It’s believed NYI would, under right circumstances, have interest in VAN G Roberto Luongo, tho 1st order of biz is to gauge cost on Nabokov.
— Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) May 30, 2013
No question in my mind Luongo is a good “hockey” fit for NYI but whether Isles or Canucks could ever finesse a workable deal is the issue.
— Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) May 30, 2013
Luongo started his career on Long Island -- New York took him fourth overall at the 1997 NHL Entry Draft -- and he appeared in 24 games for the Isles before getting shipped to Florida with Olli Jokinen in exchange for Mark Parrish and Oleg Kvasha.
Virtually everything has changed for the Isles since then -- new owner, GM, head coach and players -- so it’s not like a potential reunion will be quashed by hard feelings (Luongo was upset when the Isles dealt him).
And, there are questions about New York’s long-term goalie outlook.
Brough wrote about answering them with a potential Luongo acquisition back in mid-May:
Everyone knows why they shouldn’t do this. Luongo is 34 years old and has a contract that runs through 2021-22. A year ago, this wouldn’t have even been worth discussing, as Luongo would’ve been unlikely to waive his no-trade clause to go to Long Island.
But things have changed since then.
Luongo wants to start somewhere, and New York — with a good young team and a move to a new rink coming soon — doesn’t seem like such a bad destination anymore. It’s also conceivable Isles GM Garth Snow could convince the Canucks to retain some of Luongo’s salary, assuming something of value (expect to hear Nino Niederreiter’s name pop up in trade rumors) goes to Vancouver.
So, based on McKenzie’s tweets, amend that last part to read “assuming Vancouver takes on DiPietro’s contract in return.”
The X-factor in all of this is Nabokov, who will be 38 in July.
Next to John Tavares, he was probably New York’s most important player this season -- he appeared in 41 of 48 contests, won 23 and posted solid stats en route to the club’s first playoff appearance since 2007.
But in six playoff games he allowed 24 goals, finishing with a save percentage of .842, and was hooked twice in favor of Kevin Poulin.
So Luongo could definitely be a fit.
That said, the Isles could also make a play for other goalies rumored to be available -- Ryan Miller, Jonathan Bernier, Mike Smith -- and avoid the Luongo situation altogether.