[Discussion] Roberto Luongo Trade Thread 3.0

[WiDeN]

Great post.

[sampy]

Good Post D-Money. To Add;

Philly: Bryz is brutal and the only reason he had any value was because he was playing in Phoenix and Tipett's defensive system. If there is anyway Philly can rid themselves of this horrendous contract, Lu would give them a guaranteed starter, something they haven't had since Hextall.

Washington: Holtby and Neuvirth are decents prospects but haven't proven much at the NHL level. There is a chance that they both stumble out of the gates and Washington loses patience.

Ottawa: Long shot but I am not sold on Anderson or their goaltending prospects.

Winnipeg: Pavelec is very inconsistant. Lu would be a massive upgrade.

All MG needs is 2-3 teams in need of a goalie to get very good value and IMO the odds are with him. With the Blue Jays making massive trades and trading top prospects, Burke in his last year and the Leafs not having a goalie since the last lockout, Burke is going to have to give. If not, there's going to be another team willing.

[smurf47]

Good Post D-Money. To Add;

Philly: Bryz is brutal and the only reason he had any value was because he was playing in Phoenix and Tipett's defensive system. If there is anyway Philly can rid themselves of this horrendous contract, Lu would give them a guaranteed starter, something they haven't had since Hextall.

Washington: Holtby and Neuvirth are decents prospects but haven't proven much at the NHL level. There is a chance that they both stumble out of the gates and Washington loses patience.

Ottawa: Long shot but I am not sold on Anderson or their goaltending prospects.

Winnipeg: Pavelec is very inconsistant. Lu would be a massive upgrade.

All MG needs is 2-3 teams in need of a goalie to get very good value and IMO the odds are with him. With the Blue Jays making massive trades and trading top prospects, Burke in his last year and the Leafs not having a goalie since the last lockout, Burke is going to have to give. If not, there's going to be another team willing.

[TmanVan]

Although I agree with many of your points, this isn't entirely true. There are a lot of teams with huge question marks in their current and/or future goaltending. As far as I can see, depending on Lu's willingness to waive his NTC, there are as many as 10 teams who would be interested in Luongo.

Anaheim Ducks - Jonas Hiller has been excellent when healthy...but that's just it. Has he beaten vertigo for good? Or will he be a threat to miss half a season the next time he gets a puck off the mask? His contract is up after next season. Do the Ducks go forward with him, or try to land someone more dependable to rebuild around?

Chicago Blackhawks - Corey Crawford was impressive in 2010-11, but was not at all last year. Which is the real Crawford? His AHL history seems to indicate that he will likely remain pedestrian. Having an below-average starter worked when they had Campbell on a 2nd pairing, and Ladd and Versteeg on the 3rd line. But now that they have had to remove a lot of their depth, goaltending will need to improve if they hope to have a decent shot at another cup.

Columbus Blue Jackets - I don't see Lu waiving his NTC for the BJ's, but if he would, they'd be a heavy bidder.

Edmonton Oilers - Dubnyk has been decent, and Lu probably won't waive his NTC to go here, so I don't see this as likely. However, Luongo would still be an upgrade and a great veteran presence in the defensive zone. And if winning is what Lu is about, there are few teams that looked more poised than Edmonton to win a cup in the next 5 years. So the possibility is still there.

Florida Panthers - Look ready to really compete. Theodore has been decent, but will never be a difference-maker, and is UFA after this season (if it ever happens) anyways. Markstrom has struggled with injuries and sketchy performance. Add in a boost to local interest by bringing back a fan favourite all-star, and Lu to the Panthers makes perfect sense.

Minnesota Wild - This one doesn't seem to get talked about, but Minny may be VERY interested. Backstrom is an impending UFA, and has suffered recent injury troubles. Harding had shown signs of having what it took to be a decent starter/1A, but he was recently diagnosed with MS. They loaded up with Parise and Suter, and have some great prospects coming up, but who is going to be in net for these next few promising years?

New York Islanders - Great crop of up-and-coming young players, home ice in the hippest part of the greatest city in North America, and the team that originally drafted Roberto. And once Nabokov hangs them up, all they really have is DiPietro (so, they really have nothing). If Lu is willing to waive his NTC for the Isles, they'd be all over it.

San Jose Sharks - Niemi has proven to be a capable starter, but has not been a difference maker. If they are going to take another run with Thornton/Marleau/Boyle, Luongo would be a good upgrade. With 2 more years at 3.8 though, this one would be tough to pull off without Canucks taking Niemi back as part of the deal. But Schneider-Niemi would be a great goaltending tandem, and we'd still save 1.5 of cap.

Tampa Bay Lightning - Lindback has skills, but unfortunately for him, he also has Adult On-set Stills Disease. He has to take massive painkillers to play, and even then I'm surprised he can play at an NHL level. Even if he can improve on his fairly average start to his career, and be able to play for a number of years, but I seriously doubt he'd be able to handle a starter's workload. And after him, who is there?

Toronto Maple Leafs - Discussed to death already.

[hockeyking]

Firstly, Bryz is not brutal ! He did get off to a bad start with Philly and that kind of thing happens. He did play well in Phoenix and it was a lot more that the defensive system you alude to. I have watched a lot of Phoenix games and fail to see this defensive system and that is reflected by the shots on goal, as well as the quality of those shots. Mike Smith had to stand on his head last season and was the single reason that Phoenix did so well. It defense of Tippet, I believe he is a very good coach and does very well with limited talent,.

[Smashian Kassian]

Look around the league. Teams are already heavily invested in other goalies. Acquiring Luongo would mean that they'd have to dump their existing goaltender somewhere else. Moves like these don't happen very often - like, never. It's not very productive to have a multi-page conversation on acquiring Jimmy Howard from the Wings, and then immediately flipping him to the Leafs, because it's just so unlikely an event to happen.

So there's the pre-existing investment fact, and there's now the obvious fact that owners want NOTHING to do with the lifetime comment. Bill Daly's "the hill we will die on" comment should offer good support for that.

No point hanging onto Luongo as his value will not be increasing.

[King of the ES]

Although I agree with many of your points, this isn't entirely true. There are a lot of teams with huge question marks in their current and/or future goaltending. As far as I can see, depending on Lu's willingness to waive his NTC, there are as many as 10 teams who would be interested in Luongo.

Anaheim Ducks - Jonas Hiller has been excellent when healthy...but that's just it. Has he beaten vertigo for good? Or will he be a threat to miss half a season the next time he gets a puck off the mask? His contract is up after next season. Do the Ducks go forward with him, or try to land someone more dependable to rebuild around?

Chicago Blackhawks - Corey Crawford was impressive in 2010-11, but was not at all last year. Which is the real Crawford? His AHL history seems to indicate that he will likely remain pedestrian. Having an below-average starter worked when they had Campbell on a 2nd pairing, and Ladd and Versteeg on the 3rd line. But now that they have had to remove a lot of their depth, goaltending will need to improve if they hope to have a decent shot at another cup.

Columbus Blue Jackets - I don't see Lu waiving his NTC for the BJ's, but if he would, they'd be a heavy bidder.

Edmonton Oilers - Dubnyk has been decent, and Lu probably won't waive his NTC to go here, so I don't see this as likely. However, Luongo would still be an upgrade and a great veteran presence in the defensive zone. And if winning is what Lu is about, there are few teams that looked more poised than Edmonton to win a cup in the next 5 years. So the possibility is still there.

Florida Panthers - Look ready to really compete. Theodore has been decent, but will never be a difference-maker, and is UFA after this season (if it ever happens) anyways. Markstrom has struggled with injuries and sketchy performance. Add in a boost to local interest by bringing back a fan favourite all-star, and Lu to the Panthers makes perfect sense.

Minnesota Wild - This one doesn't seem to get talked about, but Minny may be VERY interested. Backstrom is an impending UFA, and has suffered recent injury troubles. Harding had shown signs of having what it took to be a decent starter/1A, but he was recently diagnosed with MS. They loaded up with Parise and Suter, and have some great prospects coming up, but who is going to be in net for these next few promising years?

New York Islanders - Great crop of up-and-coming young players, home ice in the hippest part of the greatest city in North America, and the team that originally drafted Roberto. And once Nabokov hangs them up, all they really have is DiPietro (so, they really have nothing). If Lu is willing to waive his NTC for the Isles, they'd be all over it.

San Jose Sharks - Niemi has proven to be a capable starter, but has not been a difference maker. If they are going to take another run with Thornton/Marleau/Boyle, Luongo would be a good upgrade. With 2 more years at 3.8 though, this one would be tough to pull off without Canucks taking Niemi back as part of the deal. But Schneider-Niemi would be a great goaltending tandem, and we'd still save 1.5 of cap.

Tampa Bay Lightning - Lindback has skills, but unfortunately for him, he also has Adult On-set Stills Disease. He has to take massive painkillers to play, and even then I'm surprised he can play at an NHL level. Even if he can improve on his fairly average start to his career, and be able to play for a number of years, but I seriously doubt he'd be able to handle a starter's workload. And after him, who is there?

Toronto Maple Leafs - Discussed to death already.

[King of the ES]

I know it's easy to jump to the conclusion that Luongo would automatically refuse to waive his no trade clause for Columbus, but if he wanted to play for a place that had alot less pressure than Toronto, and a team that will be on the rise, and which I believe could be a playoff team " on paper" if they had Luongo. It's something he should at least think about , as he would also be the go to, 65-70 game guy he wants to be.

[WiDeN]

Anaheim: whether he's a risk or not, Hiller's under contract until 2014, leaving it very unlikely that the Ducks would have any interest today. They're not the "buyout" type.

Trading Hiller is out of the question? This doesn't mean they shouldn't be on the list.

Chicago: most logical fit, indeed. But would Gillis send his biggest rival what could be their exact missing link?

I bet Gillis wouldn't hesitate to make a trade with any team Lu accepts a trade to.

Columbus: come on. Lou ain't voluntarily going there. They're a mess, still very far away. Already, the Ryan Murray pick is looking questionable. A lot of "Vancouver Grizzlies" appears to be inherent in that franchise.

We all know Columbus is unlikely

Edmonton: maybe, but you're than trading him to a division rival. Doesn't happen very often.

Also unlikely, as stated

Minnesota: see Edmonton.

I'd say Minnesota is more likely than than Edmonton and Columbus combined simply because Lu might want to play with the new crew in town, which should be a good team in the future.

Brooklyn: see Columbus.

Geographically it's not close to Florida, but it's frick'n NY man. Lu could fly anywhere he wants at any time from NY. I can't see this being on the bad list of locations. Also, he was drafted there, and it could be a big deal for the newly moved franchise.

San Jose: Niemi's signed until 2015. What do they do with him?

He said that we would likely have to take him back in the trade. He wouldn't be a bad backup for Schneider.

TB: gave up a lot for Lindback. Disease referenced has been known about for years. Didn't scare off Stevie Y.

[D-Money]

Edmonton: maybe, but you're than trading him to a division rival. Doesn't happen very often.

Minnesota: see Edmonton.

[BuretoMogilny]

Although I agree with many of your points, this isn't entirely true. There are a lot of teams with huge question marks in their current and/or future goaltending. As far as I can see, depending on Lu's willingness to waive his NTC, there are as many as 10 teams who would be interested in Luongo....

Columbus Blue Jackets - I don't see Lu waiving his NTC for the BJ's, but if he would, they'd be a heavy bidder.

[smurf47]

You can't be serious. CBJ a playoff team? Who's going to score goals for them?

And I don't think pressure is really the problem with Lu anymore. Only reason why Florida is a choice destination for him is because of his woman. If he wanted to escape pressure/attention, he wouldn't be on Twitter doing what he's doing.

[RUPERTKBD]

He knows this because The Lady of the Lake, her arm clad in the purest shimmering samite held aloft Excalibur from the bosom of the water signifying by divine Providence, that He, King, is to know these things.

[smurf47]

I have watched many Phoenix games two and have notices the the defensive system the usually keep the shots to the outside and box out the guy in front of the net really well so the goalie can see the puck.

[smurf47]

Mike Smith faced 31.78 shots per game....does not indicate a "defensive" system

[King of the ES]

If pressure is not an issue for Lou, then please explain his mediocre playoff performance in relation to his seasonal stats. You have lots of opinions based on nothing !

[smurf47]

You could say the same thing about most Canucks. Where was Kesler in this year's playoffs? Burrows? Booth? Are they all guys who buckle under the pressure as well?

Let's not forget that prior to the series moving to Boston last year, Lou was being discussed as a possible Conn Smythe candidate.

[Smashian Kassian]

Although I agree with many of your points, this isn't entirely true. There are a lot of teams with huge question marks in their current and/or future goaltending. As far as I can see, depending on Lu's willingness to waive his NTC, there are as many as 10 teams who would be interested in Luongo.

Anaheim Ducks - Jonas Hiller has been excellent when healthy...but that's just it. Has he beaten vertigo for good? Or will he be a threat to miss half a season the next time he gets a puck off the mask? His contract is up after next season. Do the Ducks go forward with him, or try to land someone more dependable to rebuild around?

Chicago Blackhawks - Corey Crawford was impressive in 2010-11, but was not at all last year. Which is the real Crawford? His AHL history seems to indicate that he will likely remain pedestrian. Having an below-average starter worked when they had Campbell on a 2nd pairing, and Ladd and Versteeg on the 3rd line. But now that they have had to remove a lot of their depth, goaltending will need to improve if they hope to have a decent shot at another cup.

Columbus Blue Jackets - I don't see Lu waiving his NTC for the BJ's, but if he would, they'd be a heavy bidder.

Edmonton Oilers - Dubnyk has been decent, and Lu probably won't waive his NTC to go here, so I don't see this as likely. However, Luongo would still be an upgrade and a great veteran presence in the defensive zone. And if winning is what Lu is about, there are few teams that looked more poised than Edmonton to win a cup in the next 5 years. So the possibility is still there.

Florida Panthers - Look ready to really compete. Theodore has been decent, but will never be a difference-maker, and is UFA after this season (if it ever happens) anyways. Markstrom has struggled with injuries and sketchy performance. Add in a boost to local interest by bringing back a fan favourite all-star, and Lu to the Panthers makes perfect sense.

Minnesota Wild - This one doesn't seem to get talked about, but Minny may be VERY interested. Backstrom is an impending UFA, and has suffered recent injury troubles. Harding had shown signs of having what it took to be a decent starter/1A, but he was recently diagnosed with MS. They loaded up with Parise and Suter, and have some great prospects coming up, but who is going to be in net for these next few promising years?

New York Islanders - Great crop of up-and-coming young players, home ice in the hippest part of the greatest city in North America, and the team that originally drafted Roberto. And once Nabokov hangs them up, all they really have is DiPietro (so, they really have nothing). If Lu is willing to waive his NTC for the Isles, they'd be all over it.

San Jose Sharks - Niemi has proven to be a capable starter, but has not been a difference maker. If they are going to take another run with Thornton/Marleau/Boyle, Luongo would be a good upgrade. With 2 more years at 3.8 though, this one would be tough to pull off without Canucks taking Niemi back as part of the deal. But Schneider-Niemi would be a great goaltending tandem, and we'd still save 1.5 of cap.

Tampa Bay Lightning - Lindback has skills, but unfortunately for him, he also has Adult On-set Stills Disease. He has to take massive painkillers to play, and even then I'm surprised he can play at an NHL level. Even if he can improve on his fairly average start to his career, and be able to play for a number of years, but I seriously doubt he'd be able to handle a starter's workload. And after him, who is there?

Toronto Maple Leafs - Discussed to death already.

[Canucks_Hockey_101]

Look around the league. Teams are already heavily invested in other goalies. Acquiring Luongo would mean that they'd have to dump their existing goaltender somewhere else. Moves like these don't happen very often - like, never. It's not very productive to have a multi-page conversation on acquiring Jimmy Howard from the Wings, and then immediately flipping him to the Leafs, because it's just so unlikely an event to happen.

So there's the pre-existing investment fact, and there's now the obvious fact that owners want NOTHING to do with the lifetime comment. Bill Daly's "the hill we will die on" comment should offer good support for that.

No point hanging onto Luongo as his value will not be increasing.

[BuretoMogilny]

You could say the same thing about most Canucks. Where was Kesler in this year's playoffs? Burrows? Booth? Are they all guys who buckle under the pressure as well?

Let's not forget that prior to the series moving to Boston last year, Lou was being discussed as a possible Conn Smythe candidate.