Since Roberto Luongo and the Vancouver Canucks agreed that the time had come for the All-Star goaltender to be traded, the Florida Panthers have been in the mix when discussing possible destinations.
So, when Panthers general manager Dale Tallon joined a media conference call on Thursday to discuss the signing of former Coyotes and Avalanche center Peter Mueller to a one-ear contract, it was only natural that he'd be asked about a trade for Luongo.
Given the complexities involved in negotiating a trade, it was also natural that Tallon would have much to say in terms of details on the subject.
"I'm open to anything that makes sense as far as the Florida Panthers winning a Stanley Cup," Tallon said, "and we'll listen to anything possible."
One could certainly joke that given Luongo's shaky playoff history, his return to Florida makes absolutely no sense in terms of the Panthers winning a Cup, and at some point, Luongo will need to shake that reputation. At the same time, though, there's little question that Luongo could go a long way towards making the Panthers playoff regulars, as opposed to a team that is ready to celebrate just getting into the playoffs.
Florida surprised in 2011-12, powered by a team that got the job done with balanced scoring, led by a career-best 61 points from Tomas Fleischmann. Given his past injury issues, Fleischmann was something of a reclamation project for the Panthers, much as Mueller is now after playing 32 games last season. The fact is that the Panthers are simply not going to be in the mix for top level free agents, as evidenced by Jason Garrison leaving for the Canucks. If the Panthers are going to become a consistent playoff team under Kevin Dineen, they're going to need to do it with grit, pluck, and outstanding goaltending. Luongo is where the "outstanding goaltending" part comes in.
Given the kind of team Florida has, it's uncertain what the Canucks would want from the Panthers, and a package would probably trend towards picks and prospects rather than roster players. However, unless the Canucks are looking for Brian Campbell to join his former defense partner Jason Garrison in Vancouver, this is a deal that Tallon should go the extra mile to make.
Given the fact that Vancouver really needs to move Luongo's contract, general manager Mike Gillis shouldn't be nearly as difficult to deal with as Scott Howson is in Columbus. The Panthers may find themselves bidding against the Toronto Maple Leafs for Luongo's services, and that could make it hard for them to win, but if there's a deal that can be done, it makes sense for Howson to do it.
