Luongo Leaving Vancouver?

To the topic at hand:



Absolutely we should be in the running. Diddle Leclaire. Leclaire + Spezza for Luongo. The Nucks do what they want to do - spend less in net. Get the center to replace one of the sisters and shift salary around a bit. Perhaps the deal gets broadened a little, but Luongo is still All-World, despite having one bad game.

Fickle fools in Vancouver. If this happens, they'll beat the crap out each other looking for the 'next great goalie'.

Anyone who would run Luongo out of town is extremely short sighted, but in the same breath, anyone who doesnt have serious questions about his mental toughness and ability to win in pressure situations, I have issue with that as well.

So far Luongo NHL career has been great regular seasons and very little playoffs success. He has been in the league 10 years now and is turning into a Cujo, not a Brodure. This can all change with one playoff run but as of yet it has not. Can Luongo carry a team when it matters? Even going back to Jr he was awful in the one shot he had at the Mem Cup, so it's not a new thing.

Winning is something that a lot of players never figure out, could Luongo be one of those guys?

504Heater wrote:To the topic at hand:



Absolutely we should be in the running. Diddle Leclaire. Leclaire + Spezza for Luongo. The Nucks do what they want to do - spend less in net. Get the center to replace one of the sisters and shift salary around a bit. Perhaps the deal gets broadened a little, but Luongo is still All-World, despite having one bad game.

Fickle fools in Vancouver. If this happens, they'll beat the crap out each other looking for the 'next great goalie'.

At one point I would have been all over that, not anymore. Luongo rasied way too many questions with his play to actually toss away a guy like Leclaire (who very well could be the answer to the Sens 15 year long struggle for goaltending) and Spezza, who could/should be dealt for other pieces in Ottawa.

I wouldnt give up the world for Luongo anymore, especially with him being a pending UFA who will get top dollar after that.

Dawg's Wife wrote:

Mojo wrote:I see where you're coming from DW, but I don't think Lalime and Luongo should ever be mentioned in the same breath. Lalime was a pretty decent goalie playing behind a very good team. Luongo is an excellent goalie playing behind a pretty decent team. Lalime's shortcomings were laregely reponsible for the Sens having poor playoff successes (except for 2003), whereas no one has been more responsible for Vancourver's relative playoff success than Luongo.

Completely agree...I just thought it weird that both goalies were are will be?? run out of town after having good playoffs yet getting lambasted in their last game.

Lalime's numbers that year he imploded were unbelievable..one has to wonder if we lost that final game 3-2 would he have been around a little longer.

If the team had scored an average of 2 goals per game history may have been kinder to Lalime. 2 Diddle goals...

504Heater wrote:To the topic at hand:



Absolutely we should be in the running. Diddle Leclaire. Leclaire + Spezza for Luongo. The Nucks do what they want to do - spend less in net. Get the center to replace one of the sisters and shift salary around a bit. Perhaps the deal gets broadened a little, but Luongo is still All-World, despite having one bad game.

Fickle fools in Vancouver. If this happens, they'll beat the crap out each other looking for the 'next great goalie'.

If Gillis can bag that Swedish kid, it should expedite matters.

Neely4Life wrote:At one point I would have been all over that, not anymore. Luongo rasied way too many questions with his play to actually toss away a guy like Leclaire (who very well could be the answer to the Sens 15 year long struggle for goaltending) and Spezza, who could/should be dealt for other pieces in Ottawa.

I wouldnt give up the world for Luongo anymore, especially with him being a pending UFA who will get top dollar after that.

To me, that's the problem. Without a plan in place to extend him, I can't imagine teams parting with the Jeff Carters etc. to get him.

Ya, I'll take Lalime in the playoffs over Luongo at this point, haha, not even kidding.

Lalime to this day has the best GAA in playoff history. I'm not saying Lalime didnt have to go, didnt let in the bad goal, so on, but he didnt let in 5 a game.

Neely4Life wrote:Ya, I'll take Lalime in the playoffs over Luongo at this point, haha, not even kidding.

Lalime to this day has the best GAA in playoff history. I'm not saying Lalime didnt have to go, didnt let in the bad goal, so on, but he didnt let in 5 a game.

That Philly series was the best goaltending I've ever seen I think.

504Heater wrote:

Neely4Life wrote:At one point I would have been all over that, not anymore. Luongo rasied way too many questions with his play to actually toss away a guy like Leclaire (who very well could be the answer to the Sens 15 year long struggle for goaltending) and Spezza, who could/should be dealt for other pieces in Ottawa.

I wouldnt give up the world for Luongo anymore, especially with him being a pending UFA who will get top dollar after that.

To me, that's the problem. Without a plan in place to extend him, I can't imagine teams parting with the Jeff Carters etc. to get him.

Luongo will give u steady goaltending in the regular season, but again, does he have the menta fortitude to actually carry a team deep or step up during a pressure situation... He failed to make the playoffs one of his 3 years in Vancouver too.

Not sold on Luongo being the answer for a team.

Neely4Life wrote:
Luongo will give u steady goaltending in the regular season, but again, does he have the menta fortitude to actually carry a team deep or step up during a pressure situation... He failed to make the playoffs one of his 3 years in Vancouver too.

Not sold on Luongo being the answer for a team.

Yeah, good question. I would answer yes personally, I think he has the mental makeup to be effective, but this year's playoffs certainly didn't prove it. Or not when the chips were really down. He was still incredible, but the victim of 2 poor games against a sexy young team.

You could probably spin it and say that if the Canucks hadn't diddled around with a 1-0 lead in game 5 I think, they would have been playing a Game 7. They needed to score more when he was being amazing - and they needed to defend more when the game totally opened up.

I would personally still roll the dice on this guy, no question, but I understand what you're saying.

Also, even at the Olympics in 2006 he was unable to win that big game for Canada too. I wouldnt lable him a choker (yet) or a guy unable to carry a team on his back, but questions have arised about him, and rightyfully so.

The bottom line is can he win when it matters? The answer, like other players I have brought up in other threads, so far is no. Luongo is a top tier goalie and I would take a shot on him if he had Leclaire's contract too, but not at 7 mil for one year, not now.

Right you are Neely. The way he ended his season will open up a ton of questions.

The same could be said for Brodeur. He's really had a rough go at the playoffs the last 3 or 4 years. They are way overplaying him in the regular season.

He's amazing, and he has 3 Stanley Cup rings already. I wouldn't put him in the same category as Luongo, but they need to stop playing him so much, or they won't ever win a Cup again.

SensGirl11 wrote:The same could be said for Brodeur. He's really had a rough go at the playoffs the last 3 or 4 years. They are way overplaying him in the regular season.

He's amazing, and he has 3 Stanley Cup rings already. I wouldn't put him in the same category as Luongo, but they need to stop playing him so much, or they won't ever win a Cup again.

But they couldn't play either goalie as much this year because of their injuries and as solid as Brodeur was, he wasn't the impenetrable wall we're used to. Luongo played something like 50 games, so he had to be pretty fresh. He just got smoked by the Hawks.

But yes, the days of playing a goalie 75 times a year are over - and if they're not, they should be.

He looked burned in the last game. He could of paced himself better, i'm sure he will next time ....

The postgame interview was hard to swallow, his fake tears attempt was pretty cheap, something cheezy about a forced cry ...

SensGirl11 wrote:The same could be said for Brodeur. He's really had a rough go at the playoffs the last 3 or 4 years. They are way overplaying him in the regular season.

He's amazing, and he has 3 Stanley Cup rings already. I wouldn't put him in the same category as Luongo, but they need to stop playing him so much, or they won't ever win a Cup again.

Brodure isnt the same goalie he used to be, but he was still a money goaltender. Play consistant all the time, and played big when it counts.

No excuses this year because he has 1/2 the season off. Right now you are seeing the gradual decline of Brodure. He also hasnt been the same since Stevens and Niedamayer left as well. Brodure's best days are behind him and now all he is going to do is set some records that may very well be out of reach, at least for a while.

Brodure has his place in the HHOF locked up, Luongo has a lot to prove before he can even be spoken in the same sentance with Brodure, IMO.

Neely4Life wrote:

SensGirl11 wrote:The same could be said for Brodeur. He's really had a rough go at the playoffs the last 3 or 4 years. They are way overplaying him in the regular season.

He's amazing, and he has 3 Stanley Cup rings already. I wouldn't put him in the same category as Luongo, but they need to stop playing him so much, or they won't ever win a Cup again.

Brodure isnt the same goalie he used to be, but he was still a money goaltender. Play consistant all the time, and played big when it counts.

No excuses this year because he has 1/2 the season off. Right now you are seeing the gradual decline of Brodure. He also hasnt been the same since Stevens and Niedamayer left as well. Brodure's best days are behind him and now all he is going to do is set some records that may very well be out of reach, at least for a while.

Brodure has his place in the HHOF locked up, Luongo has a lot to prove before he can even be spoken in the same sentance with Brodure, IMO.

Fraudeur is pretty much the same goalie he always was. The Devils just aren't the team they used to be.

It seems like just a few weeks ago the "experts" were unanimously giving the Devils a bye into the Eastern Final because of Fraudeurs infallibility. Funny stuff.

Meh, I dont think he is as good as he used to be. There is some truth to him being over rated and his stats being inflated because of the era and the type of team and system he plays with, but thats not what made him great, it was his consistancy.

Anyone who think Brodure is the best goaltender of all time is just looking at the stats, the best goaltender of all time is Roy. 3 Conn Smyths maybe never done again (further out of reach then the SO record), and Roy was the best, against the best everytime out. Look no further than the 2001 Final where Roy bested Brodure (Brodure in his prime).

Luongo will never be either of those guys, not even close. Doesnt have the mentaility or foritude to be that great.