Just when the Vancouver Canucks thought there goaltending issues were solved, yet another problem arises. After going back and forth between veteran Roberto Luongo and Cory Schneider, general manager Mike Gillis traded away Schneider and kept Luongo. After being told he was going to be traded eventually, the veteran is now forced to get back into the starting mindset for Vancouver once again. However, Luongo has gone silent and is not a lock to return.
At the start of the 2013 season, Luongo was moved into a backup role as Vancouver transitioned into the Schneider era. The team failed to trade him multiple times and Luongo has accepted that at some point this summer, he would end up playing somewhere else. Except, now he is back as the starter for Vancouver and reportedly shocked by the trade.
According to Renaud Lavoie of RDS, Luongo is not a guarantee to return to the Canucks. He is still reportedly considering all of his options before he commits to something. This is bad news for Vancouver. The goaltender still has nine years and $64 million remaining on his current contract. The Canucks traded away Schneider, leaving little depth at the position.
Luongo was reportedly blindsided by the original trade. Concerned, head coach John Tortorella is expected to meet with the goalie in the near future to discuss where he stands with the team. Tortorella spoke highly of Luongo and his excitement to work with the goalie.
With limited options, Luongo might be forced to return. His contract has made him impossible to trade so he might just need to patch things up with the team. Gillis appears happy to have him back as does his teammates, so that positivity could help.
As Luongo's future remains uncertain, Vancouver did make key moves in the first day of free agency. The team signed former Los Angeles Kings centre Brad Richardson to a two-year contract. The 28-year-old had spent the last five seasons in Los Angeles helping the team win a Stanley Cup.
Richardson fits Vancouver's mindset this season of signing cheap talent to manage their salary cap issues. He bounced in and out of the lineup last season, with most of his playing time coming towards the end of the season. Richardson will help build the gap for several young prospects in Vancouver's franchise that are not ready to start yet.
Richardson should prove productive for the Canucks, but right now, all eyes are on Luongo. With Luongo the team could easily be back in contention for postseason play, but without him they have a mess on their hands. Time will tell if Luongo is back on the ice in Vancouver or not.
