Now that the Vancouver Canucks have officially hired a new coach to take the team to another level, the trading of goaltender Roberto Luongo steps to the front of the priority list. The Canucks are doing everything they can to get rid of the veteran and his extremely inflated contract, but so far has failed to do so. After believing they had a possible suitor in the New York Islanders, the team has officially dropped out of contention for the goalie.
The Canucks were desperately hoping they had New York locked down to take Luongo. There are not many teams in the league looking to bring in a No. 1 goalie and even fewer willing to take on Luongo's contract. However, the Islanders' starting goalie Evgeni Nabokov remains unsigned so far, leaving the No. 1 spot wide open for the team.
Luongo appeared to be a perfect fit for the Isles. He began his now long career with the team and it would be a fitting location for him to play out the remaining years he has left. Yet, the likely issue is the contract, the horrific contract that comes attached to Luongo. He currently is signed to a deal that runs through 2022. He has an annual cap hit of $5.33 million.
The Canucks are more than prepared to move on from Luongo. They have made it known that Cory Schneider is the team's starting goalie and will remain the starter for the 2013 season. The Canucks added roster depth by signing Joacim Eriksson in the offseason. Eriksson will likely start as the No. 2 option behind Schneider. At 23, he had a strong run the Swedish Elite League in two seasons, posting a 1.67 goals-against average. The team wanted to sign him a year ago, but felt he was not ready to make the jump overseas in now.
So where does that leave Luongo? With the Islanders and the Toronto Maple Leafs all declining his services, Vancouver is running out of options. The Philadelphia Flyers need a goalie, but their general manager Paul Holmgren already said Luongo was not an option. The veteran has said he would like to play for the Florida Panthers again, but they have Jacob Markstrom and would not want to take on that contract.
Mike Gillis has said the team is going to get rid of Luongo. The sweepstakes has been going on for a year now. At some point, the general manager will consider having to use one of two amnesty buyouts and drop Luongo altogether. He played in 20 games this season while a backup, recording a 2.56 GAA.
