With most of the NHL's summer business concluded - you know, except that whole business of a new collective bargaining agreement - the eyes of the hockey world are focused on the Vancouver Canucks and their attempts to trade All-Star goaltender Roberto Luongo.
The only problem is that Canucks general manager Mike Gillis and his prospective trading partners - believed at this point to be the Florida Panthers exclusively - don't seem to have the same sense of urgency as the rest of the hockey world when it comes to getting this thing done.
More than two months after Canucks head coach Alain Vigneault confirmed that Luongo had requested a trade, and over a month after the start of NHL free agency, Luongo is still on the Canucks' roster, and Gillis' repeated statements that he's willing to keep Luongo on the roster through the beginning of the 2012-13 season continue have a ring of truth to them that continues to grow louder.
This, of course, would be music to the ears of some Canucks fans, who have responded to previous SWR posts about potential Luongo trades with assertions that the Canucks should keep Luongo. However, those fans would do well to remember that even if Gillis is open to keeping Luongo on the roster as a backup to Cory Schneider, that doesn't mean it's his first option.
There is certainly a case to be made for keeping Luongo in Vancouver. As well as Schneider has played in a backup capacity - and as much as an improvement as he was when he replaced Luongo against the Los Angeles Kings during this past season's Western Conference quarterfinals - no starting goaltender is a sure thing until he proves himself as a starter. If Luongo is still a Canuck in October (assuming that that's when the NHL season actually starts), then Vancouver will have a rock-solid insurance policy in the event that Schneider struggles or is injured. If Schneider remains healthy and solid between the pipes, then he has the world's best backup. There are certainly enough positives in keeping Luongo that he shouldn't be traded just for the purpose of trading him.
All of that having been said, however, keeping Luongo in Vancouver has its risks. While Luongo could be a nice insurance policy, the presence of a three-time All-Star breathing down your neck isn't exactly an ideal way to start your tenure as a starting goaltender in the NHL. In addition, as much of a professional as Luongo is, he's a starting goaltender, and a decorated one at that, and the idea of backing up Schneider isn't going to sit well from him. That's not going to contribute much to the locker room.
All of these arguments overlook the fact that even if Luongo were the best teammate in the world and played the role of backup to perfection, nothing he can do in that capacity would justify is $5.3 million salary cap hit (let alone his $6.7 million salary). Finally, with the vast majority of Vancouver's forward corps due for free agency in the next two years (Henrik and Daniel Sedin are unrestricted free agents in the summer of 2014), there should be a sense of urgency in Vancouver, and a "win now" mentality is best served by trading Luongo.
The sticking point in the negotiations between Florida and Vancouver is believed to be Panthers center prospect Nick Bjugstad, who scored 25 goals and handed out 17 assists in 40 games last season at the University of Minnesota. Given the difficulty Florida has attracting top-flight forward talent, it's understandable that Panthers GM Dale Tallon would be reluctant to part with a talented offensive prospect like Bjugstad, especially with a talented netminding prospect like Jacob Markstrom on the verge of NHL readiness. However, if Schneider can't be considered a sure thing yet, then Markstrom certainly can't, and if Tallon wants to build on his team's Southeast Division title in 2011-12 with a deep playoff run in 2012-13, his team is best off having Luongo. Besides, if Markstrom does pan out, Luongo should be able to fetch forward talent in a trade two years down the line (if that's the way Florida wants to go).
In the end, the clock is ticking on both the Panthers and the Canucks: Vancouver to win a Stanley Cup, and Florida to use its surprising run in 2011-12 to build a more significant following. It may take a while, but then again, it took the New York Rangers a while to land Rick Nash, too. Sooner or later, expect the deal for Luongo to get done.
