Ending the Goalie Graveyard: Luongo Support Campaign

[Dado]

You know this is all motivating Brodeur to play another 5 years.

I was gonna say - Luongo not-pumping Brodeur's tires there, big time.



(Yes, of course I'm kidding)

 

[Rocky-]

I love Luongo as a person and I think he's a good goalie. I think Schneider's better. I think his contract sucks and did when he signed it but I would have signed it too if I was Luongo.
There is a difference between thinking the Canucks bungled it and hating Luongo. I have no issues with Luongo whatsoever on the person aspect. I won't be booing him for sure. Hopefully he does well.

 

[thekernel]

i always wanted luongo to be the one to stay. cory schneider may be a franchise goalie, but luongo is OUR franchise goalie. won gold for us in our backyard, and did all he could to bring the canucks to ultimate glory.

i want to see him lift that cup in a canuck sweater.


LUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU

 

[yoss]

Good call OP. Still have plenty of faith in Lu, like other posters have said I only hope Torts gets him out of there if he lets in 3 bad goals rather than letting him hang out to dry for the 7th or 8th, probably the most furious I've ever been at AV.

My hope is that, after the dust settles, he comes out this upcoming season with something to prove and is lights out for us. It wouldn't surprise me at all if he did. Better goalie for us in the playoffs this year, Cory's alleged injury notwithstanding.

 

[canuck4life16]

i always wanted luongo to be the one to stay. cory schneider may be a franchise goalie, but luongo is OUR franchise goalie. won gold for us in our backyard, and did all he could to bring the canucks to ultimate glory.

i want to see him lift that cup in a canuck sweater.


LUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU

unforuantely there is a group out there who hopes Luongo fails what kind of fan is that......wish we can prove the haters wrong because the media will be negative this coming season

 

[Wisp]

I'm sick of Luongo drama. I'd never boo a Canuck, but onus is on him to shatter all my doubts

 

[Lonny Bohonos]

And?

That tells us nothing really.

So if they had a good phone conversation (if even true) why does Gillis need to go see him?

So essentially things aren't completely resolved... and in two weeks which of the goalie UFA's do you expect to still be around?

I think Lou stays... but what if he doesn't? Gillis goes and sees him in two weeks and Lou asks for some time to think about his "options"... then what?

Some people were shot down here pretty quick for saying this yesterday but I'll reiterate... I can't believe Gillis went ahead and made this move without discussing the possiblity of it happening with Luongo... and gauging his reaction.

Its irrelevant what Lus reaction would be are in terms of MGs decision options as he had pretty much no options.

He had to get under the cap.

Its apparent the owners did not want to take on a Lu buyout at this time.

He pretty much had to make a move without taking on salary.

He had to get rid of one of the tenders.

Only a few players could easily be traded with one being Schneider.

Schneider is one of the tenders.

He had to make the best of a crap situation that he painted himself into. A decision based on a lot of hope.

 

[JuniorNelson]

Without putting any spin on it, Luongo is attempting a comeback. He has not been a starter in the NHL for over a year. He will attempt this under a new coach and system at an age when most athletes decline.

I think the best way to support Luongo is to let Tortorella remake the defense. Tortorella may have definite ideas about who he wants and I think it is a good idea to let him proceed. The Canucks have not been attracting free agents, Tortorella must have been brought in to pillage his contacts list. If this means painful departures, so be it.

This might be underway. A Ballard buyout will cost $5.6m, painful, indeed. If that was my $5.6m I'd be hating it! I'd fire Gillis. He should have talked me out of it. That aside, it's very painful to flush money down the drain. Yet, the team is going to do it, they say. I am very surprised at this. I thought they'd salvage Ballard.

I bet Tortorella is getting the top six he inherits. There is no money/space for a splashy FA signing unless more guys are moved. Is the top six the Sedins, Burrows, Kesler, Hansen and Kassian? This is just a guess, Tortorella might want different guys. I am just making the observation that a top six already is in place. It is not a cheap top six, especially if Booth and Higgins displace cheaper Hansen and Kassian. It is not an ideal top six, but without major surgery, change will be slight.

I think the Edler thing is indicative of Tortorella's influence. He wouldn't stand by and watch Gillis clumsily dismantle his defense unless he was down with it. There is an old goalie behind the defense, I'd like to support him with a defense made up to suit the system, not an adaption of players from a different era.

 

[me2]

Luuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!!!!!


(still miss Schneider)

 

[Chubros]

I sincerely hope that he doesn't come back and suck and that he learns how to clutch up when it counts. That's the best I can do.

Maybe he won't care so much anymore and his head will be in a better place. Hopefully he gets a new goalie coach who won't fill his head with that Felix Potvinesque "I'm only going to play deep in my net" nonsense.

I also won't blame him if he doesn't want to come back or lets it be known that he still wants out. He's proven himself to be a good guy. Gillis really screwed him over.

He still has to be prepared for both Luuus and boos, though. He's got to earn it. Fans here know their stuff and should be free to express themselves in either direction. Only on one occasion has he been booed without deserving it. He'll be treated fairly by the fans, I'm sure.

 

[rune74]

I sincerely hope that he doesn't come back and suck and that he learns how to clutch up when it counts. That's the best I can do.

Maybe he won't care so much anymore and his head will be in a better place. Hopefully he gets a new goalie coach who won't fill his head with that Felix Potvinesque "I'm only going to play deep in my net" nonsense.

I also won't blame him if he doesn't want to come back or lets it be known that he still wants out. He's proven himself to be a good guy. Gillis really screwed him over.

He still has to be prepared for both Luuus and boos, though. He's got to earn it. Fans here know their stuff and should be free to express themselves in either direction. Only on one occasion has he been booed without deserving it. He'll be treated fairly by the fans, I'm sure.

He's earned a lot from his time in Vancouver so far, some of you have extremely limited memories. You say people in Vancouver know their stuff, but after reading what you wrote I find it hard to believe.

 

[Nona Di Giuseppe]

This task is going to be next to impossible..

It's going to be a tough job to get Lu to be fully engaged in this team again, when they have essentially taken away his job and are now trying to sell it back to him

Don't forget; it was Lu that reacted to the media that started this all. Not management.

 

[Chubros]

He's earned a lot from his time in Vancouver so far, some of you have extremely limited memories. You say people in Vancouver know their stuff, but after reading what you wrote I find it hard to believe.

Yeah, he has earned a lot. Approximately $47.7 million and counting.

 

[Nona Di Giuseppe]

I sincerely hope that he doesn't come back and suck and that he learns how to clutch up when it counts. That's the best I can do.

Maybe he won't care so much anymore and his head will be in a better place. Hopefully he gets a new goalie coach who won't fill his head with that Felix Potvinesque "I'm only going to play deep in my net" nonsense.

I also won't blame him if he doesn't want to come back or lets it be known that he still wants out. He's proven himself to be a good guy. Gillis really screwed him over.

He still has to be prepared for both Luuus and boos, though. He's got to earn it. Fans here know their stuff and should be free to express themselves in either direction. Only on one occasion has he been booed without deserving it. He'll be treated fairly by the fans, I'm sure.

Gillis wasn't the one that signed a 12 year deal with the guy then two years in let in publicly be known he wanted out.

Don't blame Gillis for trying to accommodate.

Luongo put himself in the situation. Maybe next time talk to the wife before signing at 12 year deal.

 

[Chubros]

Gillis wasn't the one that signed a 12 year deal with the guy then two years in let in publicly be known he wanted out.

Don't blame Gillis for trying to accommodate.

Luongo put himself in the situation. Maybe next time talk to the wife before signing at 12 year deal.

Yeah, I get that point of view. Luongo has a contract and is obligated to fulfil it. Gillis didn't need to trade him, but once MG let it be known publicly that he was attempting to move Luongo that changed things a bit, especially when the team didn't bother to shore things up with Luongo well before moving Schneider.

The 12 year contract was a bit of a farce anyway. Luongo himself said that no one expects him to play the whole thing out. That, plus the trade request windows, makes that 12 year term less than a rock solid obligation.

 

[Chubros]

Anyway, the whole Goalie Graveyard thing is a myth created by Brian Burke in an attempt to deflect criticism from himself for his failure to adequately fill the position.

So long as they deliver, Vancouver supports its goalies.

 

[me2]

Yeah, I get that point of view. Luongo has a contract and is obligated to fulfil it. Gillis didn't need to trade him, but once MG let it be known publicly, that he was attempting to move Luongo that changed things a bit, especially when the team didn't bother to shore things up with Luongo well before moving Schneider.

The 12 year contract was a bit of a farce anyway. Luongo himself said that no one expects him to play the whole thing out. That, plus the trade request windows, makes that 12 year term less than a rock solid obligation.

Gillis tried and nobody wanted Luongo. End of story.

If Luongo wanted out he should have.asked to terminate his contact. I'm sure they would have been more accommodating of that than a buyout, you can expect someone to pay you $27m not to do a job you signed in foe when you can do it well.

If Lack looks good and Luongo want to the leave in the next year or two then he should think about termination. Some good goalies around next UFA season or two, capable of filling Luongo's boot well enough.

Canucks will just wear the $1-1.5m/year cap hit, Luongo goes away and gets his pay from some other team.

 

[Chubros]

Gillis tried and nobody wanted Luongo. End of story.

If Luongo wanted out he should have.asked to terminate his contact. I'm sure they would have been more accommodating of that than a buyout, you can expect someone to pay you $27m not to do a job you signed in foe when you can do it well.

....

Had Gillis tried the waiver route, then I would agree. You're right that no player should expect a buyout. All reasonable options weren't exhausted though.

 

[SgtToody]

I'm in Lou's corner, and feel all this post-deal drama is about how unhappy he is over all the yarns and misrepresentations put forward by GMMG. Just from what he's told us through the media, this soap opera zagged and zagged, with people interested, deals close, nothing was easy, a deal is imminent, etc. Why else everyone but the sleep doctor and the architect have not taken the Disneyworld shuttle? Seriously, Gillis is done already and only because Aquillini is such a penny pincher he's still in the chair. A year from now Tortorella will be running the show, officially or unofficialy.

 

[me2]

Had Gillis tried the waiver route, then I would agree. You're right that no player should expect a buyout. All reasonable options weren't exhausted though.

Humiliating Luongo on waivers was a good idea? Then what if doesn't get picked up?

 

[Aphid Attraction]

Luongo signing that contract meant he put financial security ahead of where he plays, if he was concerned about his feelings he should have signed short term and not long term, he even got the NTC so he did not have to play for any other team if he did not want, I have little sympathy for Luo, I however super amped to have him back,and the thought of him pulling this team to another PT like last time he was the starter that was only 52 games ago

 

[Chubros]

Humiliating Luongo on waivers was a good idea? Then what if doesn't get picked up?

I don't think that humiliation would have been the point. It would have been done knowing that Florida and Tampa had the number 2 and 3 crack at him (I believe), so it would have been an attempt to give Luongo what he wanted.

Besides, Luongo himself said that it was his contract, which sucks, that was scaring teams away. Being on waivers and the unlikely event of all 30 teams passing on him would have been a reflection on his contract, not on himself. There's nothing humiliating there.

If he didn't get picked up? Well there would have been a tough choice to make. Trading Schneider would still have been an option at that point and maybe Luongo would have felt better coming back under the circumstance of everything having been tried compared to how it did go down. There would also have been some other options, but no need to get into those in this thread.

 

[Smokey McCanucks]

If Luongo comes back for round two, I'm all for it, he's been great for us and I remember how it was before he was here, so many terrible goalies, I'm not one of the people who was critical of Luongo. He's always been terrific and I hope he just shoves it in everyone's faces now. He basically has nothing to lose, he is playing with house money and totally untouchable.

 

[Nona Di Giuseppe]

I don't think that humiliation would have been the point. It would have been done knowing that Florida and Tampa had the number 2 and 3 crack at him (I believe), so it would have been an attempt to give Luongo what he wanted.

Besides, Luongo himself said that it was his contract, which sucks, that was scaring teams away. Being on waivers and the unlikely event of all 30 teams passing on him would have been a reflection on his contract, not on himself. There's nothing humiliating there.

If he didn't get picked up? Well there would have been a tough choice to make. Trading Schneider would still have been an option at that point and maybe Luongo would have felt better coming back under the circumstance of everything having been tried compared to how it did go down. There would also have been some other options, but no need to get into those in this thread.

You don't have to put a guy on waivers to see if he'd be picked up. I'm sure GMMG made calls about it.

What you also have to think about if he was claimed. Is it worth giving up the 9th overall just to keep Schneider ? I don't think so.

 

[opendoor]

Ultimately this has nothing to do with right and wrong. Obviously Luongo signed a 12 year contract with the Canucks and he's required to fulfill it at their pleasure. I don't think anyone's debating that. However, it doesn't take a genius to realize that effectively forcing a player to remain in a situation he's not comfortable with could turn out to be a terrible idea for everyone involved. If Luongo sticks it out for the long haul while his mind is elsewhere, this could get ugly.

Yeah he handled last year pretty well, but that was clearly on the basis that he'd be moved by the trade deadline or the offseason at the latest. How is he going to handle the prospect of playing the rest of his career in Vancouver? Hopefully he'll be OK with it, but I'm skeptical. And if he's not, this "like it or lump it" attitude some people seem to be expressing isn't really conducive to getting the best out of an athlete and could make an already bad contract an absolute nightmare.