Vinny doesn't owe the Habs anything. He'll pick the team/city that's best for him & his family and if he decides that Montreal isn't a good fit, then so be it. Hating on him for going to another team is ridiculous.
This.
It's sad to see so many Habs fans act like Leafs fans and think we "deserve" every local player.
If Vinny does sign with Montreal in the end, it's because he either think he can win a cup here, got the best deal, or wants his children to go to school here. It will still be about Vinny doing what's best for Vinny, not about who deserves what.
Not the Habs but his hometown. Most players want to play at home at some point and while there give back to the community. If he choses another team for whatever reason then fans have every right to boo him. Money, given his last contract and buyout should not be a factor, or at least a very small one. Guys like Koivu and Kovalev were not born or raised here but they faced the scrutiny and did great things for the community.
If the Habs were in shambles then I can see wanting to stay away, but if he signs with a non playoff team instead of the Habs, he deserves any hate he gets.
Please give me an example of how many star or near-star players in sport signed for their hometown without being drafted by them. In recent memory the best example I can think of is in the NBA, Carmelo Anthony signing for the Knicks, and even then his "coming home" claim was transparently BS - he was born in NY but mostly raised in Baltimore, and it was obvious that New York offered him endorsement money he wasn't getting in Denver, a max contract he risked losing under the upcoming new CBA, and a chance to play with one of his good friends. Lecavalier is insanely marketable in the Quebec market, but the Quebec market isn't nearly as significant as New York.
If anything, Saku - and Vinny in Tampa is an example of how pros embrace their new homes, and it's the guys who spend their whole career here, not the guys who were born here, who do the most for the community. Which is what makes it extra sad that someone like Lecavalier gets worshipped while career Habs, from Price to Plekanec to Subban, often get chased out of town. Koivu is another example of someone who was never good enough no matter what he did.