Many people in the hockey world are speculating that Roberto Luongo has played his last game in Vancouver.  With Alain Vigneault decision to start Cory Schneider in game four, and a Canucks win as a result.  It is very probable that Schneider will again get the nod in game five.  With Schneider becoming a restricted free agent at the end of the season.  The question now is, will the veteran goaltender Luongo be on his way out of town?  Not so fast, there is a lot of difficult variables that all must work out for that to happen.  Luongo has been under fire with the Vancouver fan base for a few years now.  The one time Olympic goal medal winning goaltender has had an up and down career in Vancouver, since his trade from Florida.  Could the Canucks even trade Luongo if they wanted too?  He currently has ten seasons left on his contract, with a salary hit of $5.33 million per season.  The yearly amount of $5.33 million is not that difficult for teams to accept, but the ten years makes this a difficult, and risky contract to take on.  The fact that Luongo will be 43 years old at the end of the contract, which is almost unheard of for goaltenders, almost seals the deal.  The biggest hurdle that the Canucks would face is the no trade clause that goes along with his contract.  Luongo would have to agree, and accept any trade that Vancouver presents to him.  If Luongo does not wave his no trade clause, the Canucks only option would be to buy him out.  Which would not help the cap problems the Canucks would face.  They could also waive him, and if he cleared waivers he could be sent to the minors.  The Canucks would then have to pay his full salary for the next ten years.  I do not see any of these things happening.  I really do not think that they will be able to move him.  If he did accept a trade, the list would probably be very short.  The next question that arises then is, who would want to acquire him?

There is a few teams that would probably come calling for his services.  The two most likely suitors would be the Florida Panthers, and the Washington Capitals.   The Panthers are an up and coming team, and the only real glaring weak spot may be in net.  With veterans Jose Theodore and Scott Clemmensen guarding the nets in Florida.  Many people wonder if they will be enough to guide this team on a long playoff run.  Luongo would actually be a very good fit in Florida, and would feel comfortable back where he came from.  He has always expressed that he enjoyed his time in Florida.  After the media pressure he has felt in Vancouver, the quiet media in Florida would be welcomed.  The Panthers would definitely have the cap space.  The big question would be if they were willing to take on this long term contract, and who would they have to give up in return.

As for the Washington Capitals, they have been searching for an awnser in net for years now.  They tried Varlamov, and that did not work.  They then signed Tomas Vokoun, and that relationship has had its ups and downs.  It also looks like Neuvirth is not the awnser, and Holtby is still very young, and inexperienced.  So do the Caps stick with Holtby, or do they go on the search again?  The success of Holtby in the playoffs will determine this question.  If they make an early exit, look for them to go get a guy like Luongo.  The problem with Luongo going to Washington is cap space.  The Capitals are up against the wall, unless they let unrestricted free agents such as Vokoun and Semin go.  I could see them letting Vokoun go, but letting a player such as Semin go is unlikely.  It may be a possibility that they would trade him to Vancouver, but then the Canucks would be up against the cap wall.  The Capitals could leverage a few prospects in the deal also.  With the success of Schneider the value of Luongo has went down.  Everybody knows the Canucks will not be able to keep both any longer.  The Canucks could free up enough room by not signing Salo or Pahlsson.  The possibility of any of this is unlikely, but these two teams would be top contenders if the Canucks could work this out.

With the recent success of Cory Schneider his value to other teams may be much higher than Luongo’s.  Schneider is a restricted free agent at the end of the season, and there will undoubtedly be teams signing offer sheets for him.  The Canucks must get him signed before any thought of moving Luongo can happen.  It will definitely be a long, and interesting off season in Vancouver.  This situation could even become more complicated if the Canucks could pull of an amazing comeback with Schneider in net.

Originally posted: The Hockey Writers by Brad Burud of Inside Edge Hockey News