metanoia Posted April 19, 2012 Share Posted April 19, 2012 http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/2012/04/18/vancouver_canucks_game_notes_april_18_mark_spector/ This is a bombshell if it's true. Vancouver has been frightful to its goalies over the years, and Luongo has endured a ton of criticism via both media and public scrutiny. I think a big part of the problem is the paycheck. If his contract were half of what it is, fans would expect less out of him. We all love Burrows because he's a steal of a deal, and could get a lot more elsewhere. If the Canucks had the money they might try to keep both of them, but it's the money that becomes the real problem - more than having to lean on Schneider because his goaltending has been a little better than Luongo's this year. Lu's salary is at the higher end of the spectrum, and subconsciously we all look at Lu and the value he gives the Canucks. Schneider of course gives more bang for the buck! But if Schneider needs backup, who do we have -- really? I don't know what mental pressure Lu felt in Game 7 last year - that had to have been an absolute pressure cooker. But maybe like Booth if you know hockey's not the main thing in life, you can let the pressure slide off. I don't know how Schneider would be in the same position. And I have no idea if Mark Spector has really heard that Lu's agent has been told to find potential trades for Roberto. I'd like to have this verified in another news source. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Horvatian One Posted April 19, 2012 Share Posted April 19, 2012 LOS ANGELES -- Has Roberto Luongo played his last game as a Vancouver Canuck? Think it through: If Vancouver wins Game 4 tonight with Cory Schneider in goal, they’re not going to take Schneider out until he loses one. At that point when the season ends, and judging by the way head coach Alain Vigneault and GM Mike Gillis have played their goaltending cards in this playoff series, the goalie that’s going to be put on the auction block this summer is Luongo, not Schneider. "Cory is playing," Vigneault announced to open his morning media briefing. "Want to take us through that decision?" he was asked. "Not really," came the reply. What happened when he informed his two netminders the previous evening? "Told both guys, and, uh, it is what it is." "It," is the news item that will consume Vancouver’s sports pages throughout the summer, we promise you that. Both Schneider and Luongo represent completely different ends of the trade spectrum, and dealing Luongo is an admission on the part of GM Mike Gillis that he’s ready to backtrack on the 12-year, $64 million deal he signed Luongo to in 2010. In fact, the most interested party around the decision to start Schneider in Game 4 tonight might not even be an employee of the Vancouver Canucks. He is Luongo’s agent Gilles Lupien, who just got the green flag to start sculpting a list of teams that Luongo — who has a no trade clause in his contract — may accept a trade to. It will be a short list, and as we’re seeing with Rick Nash in Columbus, that makes any deal even more difficult to consummate. Naming Schneider as the starter in this crucial Game 4 sends all kinds of messages about who will be the gardian of this club into the future. That is why Luongo chose not to address the media Wednesday morning, and Vigneault did so only in snippets. "Goaltending has not been the issue for us this year and in this series," Vigneault said. "We’ve had great goaltending so whatever decision I made would have been the right one. Without getting into the specifics of why Cory is playing tonight, I am confident he’ll have a good game and the guys will play real hard in front of him." As for Schneider, he’s been the better goalie this year and deserves the start as much as Luongo. Trading Schneider — who is younger and without the baggage of a decade left on Luongo’s contract and a list of teams with which to deal — could have landed the Canucks much, much more. Perhaps Columbus’ No. 2 overall draft pick. Or a first-line player who could help right now, on a team whose window of opportunity is now, not in five years when the Sedins are 36. As it is, Schneider will finish this playoff run off, and become the man in the pipes for the Canucks from here on out. Unless, of course, Gillis can’t find the right trade with one of the teams Luongo chooses. Then, folks, it could get real messy in Vancouver this summer. "I was expecting either (guy)," Schneider said of the assignment from Vigneault. "I think we’ve come to a point where nothing surprises us. Either guy we’re comfortable with." He’s played in some big regular season games for Vancouver, and a couple of playoff games. But never an elimination game, like tonight versus the Los Angeles Kings. "It’s not just another game," he allowed. "But you can’t psyche yourself out, you can’t try and do too much. Every game I play at this level, I want to play a perfect game every time. That doesn’t change in the playoffs." Daniel Is Back Daniel Sedin is a game time decision, but it’s looking very much like he will return from his concussion and play on a line with brother Henrik and David Booth tonight. He’s been symptom free for well over a week now, and feels fine after Tuesday’s practice day. "I felt good this morning. We’ll see he it is this afternoon," he said. "(If) I feel good tonight, that’s the deciding factor." "He’s a game time decision," Vigneault added. "It’s looking pretty good right now." Poolster alert: Dale Weise would come out of the Vancouver lineup if Daniel is activated. The hope from Vancouver’s side is that Daniel can help Henrik’s production, which in turn could kick start a host of under achieving Canucks forwards. Henrik (one goal in his last 26 games), Ryan Kesler (0 goals last 15 games), David Booth (one goal last 14 games), Mason Raymond (five points in 20 games), Chris Higgins (pointless in this series), are heading the group of players who aren’t delivering for Vancouver. Daniel’s return, it is hoped, will put everyone back into their comfort zone and open up the offence. "We’ll see how AV uses me," Daniel said. "Once you’re out there, you’ll want to play as much as they can. "We’re in a big hole, that’s for sure. We’re going to take it game by game. If we play like we did last game, we’re going to have a chance to win this game regardless of who’s in the lineup. Said the coach: "We need to win a period, and it starts with the first one tonight. That’s all I’m focused on." Rob’s job Rob Scuderi was talking about being up 3-0, and the approach his team will be taking tonight. "When I was in Pittsburgh," he told the Vancouver Sun’s Cam Cole, "we were up 3-0 against Philly one time. Then we lost two and were on our way to losing Game 6 against the Flyers — we were down 3-0 late in the second period — and you’re thinking: ‘We’re headed to Game 7.’ "So if I could say anything, it would be that you can’t pass up an opportunity to put a team’s lights out. A team that’s had as much success as they’ve had over the past three years, once you get even a little whiff of (life), you seem to take off and say, ‘Hey, why not, you know? Let’s see.’ And you know they’ve had streaks where they’ve won bunches of games in a row. "So we have to take full advantage of this opportunity to knock them out." Mark Spector is the senior columnist on sportsnet.ca Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xbox Posted April 19, 2012 Share Posted April 19, 2012 Bye Luongo! Hope you get traded. Not because you're bad, but because you don't deserve all the hate you get. Please rejuvenate your career elsewhere! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stexx Posted April 19, 2012 Share Posted April 19, 2012 what a disgusting article, almost as bad as the one in the province this morning. Team is still in the playoffs and the media are already packing luongos bags for him. I would love to see how jason botchford would respond if they brought in say damien cox to replace him and made a big media spectacle out of it and called him a useless sack of cr@p and a whole lot worse. People seem to forget hockey is a game, yes people are passionate i am a diehard fan myself but at the end of the day luongo is a human being just like the rest of us and doesnt deserve to be treated like this. Just like anyone doesnt deserve it no matter what salary they make. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KFBR392 Posted April 19, 2012 Share Posted April 19, 2012 If we make it out of this series and Cory has a bad game 1 in the next round, I seriously doubt AV would hesitate to start Luongo in game 2. I think people are looking waaaaay too far into this. I feel seriously bad for Luongo. The media around here are absolute sharks. And here I was thinking the fan base was bad.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KFBR392 Posted April 19, 2012 Share Posted April 19, 2012 Oh and ps.. I didn't read the article. I know by now how much bs Spector spews, so I've completely boycotted the sportsnet website entirely... Haven't been there since the finals last year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoreyPerry Posted April 19, 2012 Share Posted April 19, 2012 really really don't wanna see luongo go, guys an all star ... PROVEN... i love schneider, but watching some of these HIGHLIGHT REEL saves luongo has made over the years in a canucks jersey, man.... to me luongo is the canucks, i wanted to see him retire a canuck, hell in the dressing room they have the orca facing luongo on purpose, the guy is THE core of this team.... just kinda stunned right now after reading that article and how his agent was green lighted WTF Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lonny_Bohonos_14 Posted April 19, 2012 Share Posted April 19, 2012 Where would Luongo even green light a trade to? There aren't many teams that need a goalie, and most of them are in the bottom of the league or have a good prospect ready to take over(ie Washington - Holtby, Florida - Markstrom) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Opmac Posted April 19, 2012 Share Posted April 19, 2012 Where would Luongo even green light a trade to? There aren't many teams that need a goalie, and most of them are in the bottom of the league or have a good prospect ready to take over(ie Washington - Holtby, Florida - Markstrom) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TOMapleLaughs Posted April 19, 2012 Share Posted April 19, 2012 It's Mark Spector. He's been a douche about this team since he started appearing on SN. I highly doubt he has any insight on what's going on, but he's obviously trying to stir the pot to gain some attention. Still, it's pretty easy to speculate on a Luongo trade attempt at this point, isn't it? This story has been building for quite some time. imo It's incredibly lazy to come up with this rumour/story. But it is what it is. Predictable filler. If we trade Luongo, we'll have to take a bad contract back or recieve relatively nothing in return. Not many teams will be willing to do it. Perhaps some the Canadian teams like TO. But would Luongo want to stay in Canada and go to a non-contender to boot? His preference would be to head back to Florida, likely. Tampa makes a decent destination from their standpoint. And they have a brutal contract or two to take on. But they might want Schneider instead. I'll say this: If Tampa gets a decent goaltender like either Luongo or Schneider, then they will become a SERIOUS contender immediately. In fact, they'll probably win the cup again before we do once. Yay? Cheers. TOML Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Provost Posted April 19, 2012 Share Posted April 19, 2012 And I have no idea if Mark Spector has really heard that Lu's agent has been told to find potential trades for Roberto. I'd like to have this verified in another news source. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
underrated Posted April 19, 2012 Share Posted April 19, 2012 Oh and ps.. I didn't read the article. I know by now how much bs Spector spews, so I've completely boycotted the sportsnet website entirely... Haven't been there since the finals last year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D-Money Posted April 19, 2012 Share Posted April 19, 2012 Lu for Malone would be a good trade for both teams. Tampa will be competitive again with Luongo in net. Malone would be a great replacement for Raymond. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil_314 Posted April 19, 2012 Share Posted April 19, 2012 Team is still in the playoffs and the media are already packing luongos bags for him. It's true that Lu shouldn't be dumped so prematurely but there's not much else at this time of year that the hockey-mad fans of this town really care much about in the world of sports, and the journalists are willing to give this crazy fan base any "information" they can about their beloved team (plus Lu's been getting flack left, right and center so to write about and dump on him seems natural to get more readership). People seem to forget hockey is a game, yes people are passionate i am a diehard fan myself but at the end of the day luongo is a human being just like the rest of us and doesnt deserve to be treated like this. Just like anyone doesnt deserve it no matter what salary they make. Hockey (and journalism) are also businesses, and in both cases things happen where the "victim" party may feel like they're getting dumped, but that's just part of the business. Heck, this situation here reminds me of how the Hawks dealt with the Huet (Lu) - Crawford (Cory) - Niemi (Lack?) situation. When the ex-starter's considered overpriced and gets supplanted, no matter what they've achieved (Cristobal won them the cup for crying out loud) he'll still get moved (plus his salary was even higher than Lu's and they had Crawford ready) and that's just the nature of sports. Just hope Lu doesn't get dumped to Europe (though it's unlikely with his strong track record) but when they need to part ways they will. Edit: if TB considers Lu for Connolly and 1st as too expensive I'd even take Purcell and pick (2nd?); either way Kes could use his complementary winger who can pass or shoot (Purcell's been pass-first for most of his career and he racked up 41A last season, with 24G) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iLLmAtlc Posted April 19, 2012 Share Posted April 19, 2012 Probably BS. Highly doubt Luongo would be classless enough to facilitate the process during the playoffs. Anyone on CDC could report that Lu wants out and have a pretty good chance of being right so it's probably Spector trying to beat the others out of the gate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UFCanuck Posted April 19, 2012 Share Posted April 19, 2012 Luongo on Tampa = Cup Favourites in the east next year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trebreh Posted April 19, 2012 Share Posted April 19, 2012 really really don't wanna see luongo go, guys an all star ... PROVEN... i love schneider, but watching some of these HIGHLIGHT REEL saves luongo has made over the years in a canucks jersey, man.... to me luongo is the canucks, i wanted to see him retire a canuck, hell in the dressing room they have the orca facing luongo on purpose, the guy is THE core of this team.... just kinda stunned right now after reading that article and how his agent was green lighted WTF Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ilya Mikheyev Posted April 19, 2012 Share Posted April 19, 2012 I wonder if Spector actually knows this: Luongo’s agent Gilles Lupien, who just got the green flag to start sculpting a list of teams that Luongo — who has a no trade clause in his contract — may accept a trade to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
underrated Posted April 19, 2012 Share Posted April 19, 2012 Ya the only teams I think are a great fit for Lou or Schneider are Tampa Bay or New Jersey (if Brodeur retires). Columbus and Toronto would probably be interested in Schneider but we'd probably ask for a top five pick and get rejected. Makes no sense to trade with Edmonton. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ilya Mikheyev Posted April 19, 2012 Share Posted April 19, 2012 Ya the only teams I think are a great fit for Lou or Schneider are Tampa Bay or New Jersey (if Brodeur retires). Columbus and Toronto would probably be interested in Schneider but we'd probably ask for a top five pick and get rejected. Makes no sense to trade with Edmonton. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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