgery on his left knee Tuesday, the team announced. The procedure will be performed in Tampa by team orthopedic surgeon Ira Guttentag.

The club estimates Lecavalier will need 3-4 weeks to recover. He is expected to be ready for the start of training camp on Sept. 17.

"Vinny was really proactive about this,'' Lightning GM Steve Yzerman said Saturday night. "He's been skating up in Montreal and he felt something was not quite right. Right now, it sounds like a minor meniscus tear. You never really know until you get in there, but all indications are that it's minor.''

Because of the knee injury, Lecavalier was forced to cancel a charity poker tournament slated for Wednesday in his hometown of Montreal.

Lecavalier, who recently told team officials he was feeling discomfort, had looked forward to being completely healthy to start a season for the first time in three years. He had wrist surgery in April 2009 and shoulder surgery to repair a torn labrum in April 2008.

The injuries likely contributed to Lecavalier's goal production dropping each of the past three seasons. After scoring a career-high 52 goals in 2006-07, he scored 40, 29 and 24 the next three seasons, respectively.

"I wouldn't categorize this as a setback,'' Yzerman said. "I went through it myself as a player. Over the course of a long career, the minutes pile up and these things happen.''

Lecavalier is entering the second year of an 11-year, $85 million contract. Earlier this summer, Lecavalier said he was excited about the team's prospects after an offseason of changes, including the hiring of Yzerman as general manager and Guy Boucher as coach.

A return to form by Lecavalier would give the Lightning several formidable scorers.

Center Steven Stamkos shared the NHL goal-scoring title last season at 51 with Pittsburgh's Sidney Crosby.

Veteran wing Marty St. Louis, who recently signed a four-year extension, was sixth in the league in scoring with 94 points. And veteran wing Simon Gagne, a four-time 30-goal scorer, was acquired last month in a trade with Philadelphia.