Will he show up or will he not show up? That seems to be the main question surrounding Vancouver Canucks goaltender Roberto Luongo. The team recently traded away 2012 starter Cory Schneider in favor of the veteran, leaving Luongo among those shocked he would be back with the team. Luongo was supposed to be the one traded and now he would be returning to Vancouver as next seasons starter. Remaining mum on whole situation, many speculated he might not accept the offer. General manager Mike Gillis and John Tortorella promise Luongo is ready to go.
Both Gillis and Tortorella went down to the goalie's home in Florida to have a three and a half hour chat about the recent events and the upcoming NHL season. GIllis walked away confident that Luongo had worked through the shock of returning and would be just fine.
"I have full confidence in Roberto and I have full confidence he'll be here and that's how we're operating," Gillis said to media on Tuesday.
Luongo was reportedly in shock after Vancouver made a draft day trade sending Schneider to the New Jersey Devils instead of himself. Schneider had taken over for Luongo in the 2012 NHL Playoffs and the team never looked back as the veteran started last season on the bench. Luongo had not talked publicly about the trade, opting to consider his options instead. Now, the relationship is reportedly mending.
"It wasn't strained or adversarial at all," Gillis said. "Roberto is still working his way through how everything occurred and what happened and I think he's going to be fine. I think he's the consummate professional, I think he's be the starting goalie for Canada's Olympic team and he'll be our starting goalie. I feel very optimistic about it."
Newly signed head coach Tortorella echoed those statements by Gillis. While many expected Luongo to be gone sometime during the offseason, the new head coach is happy to be getting a veteran back to help stabilize the team. It never crossed Tortorella's mind that Luongo might not show up, but reassures fans the veteran is the team's No. 1 guy.
Luongo currently has nine years left on a 12-year, $64 million contract that essentially made him un-tradable for Vancouver. The team had been attempting or almost two seasons to send Luongo and his inflated contract away, but there were never any serious takers. Gillis said the whole trade process actually saw Luongo relaxing more and showing a more human side to himself. He insists the veteran is enthusiastic and excited about what the future holds.