Fans sad at trade of Luongo

The Province | March 5, 2014

When The Province visited Granville Sports Corner Tuesday afternoon after the Canucks traded Roberto

Luongo to Florida, store manager Mike Jackson was moving his once-prized Luongo jerseys to the

clearance aisle. “It’s sad to see,” said Jackson, who believes Luongo was a “super classy guy, really

popular with his teammates and great with the fans. He was our top seller for years. Now he’s on the

50-per-cent-off rack.”

YOUR SAY:

The Province | March 5, 2014

Your feelings on Luongo leaving Vancouver?

“We knew last year he was ready to play, (Lack’s) ready to play. We need to give him some

support. It’s tough being a general manager in this league right now.” — — Mike Mike Gillis

Gillis

63%

Sad

20%

Happy

17%

Indifferent Is he the greatest Canucks goalie ever?

75%

Yes

25%

No Did Luongo get a raw deal while in Vancouver?

38%

Yes

46%

Only since 2011

16%

Change of scenery brings Matthias closer to

family

Jim Jamieson – The Province | March 5, 2014

Shawn Matthias wasn’t going anywhere on the Florida Panthers’ depth chart, so he was ecstatic

to get a new start with a team that is looking to refresh its centre-ice position.

“I’m just really excited to get started and be a part of this team,” said Matthias, 26, from Boston,

where he was preparing to join the Canucks in Dallas Thursday after he was part of the trade that

sent Roberto Luongo to the Florida Panthers.

“This is awesome. This is a great day. I’d heard rumblings about this for a while. I’m just excited

to be a Canuck now.”

It doesn’t hurt that Matthias already has family in town. He has some uncles and his younger

brother, Steven, 24, moved to Vancouver about six months ago to work in an accounting firm.

“To play in Vancouver where I have family and friends, it’s going to be really special,” said

Matthias, a Mississauga native, who played his junior hockey with OHL’s Belleville Bulls.

“I think my game is going to elevate because of that. I’ve been smiling since I got the news. I

can’t wait to put on the jersey and play that first game in front of the home crowd.

“As a Canadian kid, you always want to play in Canada. It’s just special to you.

“It’s hard to express how pumped I am about this.”

Matthias, who has excellent size (6-foot-4, 215 pounds) and skates well, should slot into the

Canucks’ third-line centre spot. He was playing tough minutes in Florida and was a regular

penalty killer — though the Panthers are dead last in the NHL in that category.

He’s not a physical player, his faceoff percentage is a poor 38.3, but he knows his own end of the

rink and has a high-end work ethic.

Matthias has been logging an average of 12:17 per game and playing mostly on the fourth line,

with some time on the third unit. He has nine goals and 16 points in 59 games.

Florida GM Dale Tallon said on Tuesday that Matthias has a lot of good qualities but lacks

consistency.

Matthias, who’s in his fourth full season with the Panthers, said he’s been hoping for a change of

scenery for about a year.

“Last year at the (trade) deadline, I was kind of hoping for a change,” said, Matthias, who knows

Chris Higgins, Jason Garrison and David Booth as former Panther teammates.

“It’s been a frustrating season here. I think I’ve played well, but I think I’ve got a lot to prove.

There’s a lot in the tank. I’m excited to come to Vancouver to show I can be the player I know I

can be.”

Matthias said he’s never met Vancouver coach John Tortorella, but doesn’t mind being pushed to

be better.

“I’ve never met him, but I know guys who have played for him,” said Matthias. “I’m sure it’s a

lot different here than it was in Florida, but sometimes you’ve got to be pushed to get the best out

of yourself. I want to be the best player I can be. If I have to be pushed hard to do that, then

that’s the way it’s going to be. I’ve always been a hard-working guy and that’s what you’ll see

on every shift.”

Swede deal: New goalie Markstrom has ‘ton

of potential’

Jim Jamieson – The Province | March 5, 2014

In a day full of ironic twists, the best had to be goaltenders being strange benchfellows.

The obvious one was Roberto Luongo now sharing the Florida net with 2011 Stanley Cup final

nemesis Tim Thomas. You wonder how much tire-pumping will go on there.

But the other is Jacob Markstrom coming to the Canucks in the Luongo deal to be the backup for

fellow Swede Eddie Lack.

The punch line: In Lack’s final season in Sweden — in 2009-10 — he was the backup to

Markstrom for Brynas.

But there’s no baggage with these two giants who go 6-foot-6 (Markstrom) and 6-foot-5,

respectively. Both — along with Canucks minor league goalie Joacim Eriksson — work with

Brynas goaltending coach Per-Erik Alcen in the off-season.

Markstrom, 24, has been called the best goalie not in the NHL for a while now, but, now in his

fourth season in North America, is still looking for consistency.

Kevin Woodley, managing editor of inGoal.com magazine and a Vancouver correspondent for

NHL.com, said Markstrom has big-time potential but is still in the process of adjusting to the

North American game.

“When I first saw him a couple of years ago I wasn’t overly impressed,” said Woodley. “One of

the things that made him good overseas was his reputation for staying up and reading and

reacting to pucks. Over here early, I saw a guy who was trying to do that, but people were just

shooting the puck through him. What was a strength in Sweden was just not working here. But I

saw him late last year in the AHL and I was impressed with what I saw.

“He’s so big, there’s no need for him to be aggressive.”

Woodley believes that Markstrom will benefit from working with Vancouver goaltending coach

Rollie Melanson.

“There’s a ton of potential there,” he said. “I don’t think you write that off because he wasn’t

able to realize it over here. It was a big learning curve for him coming over (to North America)

to make that adjustment.”

Markstrom, who was AHL goaltender of the month for February for San Antonio, has played 12

games for Florida this season with a save percentage of .874 and goal against average of 3.52.

Both sides get what they wanted

Tony Gallagher – The Province | March 5, 2014

Canucks GM Gillis moves the unmovable contract, while embattled Luongo gets to go

home

Both Roberto Luongo and Vancouver Canucks general manager Mike Gillis sounded as though

they’d had anvils taken off their backs Tuesday afternoon.

There is no question the ongoing soap opera involving both participants has weighed on both,

and relief came for both — albeit in different forms.

For Luongo, he got out of his purgatory of a seemingly endless lack of respect, which culminated

in the decision of coach John Tortorella not to start him in the Heritage Classic — in front of the

largest crowd in Canucks’ history — based on a couple of hot games produced by Eddie Lack.

He got to move back to Florida, a place he never wanted to leave in the first place, from where

he was traded by then-Panthers GM Mike Keenan only because Panther ownership didn’t want

to pony up anywhere near market value for his contract at the time.

Not only is it going back to a city where he lives in the off-season and where he was

comfortable, but it’s where his wife’s family lives, meaning the bride will be eminently more

happy, which may, in fact, have an impact on the ice given what he and his family have gone

through these past two years.

But you also have to wonder about his desire to win when a player is as happy as Luongo

appeared to be on Tuesday, given the Panthers rarely compete among the top teams, even in the

lesser Eastern Conference.

Granted, he might have started a family crisis had he turned down the opportunity to go back to

Florida, but it should be noted that at age 35 this season, Luongo has always made it clear he

“just wanted to play.” He rarely if ever says he wants to compete again for a Cup.

This is certainly not to malign Luongo; nobody is doubting his desire to win each and every

night he goes onto the ice. But happily going to Florida is something many GMs would wonder

about in a player that good, at age 35, who has never won a Cup.

However, given what’s happened the past couple of seasons, his joy or relief may be more

reflective of a desire to leave here and get a fresh start somewhere else.

Gillis also had a reason to feel some relief, even as it was being pointed out that the team had

essentially traded Luongo and Cory Schneider for Bo Horvat, Jacob Markstrom and Shawn

Mathias — not what you’d call stellar moves, even taking into account getting younger and the

gaining of contract relief on Luongo’s deal.

Consider it’s now clear ownership is giving the GM, who’s been under so much fan pressure

here, the goahead to undertake this remake of the team.

If he’s being allowed to move first Luongo and perhaps Ryan Kesler and others as early as

Wednesday, that has to be a show of confidence.

You would think if ownership was going to make a change they would suggest he just try to

make the playoffs and then let the new guy operate in the off-season. And Gillis clearly indicated

that this was part of a conscious decision made by all involved to change the way things have

been run the last couple of years by changing some faces and getting younger.

“We’ve had a difficult season, as everyone knows, on a lot of different fronts, and we’ve felt

strongly over the past few months that we need to really have the courage to start retooling this

team and getting younger and looking at different opportunities to free up space so that we could

bring a different complexion and begin to look at things a little bit differently than we have in the

past few years here. This is one step in that direction.”

Neither did he eliminate the possibility of even more significant trades as this process continues,

more than just Kesler perhaps.

“We’ve taken a lot of different phone calls and what’s going to happen with us in the next 24

hours I’m unsure about, but if we end up doing stuff, it will be in the same vein as we have

undertaken today, which is to continue to create opportunities for younger players and different

guys who need to gain experience.”

This leaves the Canucks as highly unlikely playoff participants of course, but it’s clear this

market has no appetite for simply making the playoffs only to be ushered out in short order, as

has been the case the past two seasons.

They’d much rather see some new faces, and at this point, you can scarcely blame them for that.

In the blink of an eye, an era is over

Jason Botchford – The Province | March 5, 2014

Team sure to be known as the almost-great Canucks as the franchise’s face leaves for

Florida

General manager Mike Gillis stopped short of calling it a “complete” rebuild, but he didn’t need

to. Everyone knows what this is. The Roberto Luongo era is over, and so too are the almost-great

Canucks. The era ends without a Stanley Cup, and it ends in a blink. Actually, half a blink.

The 2010-11 team, the greatest in Canucks’ history, looks just as weathered and distant as the

group of players from 1994 who were honoured at the Heritage Classic on Sunday.

And, really, if those two teams were to play a seven-game series this spring, you have to believe

1994 old-timers would score more goals.

The face of the almost-great Canucks will always be Luongo.

For better and worse, he was their emotional core and the expensive showpiece. He was the most

loved at times. He was the most criticized at others.

Nothing will ever describe the bipolar nature of Canucks fans better than their relationship with

the best goalie who ever played in Vancouver.

Luongo will be most remembered for the way he endured a long string of controversies, more so

than the fact he was one game away from greatness. That should make you sad.

We probably all should have known where this was going when Luongo wanted out in 2012.

Turns out, he knew where this was heading before anyone else. And that’s directly into a brick

wall.

Luongo’s heart was always in Florida. Not long ago, it seemed impossible. But on Tuesday the

Canucks proved dreams do come true. You can point to Florida’s changed ownership, but things

changed the most when the Canucks expressed a willingness to retain salary, something they

refused to do for the Leafs when Toronto offered a couple of draft picks and Ben Scrivens. What

the Canucks got Tuesday beats that deal by the way. But if Vancouver had done the Toronto

deal, they’d still have Cory Schneider.

The Canucks are all-in on their rebuild now. Luongo and Schneider have been replaced by Eddie

Lack and Bo Horvat. Hopes the team can make it to the Cup final have been replaced by hopes

the team can make it to the playoffs.

The infamous summit meeting between Francesco Aquilini and Luongo in Florida during the

draft now becomes yet another punchline in the Luongo era.

You’re our guy, Aquilini told him. Yeah, right.

The last joke was what happened at the Classic. The Canucks now claim they thought this trade

was possible so they held him out as their starting goalie. Of course, that makes liars of John

Tortorella and Laurence Gilman, who both said it was because they believed Lack gave them a

chance to win.

It also runs counter to Florida general manager Dale Tallon’s revelation that trade talks with the

Canucks kicked up Monday afternoon for the first time in a long, long time.

Maybe Luongo should send a Christmas card to Tortorella after all. Because after getting

benched, Luongo’s agent, Pat Brisson, contacted the Canucks, igniting the talks that led directly

to the trade that was two years in the making. Ryan Kesler could be the next. Whether a Kesler

deal happens before the deadline hardly matters. It’s going to happen. Just like Luongo before

him, it’s inevitable.

“I don’t look at it like a complete rebuild,” Gillis said.

“With all these injuries, we realized we don’t have the depth and balance to be competitive.

“We need to do things to get more balance, to get more depth in our lineup. “And to try to get

younger.” This is Lack’s team now. It could be for years or it could be until July 1. That’s when,

if Lack struggles during the next six weeks, the Canucks can try to find a starter in free-agency.

What no one can know yet is whether Lack is ready for this.

When Schneider was taking over for Luongo, he presented himself as a well-adjusted man who

was ready to be a No. 1 goalie.

Lack has been more goofy sidekick than man. He’s 26, but a young 26. How will he handle one

of the toughest goalie markets in the NHL?

He was in an ideal position playing behind Luongo.

Does Gillis really think he’s ready?

“Yeah, I do,” Gillis said. “I think he’s had a great mentor in Roberto.

“But the free-agent market is not strong this summer except for the goaltending position. If we

feel we need more experience it will be available.”

No Lack of guts between pipes

Ben Kuzma – The Province | March 5, 2014

But shortage of goal-scoring sinks Canucks again, complains Torts

Ryan Kesler’s agent bought him dinner Monday night. Maybe the Canucks centre should have

picked up the tab.

With Kesler in command of what he desires — a real shot at an elusive Stanley Cup crown —

he’s willing to waive a no-trade clause because among several suitors there are contenders. And

whether it’s the Pittsburgh Penguins, Philadelphia Flyers and even the Chicago Blackhawks

pitching hard for the former Selke Trophy winner, one thing is clear as the NHL trade deadline

approaches Wednesday.

There’s a high-stakes poker game going on between the Pens and the Flyers, and as the trade

chips pile up Canucks general manager Mike Gillis should see how high they go and find out

who’s bluffing. With the Flyers finally coming out of hiding and admitting they’d rather move

Brayden Schenn than Sean Couturier as the key centre in a package to keep pace with the Pens

— the Flyers are also kicking the tires on Alex Edler — the Brandon Sutter-SimonDespres 2014

first-rounder package from Pittsburgh could be augmented by Derrick Pouliot.

Meanwhile, there was a game to be played Tuesday.

After all the gamesmanship to finally move Roberto Luongo to the Florida Panthers earlier in the

day — and the Coyotes acquiring Martin Erat and John Mitchell from the Washington Capitals

— a 1-0 loss by the Canucks was a big game with little return. They were leapfrogged by the

Coyotes and are now 10th in the Western Conference and the Coyotes have two games in hand.

The Canucks gave up a first-period rebound goal to Antoine Vermette because of lazy stick

checks by Kevin Bieksa and Darren Archibald, recalled to replace the injured Daniel Sedin. The

Luongo trade seemed to suck the life out of them. Once again, Eddie Lack got zip run support

and has one win in his last nine starts, but has allowed just one goal in five losses. The Canucks

also lost 1-0 here on Jan. 16.

“I felt we really battled hard, but couldn’t get that last push,” said Lack of the Canucks being

outshot 32-23. “I feel like it’s been like that for the last month or so. I’m just trying to play my

game. It’s the same puck and I don’t know if I feel any different (as the starter). I’ll be ready, but

I was kind of prepared to play 20 games.”

He’s already played 26 and doesn’t look like a rookie. He stopped Radim Vrbata off a wild 2-on-

1 in the second period after the winger broke his stick, gloved the puck past Dan Hamhuis, got a

new twig and then sped away. Brandon McMillan was stopped on the same sequence.

Lack also stopped Vrbata on a spin-o-rama backhander. And in the third, the Coyotes had a goal

disallowed when Vermette was pinned in the crease by Jordan Schroeder and Lack was impeded

from making a save.

“It’s very surprising we’re still in the race the way we’re playing,” said Canucks captain Henrik

Sedin of combining with Alex Burrows and Kesler for just two shots. “Same old story. We’re not

outworked, we just have nothing going and it’s tough for bottom forwards to get any momentum

when the top guys aren’t going.”

Kesler had the best chance in the second period when he put a wrist shot over the shoulder of

goalie Mike Smith and off the crossbar.

Zack Kassian then missed in tight in the third period as the Canucks’ slide extended to 1-9-1.

They also lost Brad Richardson to injury.

Henrik Sedin hasn’t scored in 22 games and Burrows has nothing in the 31 he’s played.

“There have been some games where we created scoring chances and haven’t scored,” said

Canucks coach John Tortorella. “Tonight we even had problems creating scoring chances.

“Obviously, Eddie was our best player tonight and it’s a total different situation when you carry

the load. Our team needs to be re-tooled a bit and this is the start of it. It’s not about tanking the

season.”

Meanwhile, Kesler wants to win now because he turns 30 on Aug. 31 and his current team needs

a ridiculous run just to make the playoffs. They need to jettison Kesler and bank a major

marketable player to right some wrongs with their questionable drafting, trade-deadline

acquisitions and roster procrastination. Chris Higgins was acquired at the deadline in 2011 along

with Maxim Lapierre and they became key fourth-line players. Higgins has had to play up the

lineup because through injury and indifferent play these aren’t those Canucks of a few years ago.

“We look at the standings every day and this time of year maybe more than once a day trying to

figure things out,” said Higgins. “It feels different with where we are in the standings and usually

we’ve clinched a playoff spot. Now we’re fighting for our lives.”

OFNOTE: Former BCHL goalie Pat Conacher, 29, the son of Utica Comets GM Pat Conacher,

served as the backup to Lack.

Trade is the opposite of an upgrade

Ed Willes – The Province | March 5, 2014

As much as this move is a repudiation of Mike Gillis’s administration, it still had to be

made

A year ago, the Vancouver Canucks’ two goalies were Roberto Luongo and Cory Schneider,

who represent 434 wins in their NHL careers.

Now they’re Eddie Lack and Jacob Markstrom, who represent 20 wins.

This, so you know, isn’t an upgrade. This is the opposite of an upgrade. In less than one full

season, Canucks general manager Mike Gillis has taken the strength of his team and turned it

into, well, we know have no idea what he’s turned it into, except it’s very tall and very Swedish.

And very scary for Canucks’ fans. “There’s going to be a drop-off in experience, for sure,” Gillis

said on a conference call, a few hours after the stunning news of the Luongo trade had broken.

But it’s so much more than that. Mostly, it’s a stunning regression and even Gillis’s staunchest

supporters — of whom there are a few in the market — have to concede their man turned this

situation into a tire fire. Three years ago, the Canucks were the best team in the NHL, and now,

they’ve embarked on a slashand-burn program which could see at least two vital core pieces —

Luongo and Ryan Kesler — exchanged for younger assets.

This is the Canuck’s new path, and there’s no disguising the harsh truth.

But here’s the thing. As much as it stinks for Canucks fans, as much as it’s a condemnation of

Gillis’s administration, this trade had to be made. It’s going to be a tough one to swallow for the

next six weeks — and maybe a year or two after that — but if this plays out as it should, it’s the

first act in the Canucks’ return to respectability.

At least you hope that’s the case, because if it isn’t, it will be your basic Nightmare on Elm

Street.

“I don’t know yet,” Gillis answered on Tuesday when asked if he was done dealing. “We’re

committed to a plan.” And the plan? “Trying to get younger, (with) more depth and more

balance.” Which isn’t as easy as it sounds. As much as Luongo had become a heroic figure for

the way he handled his forced marriage with the Canucks, he’d also become a blockage in the

team’s rebuilding artery.

Sure, he did and said all the right things; played the right way, too. But the inescapable reality

was he didn’t want to be here, and no matter how nobly he conducted himself, he was always

going to be a distraction.

That was the case at the start of the year. It was the case in the run-up to Sochi. And it was

certainly the case this weekend when John Tortorella gave the Indoor/Outdoor Classic start to

Lack.

That, reportedly, was the final straw for Luongo and his agent Pat Brisson, and two days later,

the deal with the Panthers was consummated. The return — Markstrom and Shawn Matthias —

was a far cry from the home run promised by Gillis, but anyone who thought he could get more

was dreaming in technicolor.

This deal, in fact, was only consummated because new Panthers owner Vincent Viola gave the

OK to take on the last eight years of Luongo’s contract.

Vinny, unfortunately, wasn’t around this time last year, or he could have saved the Canucks and

Luongo a lot of grief. As it is, there’s a big part of you that feels happy for Luongo for getting

released from the Canucks.

The fans, meanwhile, should feel even happier if the second part of the plan is executed today

and Kesler is exchanged for more rebuilding parts. We’ve said if before, but it bears repeating.

The Canucks, with their aging core and diminishing level of play, are a very tough sell in this

market, and if the current pattern continues, a return to those happy days of the late ’90s when

the team was lucky to draw 15,000 is a distinct possibility.

The rebuilding plan, meanwhile, doesn’t offer any guarantees. But at least it offers hope. They

can now move forward without Luongo and the albatross of a contract, and Luongo — one of the

two or three most fascinating individuals in the history of this franchise — can move forward,

period.

Everyone will have their own memory of the goalie: the way he took over this market when he

arrived from the Panthers; the captaincy; the meltdown in Chicago in 2009, the Stanley Cup run

in 2011 and the failure in Boston; the soap opera with Schneider.

I’ll just remember the very human way he handled most everything that was thrown his way.

Sometimes he was funny. Sometimes he was in tears. But he was always real. He can now go

back to being a goalie which, you sense, is all he ever wanted, and for the first time in eight

years, the Canucks now contemplate life without him.

That will be many things, but one thing is certain. It will be an infinitely less interesting place.

Luongo didn’t see trade coming

Ben Kuzma – The Province | March 5, 2014

‘Just when I let my guard down a bit, the trade happened,’ says goalie

Two goaltenders changed addresses Tuesday morning before Roberto Luongo changed out of his

gear and addressed the Vancouver media following the morning skate. It proved to be his last

game-day ritual with the Canucks.

The veteran has been traded to the Florida Panthers for goaltender Jacob Markstrom, 24, and

centre Shawn Matthias, 26, whom the Canucks tried previously to acquire. The centre was a

second-round draft pick by the Detroit Red Wings in 2006 and has seven goals in 55 games. His

6-foot-4, 216-pound frame makes it look like the Canucks are prepared to trade Ryan Kesler

before the Wednesday deadline.

“It really caught me off guard,” Luongo said before boarding a flight to Florida.

Well, it really shouldn’t have. Panthers general manager Dale Tallon has been trying to reacquire

Luongo for some time. But it took time to get a palatable deal done and for the Canucks to retain

15 per cent of Luongo’s contract that had nine years and $40.5 million US left heading into this

season.

“Sometimes, it takes years to get a deal done,” Tallon said in a conference call. “Vancouver has

been going hard after this for two years. He’s over the moon. We had a brief call yesterday

(Monday) and started talking again. We’re getting a proven commodity. I like what he’s bringing

to the table — consistency and a chance to win.”

Said Canucks GM Mike Gillis: “We’ve talked to Florida for a long period of time. Financial

issues have impacted their ability to do things. They’ve always been on our radar and we’ve been

on theirs. Roberto wanted to return to Florida at various points. And it’s a wake-up call that

we’re not performing where we should be. There’s risk in all this stuff, but you have to take risks

to be competitive.”

When Panthers goalie Scott Clemmensen cleared waivers Monday to be sent to the minors, there

was a buzz that something might be in the works. The 6-foot-6 Markstrom has played most of

the season in the minors and is 1-6-3 with the Panthers. Eddie Lack and Markstrom played

together in the Swedish Elite League and there shouldn’t be much of an adjustment period for the

pair. Not that the trade was easy to take.

“Very weird day, to be honest,” said Lack. “Shocked obviously. I was getting ready to nap a

little before the game and Rollie (goalie coach Melanson) called me and told me I’m playing. A

weird day and not a very good one either. I’m losing a very good friend and a mentor for me.”

Meanwhile, you had to wonder where Luongo’s head was really at following the Heritage

Classic starting snub and the looming trade deadline. After all, he was nearly dealt to the Toronto

Maple Leafs at the last minute last April during the lockout-season deadline, before a swap for

picks and taking cash back fell through. He was supposed to muster the resolve to backstop the

Canucks, who are on a miserable 1-9-1 slide, and keep his wits about him knowing Kesler is

expected to be dealt. With Viktor Fasth moving from Anaheim to Edmonton and Ilya Bryzgalov

from Edmonton to Minnesota in advance of the deadline, that contract really did suck for

Luongo. Until now.

He was ticked off Sunday. He was much happier Tuesday.

“You know what? Things happen. I handled them and to be quite honest, I felt good today and

felt like I was going to play a good game,” Luongo said. “I did a good job of putting it all behind

me and focusing on the rest of the year. Just when I let my guard down a bit, the trade happened.

That’s the way it goes.”

Luongo turns 35 on April 4 and moving back to a place where he made a name for himself and

met his wife were never lost in a quest for the Montreal native to return to Florida. Not that those

rain-soaked Vancouver winters were really that bad after he arrived in an offseason trade in

2006. Being reduced to backup status in Cory Schneider’s rise did hurt and then seeing his crease

companion moved at the draft last June stung.

“There are a lot of great things,” added Luongo, who will now team with his 2011 Cup final

nemesis Tim Thomas. “We had a great run (2011) and fell short and that’s going to hurt me for a

while. I wish we could have done more to win that game (Game 7). There was a lot of stuff that

happened in between and I have nothing but good things to say about the fans who were really

supportive to the end and it didn’t go unnoticed for sure. The organization brought my game to

another level. It’s all positive stuff.”

Said Canucks captain Henrik Sedin: “It was strange. We expected this to happen a long time ago,

when it happened it was unexpected. He’s been a great teammate for a lot of years and has done

a lot of good for this team. Sad that he’s leaving.”

GOODBYE LOU

Iain MacIntyre – The Vancouver Sun | March 5, 2014

Promised ‘ reset’ by GM Gillis appears to be underway as exit of Luongo signals end to

the Canucks’ golden era

PHOENIX, Ariz. — Nearly eight years after he arrived in Vancouver, goalie Roberto Luongo

made a U- turn home Tuesday and the trade that sent him back to the Florida Panthers was nearly

as unexpected as the one that brought him to the Canucks in 2006.

And as surely as former general manager Dave Nonis’s acquisition of Luongo was the greatest

catalyst in the Canucks’ rise to excellence in the National Hockey League, current GM Mike

Gillis’s trade on Tuesday is proof the team is at the end of its cycle.

With the NHL trading deadline at noon today ( Pacific time), Gillis still has plenty of pieces in

play. The most important and valuable is centre Ryan Kesler, believed to be pursued by the

Pittsburgh Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers, among other teams.

Any trade Gillis makes will probably make the Canucks younger and perhaps deeper in the long

run.

But the Canucks, 1- 8- 1 in 10 games before facing the Phoenix Coyotes Tuesday evening, look

likely to miss the Stanley Cup tournament for the first time since 2008.

The Canuck trades involving Luongo represent the bookends on the most successful period in

franchise history. That was a seven- year run that included six division titles, two Presidents’

Trophies as the NHL’s regular- season champion and a 2011 appearance in the Stanley Cup

Final.

“This organization brought my game to another level,” Luongo, 34, said Tuesday, and he had the

same effect on the Canucks.

He was traded to Florida for goalie prospect Jacob Markstrom and centre Shawn Matthias. But a

key benefit for the Canucks is that they’ve shed the final eight years of Luongo’s 12- year, $ 64-

million- US contract.

He returns to the Panthers, who under previous management and ownership dealt him to

Vancouver in June of 2006 for a package of players that included Todd Bertuzzi. Luongo is

going home. He lives in the Miami area in the offseason and his wife, Gina, is from there.

But Tuesday’s trade still “stunned” him, and ended a goaltending Canuck soap opera that began

23 months ago when Luongo lost his starting job to Cory Schneider.

“There was a lot of stuff that happened ... but I’ve got nothing but good things to say towards the

fans who were really supportive, especially towards the end,” Luongo told reporters as he left the

Canucks’ hotel here. “It did not go unnoticed, for sure. All in all, it was a great run.”

So he bears no hard feelings toward Gillis and the Canucks?

“No, it’s tough for everybody,” Luongo said. “Everybody involved in this process had some

tough decisions to make. I can understand that. Management had some tough choices to make

and when they were made, I tried to handle them the best way I could and move forward.”

After the Canucks and Luongo agreed two years ago he should be traded, Gillis over- valued his

asset and underestimated how much the goalie’s huge contract would impede a deal. Luongo’s

contract includes a no- trade clause, and the goalie flexed his legal rights by insisting Gillis deal

with the Panthers.

So two potential trades with the Toronto Maple Leafs — likely better than the one Gillis made

Tuesday — collapsed. The Canucks felt strung along by the Panthers in the summer of 2012.

Luongo seemed untradable. Needing to duck under the NHL’s reduced salary cap for this season,

Gillis shockingly traded Schneider at the entry draft in June.

Although the Canucks and Panthers talked off- and- on for nearly two years, Florida general

manager Dale Tallon said Tuesday’s trade came together quickly.

“We had some talks last year and it just didn’t come to fruition,” he said. “Yesterday afternoon

we had a brief conversation with Vancouver, just making calls, kicking tires. I said ‘ we can

revisit ( Luongo).’ Here we are. We are excited about it.”

To close the deal, Gillis agreed to pay about $ 800,000 of Luongo’s annual salary, and that

amount will count against the Canucks’ salary cap.

“We were reluctant to do that,” Gillis admitted. “We’re the same as our fans — we live this

every day and we want to win. Sometimes you have to make tough decisions in order to try to

move ahead. These are tough decisions. It takes a lot of courage to trade a player like Roberto

Luongo and insert younger players into your lineup. We felt strongly that this was the right time

frame to think that way and this was the first opportunity to act on it.”

Asked if he should have handled his two- year trade mission differently, Gillis said: “People out

there want to think that we have total control over this. We signed Roberto to a long- term

contract that had a no- trade in it, and he was able to exercise an element of control over how we

proceeded. Unfortunately, a team he really wanted to go to ... was Florida and they didn’t have

the wherewithal financially to take him on.

“Would we have done some things differently? Perhaps, but we didn’t have complete control of

the situation.”

Gillis is now trying to get control of his aging team, whose core group has gone stale. He insisted

Tuesday that the Luongo trade shouldn’t be interpreted as management giving up on this season

while finally undertaking the “reset” Gillis promised last summer after the team’s second

consecutive firstround exit from the playoffs.

But while it’s one thing to trade Schneider and argue the Canucks are just as good with Luongo,

it’s impossible to promote the idea of winning now by trading Luongo, too, and giving the No. 1

label to rookie backup Eddie Lack, who had 25 games and nine wins on his resumé.

The Canucks may yet rouse themselves and make the playoffs, especially if Gillis makes an

impactful trade this morning. But what amounted to a golden era for the Canucks is over.

End of an era, but not errors

Cam Cole – The Vancouver Sun | March 5, 2014

Crease and desist order: Luongo’s exit puts an end to the most mishandled talent

surpluses in hockey

There was always a little reservation in the back of even the most fervent Vancouver Canucks

fan’s mind when it came to Roberto Luongo.

For all the goodwill he fostered by his forbearance under difficult circumstances, for all the

laughs he engendered through his self- deprecating @ Strombone1 alter ego on Twitter, for all

the glitter from his two Olympic gold medals, for all the bittersweet emotions his Tuesday trade

stirred in the faithful, there was always that niggling reservation.

It was the Chicago hurdle he struggled with for so long. Or it was the lingering sting of the 2011

Stanley Cup Final collapse. Or it was the 12- year contract which, once signed, handcuffed him

to the Canucks — and vice versa — till death did them part.

But it wasn’t death, after all. It was the Florida Panthers.

Of all teams, it was the one that traded him eight years ago — at once alleviating the Todd

Bertuzzi Problem in Vancouver and giving the Canucks the best goaltending they ever had, all in

the same Dave Nonis- engineered steal — that got GM Mike Gillis out from under one of the

worst contracts ever signed with a National Hockey League player.

Up there with Rick DiPietro and Alexei Yashin’s, anyway.

So having the Panthers take Luongo on Tuesday in exchange for what might be a little something

or a lot of nothing was at best a mixed blessing. On the one hand, the albatross of a contract is

gone, or all but $ 800,000 or so a year. The public relations nightmare that Luongo was

becoming, through no fault of his own, is gone. And the ever- present doubt about what would

become of the Canucks, with Luongo in net again once the playoffs started, is gone.

On the other hand, though, the playoffs might be gone, too — and not just this year.

That is the upshot of one of the most grievously mishandled talent surpluses hockey has ever

seen: it is now rebuilding time in Vancouver. The days of contending for championships are in

the past, and whether they’ll return in the middleto- distant future depends on whether this

organization has the savvy to assemble the right pieces to forestall a steep decline.

It has not shown anything like that ability since the nucleus players from previous

administrations began to tumble down the far side of the hill.

A team that a year ago had Roberto Luongo and Cory Schneider now has two young and

unproven netminders — and the return for two aces of such stature is slender: first- round pick

Bo Horvat, goaltending prospect Jacob Markstrom, 24, and a big but so far unimpactful 26- year-

old centre, Shawn Matthias.

And the Canucks had to eat part of Luongo’s salary to move him, but not before breaking their

promise to Schneider and kicking Luongo’s heart around the block a couple of times, most

recently playing rookie Eddie Lack ahead of him in Sunday’s Heritage Classic.

Not exactly Hockey Management 101.

No doubt it will now be spun that it wasn’t John Tortorella’s call to sit Luongo on Sunday, as the

coach claimed, but rather management’s insistence that his health not be risked because the

Florida trade was in the works.

And perhaps that actually is the case. Maybe Tortorella took the bullet because he couldn’t tell

what he knew, if he knew. It would at least help to explain what, at the time, seemed an

unpardonable act of disrespect to a good soldier.

Just too bad for Lack — who, in all fairness, shows signs of being the real deal — that he had to

endure the grilling for a choice he never made.

But however it spins, the story ends badly.

Not for Luongo, who gets to go “home” to where his wife Gina and two young children live,

even if it means playing for a Panthers franchise that always seems to be clinging to the edge of

the cliff.

Those who have grown to like and respect him over his years here will be happy for him about

that.

But for the Canucks, it ends with a popular team leader, a strong voice in the dressing room,

truly a face of the franchise — in good times and, more recently, bad — out the door, with

another shoe set to drop in the coming hours, or at most, months: the trade of the team’s most

marketable remaining asset, Ryan Kesler.

It feels like the end of an era of sustained competitive excellence the like of which had never

been seen before in the four decades- plus of the team’s existence.

It feels like more than merely a long shaggy- dog story finally concluding with a groan. It is a

sad and symbolic occasion.

Whatever reservations the fans had about Roberto Luongo, it feels very much as though we may

soon be referring to his era in Vancouver as the good old days.

NEW CANUCKS

Elliott Pap – The Vancouver Sun |March 5, 2014

Here’s a look at the players received from Florida in return for goaltender Roberto Luongo:

Jacob Markstrom, Goalie

Markstrom, listed at 6- foot- 6, is a 24- year- old from Gavle, Sweden. He was drafted in the

second round, 31st overall, by the Florida Panthers in 2008. He stayed at home for another two

seasons and played for Brynas in the Swedish Elite League before moving to North America for

the 2010- 11 campaign. Markstrom spent almost all of that season in the AHL playing for the

Rochester Americans and appeared in just one NHL game. He played most of the next season in

the AHL as well, this time in San Antonio, and appeared in seven games for the Panthers,

posting a 2- 4- 1 record with a 2.66 goals against average and .923 save percentage. Last season,

because of the NHL lockout, Markstrom again started in the minors and went 16- 15- 2 with a

2.65 GAA and .920 save rate. Upon the resumption of NHL play, Markstrom appeared in 23

games for the Panthers and went 8- 14- 1 with a 3.22 GAA and .901 save rate. Markstrom was

unable to stick with the Panthers again this season and was stopping pucks for San Antonio at the

time of Tuesday’s trade. In 12 appearances for the Panthers, he was a disappointing 1- 6- 3 with

a 3.52 GAA and .874 save percentage. He was performing well in San Antonio and was just

named top AHL goalie for February following a 4- 1- 1 month with a 1.31 GAA and .954 save

percentage. Markstrom’s cap hit is $ 1.2 million and he has another year remaining on his

contract. Panther GM Dale Tallon on surrendering Markstrom: “You don’t get Roberto Luongo

for nothing. You have to pay a price and obviously we paid a big price. Jacob is a great young

goaltender with a lot of potential, but that is what you have to pay sometimes to get value.”

Shawn Matthias, Centre

Matthias is a 6- foot- 4, 223- pounder from Toronto. He played junior for the OHL’s Belleville

Bulls and was a secondround pick of Detroit, 47th overall, in the 2006 entry draft. He never

played for the Red Wings, however, and his rights were dealt to the Panthers for Todd Bertuzzi

at the deadline in 2007. Matthias has played his entire NHL career with the Panthers, although he

did split his fi rst two professional seasons between the big club and their AHL affi liate in

Rochester. Matthias is more of a checker than a scorer. In his best full NHL season, 2011- 12, he

had 24 points. Last season, in the lockoutshortened campaign, he scored a careerhigh 14 goals in

just 48 games. He was not scoring at a similar pace this season, though, and joins the Canucks

with nine goals and seven assists in 59 appearances. One of those nine goals came against the

Canucks in a game Nov. 19 at Rogers Arena. Matthias’ career totals in 312 NHL regular- season

games are 48- 49- 97 with 109 penalty minutes. Matthias’ cap hit is $ 1.75 million and, like

Markstrom, he has another year left on his contract. Panther GM Dale Tallon on Matthias: “With

Shawn, I think it’s time for a change. He has been here for a long time. He has had some great

games and some not so great games. Inconsistency has been the issue and I think he probably is

welcoming a change. He intimated that a few times. He has got a lot of upside, a good guy,

works hard, can skate, has a good shot, he just needs to develop some consistency in his game.”

No bark, bite in lethargic loss

Iain MacIntyre – The Vancouver Sun | March 5, 2014

Coming up dry: Lack keeps game close, but off ence rarely had a sniff against Desert Dogs

The first day of the rest of Eddie Lack’s life looked for the Vancouver Canucks like the last two

months of their darkening season.

A few hours after Tuesday’s stunning trade of Roberto Luongo, Lack stopped 31 of 32 shots in

his first night as a No. 1 goalie in the National Hockey League. So, Lack played like he has

throughout his rookie season.

But the Canucks played like they have since 2014 began, offensively inept, and lost 1- 0 to the

Phoenix Coyotes.

Luongo probably knew exactly what he was missing as he flew across the continent after

spending nearly eight years with the Canucks, most of the last two awaiting a trade.

“Very weird day to be honest,” Lack said after the game. “I was shocked, obviously. It’s been a

very weird day and not very good either.”

“I think it surprised people certainly,” coach John Tortorella said. “I don’t think we can use that

as an excuse as far as losing a game here, but, sure, Roberto is very wellliked and respected in

that room.”

Their 10th loss in 11 games dropped the Canucks into 11th place in the Western Conference,

now a point behind the Coyotes, although still only two behind the eighth- place Dallas Stars.

But the Canucks have played three more games than the Stars and if they lose Thursday in

Dallas, you can probably plan the funeral on Vancouver’s season regardless of what general

manager Mike Gillis does before the NHL trading deadline passes today at noon.

The Canucks are getting from the Panthers 24- year- old goaltending prospect Jacob Markstrom

and 26- year- old centre Shawn Matthias. Gillis insisted trading Luongo, 34, for younger players

should not be viewed by Vancouver players as surrendering on this season.

“I think, in fact, the opposite,” Gillis said. “I think it’s an indication that as a group we haven’t

performed well enough and that we need to play better. And that we need to pick it up and get

into the playoffs. I think the players now know ... we’re not happy with what’s happened this

season and we haven’t met the expectations we had as a group — all of us.

“In the clear light of day, this is a wake- up call that we’re not performing at the level we

expect.”

Apparently, the Canucks missed their call.

For two periods they looked flat and dispirited. They were outshot 14- 4 in the second period

after the Coyotes scored the only goal they needed at 17: 04 of the first when Lack made a point-

blank save against Shane Doan but spilled the rebound in his crease for Antoine Vermette.

It was the third time in five starts Lack allowed only one goal and lost.

“He continues to impress,” Tortorella said. “He was obviously our best player tonight. A lot of

people haven’t talked about him with all the Luongo stuff going on. You sometimes forget about

what this kid has done. Eddie keeps on growing and that’s all we’re looking for.”

Tortorella said it’s his job to make sure players understand the Luongo trade — and whatever

else Gillis does today — does not alter the Canucks’ goal of making the playoffs.

“Our team needs to be retooled a little bit,” he said. “I think this is the start of it. But it’s not

about tanking the season.”

The Canucks’ inability to score started sinking the season long before Gillis, when suddenly

given the opportunity by Florida Panthers’ general manager Dale Tallon, dashed out from under

Luongo’s $ 64- million- US contract, which has eight years remaining for a player who turns 35

in a month.

Picture the cartoon Roadrunner darting from the shadow of a falling anvil. ( Gillis forged the

anvil, too).

Gillis said he expects to be busy today. Needing to shake up their core, get younger and improve

their forward depth, the Canucks are taking offers on star centre Ryan Kesler and others.

“I’m a bit of a skeptic,” Canucks defenceman Kevin Bieksa said. “I don’t really think anything

you guys say is going to happen, so I was surprised ( by the Luongo trade). I was shocked.

“There’s not one thing I’ll remember about him; I’ll remember everything. I played with him

seven, eight years. It’s a long time. We had a lot of success together, a lot of fun together. I sat

with him on the plane every flight for six, seven, eight years. I won a lot of money off him in

cards.”

The Canucks are gambling on the 26- year- old Lack, who has been tremendously impressive as

a rookie but now, 26 games into his NHL career, must learn to carry the burden of being a No. 1

goalie. Among goalkeepers with at least 20 appearances this season, Lack is tied for fourth with

a 2.05 goals- against average and has the sixth- best save rate at .926.

Markstrom will join the team before the Canucks’ next “must- win” game in Dallas.

Vancouver’s backup goalie on Tuesday was a civilian: Phoenix area resident Pat Conacher. The

29- year- old who played one season with Cowichan of the B. C. Junior League signed an

emergency, one- day contract.

Lack is losing a friend and mentor in Luongo.

“It’s been a tough couple of years for him here and obviously was tough for him Sunday, too,”

Lack said, referring to the Heritage Classic game for which Luongo was not chosen to play. “But

he’s been kind of pushing for this the last couple of years, so I’m happy for him. He gets to go

home, but I’m also sad he’s leaving.”

Asked about suddenly being the Canucks’ starter, Lack said: “It’s still the same puck.”

Yeah, it never goes in the other team’s net.

Luongo’s legacy in Vancouver will be more

than just a record number of wins

Brad Ziemer – The Vancouver Sun | March 5, 2014

Roberto Luongo’s legacy as a Vancouver Canuck won’t just be about the 252 wins, the 38

shutouts, the tears of frustration in Chicago or even that tough Game 7 loss in the 2011 Stanley

Cup Final.

It will also be about the way he handled some of the difficult off- ice situations he faced during

his nearly eight- year tenure with the NHL team.

“You would be hard pressed to find a player or a goaltender that has been put through more than

what he has been put through here,” former Canucks captain Trevor Linden said Tuesday after

Luongo was dealt to the Florida Panthers.

Linden was Luongo’s teammate during Linden’s final two seasons with the Canucks. Linden

said it’s a shame that some of the off- ice stuff that Luongo had to deal with — most notably the

goaltending soap opera with fellow goalie Cory Schneider — may overshadow his significant

on- ice contributions.

“If you look at his performance overall, it was outstanding,” Linden said. “He came here the year

after we missed the playoffs and put the team on his back that first year and we made the

playoffs. He did nothing but play well.”

But Linden suggested what may resonate the most with many fans is the classy way Luongo

dealt with the entire Schneider situation and, more recently, Sunday’s snub at the Heritage

Classic .

“I think he will probably be remembered for how well he handled himself through some of the

most unusual and difficult situations a player could ever be put in,” Linden said. “And they were

largely unfair ... How solid a player he was and what a good goaltender he was will be lost a

little bit in the fact he will be more remembered for how well he handled the super- odd

situations.”

Tuesday’s deal that sent Luongo to the Panthers in exchange for forward Shawn Matthias and

goalie Jacob Markstrom surprised most hockey observers.

“It sort of shocked me to be quite honest,” said Sportsnet analyst Doug MacLean, a former NHL

general manager and coach. “And the way it shocked me was you traded Luongo and you also

traded Schneider a few months ago. That’s what sort of jumps out at you. If you traded Luongo

and still had Schneider, great. But you made a decision to move Schneider — a tough one

because you couldn’t trade Roberto at the time — and now you haven’t got either one of them.”

Former player and TSN analyst Ray Ferraro said the trade didn’t surprise him as much as what

the Canucks received in return.

“You can micro- analyze this thing as much as you want,” Ferraro said. “In nine months they

traded Cory Schneider and Roberto Luongo for Shawn Matthias, Bo Horvat and Jacob

Markstrom. And you can’t tell me that is an equitable return.

“To me, it was mismanaged and if you were going to get to trading Luongo, you shouldn’t have

traded Schneider in the summer. I like Eddie Lack, I think Eddie Lack is a really good goalie, but

who knows how good he is going to be because he is just getting going? It seems like he is going

to be good, but you just don’t know yet.”

Florida general manager Dale Tallon said in a conference call late Tuesday that the deal came

together quickly. He said the two sides had not talked recently until Monday afternoon.

“It came out of nowhere, came out of yesterday at about 3: 30, and here we are talking about a

deal,” Tallon said.

Tallon’s timeline of the deal supports Ferraro’s theory that Luongo’s benching in Sunday’s

Heritage Classic game had something to do with getting the deal ignited.

“It seems likely that pushed the timeline of the deal,” Ferraro said.

Linden, like so many of the team’s fans, felt Luongo deserved to start Sunday’s game.

“For Roberto I think it was a bitter pill to swallow,” Linden said.

“It seemed not right to me as a fan, but once again he stepped up and dealt with it as a

professional and put his team first. That is how I remember him as a teammate, as a great

teammate, as a super- good guy and a great competitor.”

“I know there was the run of Kirk McLean and the run of Richard Brodeur, but he is among the

best goaltenders that Vancouver has ever had,” added Ferraro.

“Unfortunately, his legacy will be that they didn’t win ( the Stanley Cup) and the way he was

treated by the organization, which was only slightly above shabby.”

Although they had not talked recently until Monday, Tallon and Gillis had been trying to strike a

deal for Luongo for quite some time.

“We just couldn’t get a deal done,” Tallon said. “We tried, both teams didn’t feel it was a fair

deal. We just couldn’t get a deal done. Sometimes it happens and sometimes it doesn’t.

Sometimes you are the bug, sometimes you are the windshield. This time we were able to get a

deal done.

“Sometimes it takes years to get the proper deal done and Vancouver and us have been going

after this pretty hard for a couple of years and we were finally able to get it done.”

No one is happier about that than Luongo, who gets to return to his South Florida home.

Before he hopped aboard a plane in Phoenix to head for Florida, Luongo used Twitter to thank

Vancouver fans.

“Thank you Vancouver for a great 8 years!” Luongo tweeted on his highly popular @

Strombone1 account. “Really appreciative of all the support especially the last little while. I will

miss the LOO’ing.”

Luongo added in another tweet: “And take care of my boy Eddie Lack for me. He’s a great talent

and an even better person!”

Linden, like so many Canucks fans, feels happy that Luongo has landed in the one place he

wanted to be.

“You know what? I am happy for him,” Linden said. “Florida is kind of rebuilding, but he’s

home and that’s a good thing for him.”

10 crazy things Canucks might do today

Daniel Wagner – The Vancouver Sun | March 5, 2014

From almost cleaning house to getting Cory Schneider back, here it is:

Today is the National Hockey League trade deadline and, for the first time in a long while, we

might see some major deals in Vancouver. Not the awesome kind, mind you. While the Canucks

certainly still have a chance to make the playoffs, when you add Daniel Sedin’s injury in the

Heritage Classic to the team’s goal- scoring woes, things look awfully bleak. Thus, it would be

perfectly understandable if the Canucks cut their losses and became big sellers at the deadline,

retooling and rebuilding toward the future.

In that light, Ryan Kesler’s rumoured trade request is a blessing in disguise, giving GM Mike

Gillis a perfect opportunity to break up the core of this team without becoming the villain in the

same way Mike Keenan did when he traded Trevor Linden.

Kesler getting traded wouldn’t be the only crazy thing that could occur at the deadline, however,

as the Canucks are in a position to make major changes and set the team up for the future. It’s

time for Mike Gillis to go whole- hog. Now is not the time to go half- hog, Gillis, or even

threequarterhog.

Here are 10 crazy things we could see today, with the likelihood of each rated out of 5 Bob

McKenzies:

1 It’s been said that everyone but the Sedins are on the trading block. Turns out we had no idea

how true that actually was, as literally every single player on the roster, apart from Daniel and

Henrik, gets traded for prospects and picks. The Timbits players scheduled to play during

intermissions for the rest of the season are informed they will be playing in the games.

Likelihood of happening: 1 Bob McKenzie out of 5

2 It’s well known that the Buff alo Sabres are conducting a fi re sale, but they shock the NHL by

trading Cody Hodgson back to Vancouver for a package including Zack Kassian and a third-

round pick. Likelihood of happening: 0 Bob McKenzies out of 5

3 As rumoured, Ryan Kesler gets traded for a blue- chip prospect, a current NHL player, and a

draft pick, but since the draft pick is a secondround pick instead of a fi rst- round pick, Canucks

fans fl ip out that it isn’t a big enough return. Likelihood of happening: 4 Bob McKenzies out of

5

4 Instead of accepting that change needs to happen, Mike Gillis goes all- in for one fi nal run at

the Cup, trading Bo Horvat, Hunter Shinkaruk, Nicklas Jensen, Brendan Gaunce, Frank Corrado,

and all of the team’s fi rst- round picks for the next seven years for a bevy of rentals: Jaromir

Jagr, Thomas Vanek, Matt Moulson, Ales Hemsky, Olli Jokinen and Mike Cammalleri.

Likelihood of happening: 2 Bob McKenzies out of 5

5 F Canucks inally understanding fans love their how backup much goaltenders, Bryzgalov and

Gillis has trades Tortorella for Ilya immediately goalie, making crown him both the Eddie new

Lack No. 1 and Jacob ensuring Markstrom fans backup will love goaltenders, both of them

equally. Likelihood 3 Bob McKenzies of happening: out of 5

6 Gillis trade reveals agreement a secret with clause New Jersey in the that made Cory Schneider

a Devil: if the Devils aren’t in playoff position by the following trade deadline, the Canucks may

choose to switch Lack for Schneider by adding a secondround pick in the following draft.

Likelihood of happening: 1 Bob McKenzies out of 5

7 After trading Alex Edler to the New York Rangers for a pastrami sandwich on rye, Gillis

ruefully explains to the media: “You know how you should never go shopping on an empty

stomach? Well ... ” Likelihood of happening: 2 Bob McKenzies out of 5

8 Every prospect acquired by the Canucks at the deadline is diagnosed with a non- life-

threatening yet career- ending disease the very next day, causing every Canucks fan to nod sadly

and explain to their friends that they “knew this was going to happen.” Likelihood of happening:

4 Bob McKenzies out of 5

9 Roberto Luongo is finally traded to the Florida Panthers, just like he wanted all along, getting

Jacob Markstrom and Shawn Matthias in return, then Luongo wakes up, assumes it was a dream,

and shows up to Canucks’ practice like nothing happened. Likelihood of happening: 4 Bob

McKenzies out of 5

10 After all sorts of fuss over core players like Kesler and Edler, the Canucks make a big splash

at the deadline by trading Yannick Weber and a third- round pick for Antoine Laganiere from the

Anaheim Ducks. TSN TradeCentre lauds it as one of the biggest deals of the day. Likelihood of

happening: 5 Bob McKenzies out of 5

Luongo heads back to Florida after Canucks

deal netminder to Panthers

David Ebner – The Globe and Mail | March 5, 2014

The deal, an explosion that propelled waves of surprise across the NHL, was encapsulated and

confirmed in a tweet, as of course it should have been when you’re dealing with the man known

online as @strombone1.

It was, on Tuesday afternoon, a single character: the image of a palm tree. Roberto Luongo is

going home.

After everything – the benching in the 2012 playoffs, the promised-but-failed trade, the demotion

to backup, the last-summer-we-wanted-to-get-rid-of-you-but-decided-to-keep-you, the elevation

to starter again, and last weekend, benched again for a rookie backup – Luongo is done with the

Vancouver Canucks.

The 34-year-old goaltender is going exactly to where he wanted: to the Florida Panthers – the

team which traded him to Vancouver eight years ago, and the state where he and his family have

their off-season home.

For the Canucks, the blockbuster trade may be simply the first in a swift, two-part drama in

which general manager Mike Gillis plays the role of an emergency surgeon desperate to revive a

dying patient.

Next: the potential trade of star centre Ryan Kesler by the NHL deadline of 3 p.m. (EST)

Wednesday. Such a move would extract the beating heart of this franchise – a dangerous

procedure.

On Tuesday, Gillis would only say the team is listening to offers.

“I don’t know if we’re done yet or not,” the GM told reporters on a conference call.

The speed at which Vancouver went from a team in a slump and on the fringe of the playoffs to

one in the rush of a major overhaul and rebuild is dizzying. Amid the conflagration Tuesday, as

gossip and rumours about Kesler wrenched over to eyes-popping-out-of-head surprise at the

Luongo deal, another blow was unveiled: Star forward Daniel Sedin may be done for the season.

He was placed on injured reserve, and there is no timetable for his return.

The 24 hours from the Luongo deal through to the NHL trade deadline will mark the biggest day

in the Canucks history since they blew their last shot at the Stanley Cup, in Game 7 in June,

2011. It could well be make-or-break for the madcap surgeon at the centre of the swirl, Gillis,

whose boss (team owner Francesco Aquilini) is emotional and impatient, having watching his

many millions of dollars buy exactly one playoff win since the Cup failing.

For Luongo, who Gillis wasn’t able to trade for more than a year, the return is not much: 24-

year-old goalie Jacob Markstrom, a Swede who is in the minors, and Shawn Matthias, a 26-year-

old centre with nine goals and 16 points in 59 games this year.

The return from a potential Kesler trade will determine the Canucks tack, whether they wrest

themselves from a Calgary Flames-like, slow-but-inexorable slide to the bottom of the NHL or,

somehow, are revived and return to contention next year.

Asked about the apparent botching of the whole situation, Gillis dodged and weaved. He cited, in

part, factors beyond his control, such as the decrease in the salary cap this season.

“You guys can look at that,” the GM told reporters of the bigger picture.

Luongo’s arrival in 2006 was a demarcation point in Vancouver, as the team ascended to the

precipice of the Cup. Along the way, Luongo backstopped Canada to a glorious gold medal in

2010, in the same Vancouver arena he and his team the next year let the Cup slip away.

Luongo’s departure is the gravestone of an era of Canucks excellence.

For the goalie, however, the trade is rebirth. Luongo was alerted to his new life when he was

woken by Gillis from an afternoon nap ahead of a planned start Tuesday in Phoenix. “Stunned”

was Luongo’s reaction – not unlike everyone’s reaction last June, when the Canucks traded

young goalie Cory Schneider to the New Jersey Devils.

And so the Ballad of Bobby Lu, an epic, a dirge, is over, ended as wildly as so much of the song.

At the end, the man leaves without bitterness, without anger, thankful to fans – but with some

regret. Game 7, June 15, 2011: Boston 4, Vancouver 0.

“That’s the one that’s going to hurt me for a while,” Luongo said. “Wish we could have done a

bit more to win that game.”

Kesler to Hawks would be a dream deal

Ryan Dixon – Sportsnet | March 4, 2014, 12:22pm

It’s understandable why any team within a sniff of a Stanley Cup title would be after Ryan

Kesler. Though the Vancouver Canucks centre isn’t quite what he once was, he remains a two-

way menace who embodies the type of veteran, rugged player you can envision putting a team

over the top.

The Pittsburgh Penguins and Chicago Blackhawks are both believed to have an interest in

Kesler, and while the Penguins have the more established history of making waves this time of

year, it’s the Blackhawks who should be pushing hardest to land Kesler.

Chicago won the title last June despite icing a lineup that lacked an obvious No. 2 centre—and

that was before Dave Bolland was shipped to the Toronto Maple Leafs at the draft. Without

getting bogged down in labels, Bolland is likely more of an outstanding third-line pivot who can

provide stretches of second-line production, as he did with 16 points in 22 games when the

Hawks won the Cup in 2010. Slowed by a groin injury last year, Bolland produced just six points

in 18 post-season contests—though as the Boston Bruins can tell you, he came through with a

pretty clutch tally in the final game.

But he’s gone, and the Hawks have yet to replace him. After Jonathan Toews, Michal Handzus

saw the most ice time of any centre during Chicago’s run to the Cup, and his average ice time

was just over five minutes less per game than the Hawks captain. Full marks to Handzus for the

way he continues to serve as the secondary option, but there’s no doubt the Slovakian—who

turns 37 next week—is better suited to a lesser role.

Add Kesler to the mix in Chicago, and all of a sudden you’ve got a perfect pivot hierarchy.

With Toews drawing the most heat as the unquestioned No. 1, Kesler would slide in beautifully

as the No. 2 man, a role he’s familiar with from having played behind Henrik Sedin for years

with the Canucks. In truth, for a two-year stretch from 2009-11, it could be argued the Kesler

was actually Vancouver’s most impactful centre because he brought every element to the table.

Injuries have no doubt taken a cumulative toll on the Michigan native, but he’s still got more

than enough left to shine in a primary secondary role.

Beyond the obvious lineup fit, Kesler—who came within a single victory of the Cup in 2011, but

has never won a ring—would also inject a new hunger in the Hawks. Gunning for its third title in

five years, Chicago could surely use a dose of desire to combat the complacency that, yes, can

even afflict teams led by Toews. (This is all assuming Kesler and the Hawks could set aside the

bad blood from those bitter series waged by Chicago and Vancouver a few years back. Let’s

assume Kesler’s Team USA buddy Patrick Kane could play peacemaker).

Trades, of course, have to appease two parties and given what a natural addition Kesler—who

has two more years on his contract at a palatable $5-million cap hit—would be in the Windy

City, Chicago GM Stan Bowman could more easily stomach surrendering the pieces required to

make a deal happen. The first name out of Canucks GM Mike Gillis’ mouth would surely be

Teuvo Teravainen, the shifty, gritty Finn who captained his country’s World Junior

Championship entry to gold a couple months ago, putting up 15 points in seven games.

Teravainen is so good it’s actually conceivable that he could serve as Chicago’s deadline

acquisition, joining the club when his season ends in Finland.

Make no mistake; moving him would require an enormous gulp. But while any hockey man

would be loathe to part with such a top-notch prospect, Chicago’s core is still young, and thought

they do have to re-sign Toews and Kane before the summer of 2015, they don’t have to replace

them. And Kesler—still just 29—isn’t a rental. The Dallas Stars likely didn’t want to give

Jarome Iginla to the Calgary Flames all those years ago, but having Joe Nieuwendyk in the

lineup propelled them to a Cup.

Package Teravainen with a draft pick and an established young NHLer like Marcus Kruger, and

all of a sudden you’ve got Vancouver dreaming of the day when a 1-2-3 of Bo Horvat—drafted

ninth overall last year—Teravainen and Kruger down the middle is running the Western

Conference.

As for the Penguins’ rumoured interest in Kesler, he seems more like a luxury item for a team

that runs out Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin as its top two centres. Certainly there are any

number of scenarios where acquiring Kesler makes sense—he can move to wing, as could

Malkin, in theory—but it’s just not the dream fit Chicago is, especially if Vancouver wants

young centres back. Pittsburgh’s best chips are on the blueline and its biggest need may yet

prove to be a goalie. Marc-Andre Fleury has faltered in recent springs and desperately needs a

good post-season to reestablish his reputation. If, for the sake of argument, that doesn’t happen,

the Pens won’t be able to ignore the problem any longer and may want to flip their ‘A’ prospects

for a goalie in the summer or at the very least, earmark that money for taking a run at a free agent

goalie like Ryan Miller.

Part of the reason people are linking Pittsburgh with Kesler is because Pens GM Ray Shero has

established a precedent of big moves at the deadline, acquiring the likes of Marian Hossa, Bill

Guerin and Iginla in recent seasons. Chicago, meanwhile, tends to stay clear of the limelight this

time of year, making minor moves like the one that landed Handzus last April. It’s really hard to

take issue with the course Bowman and his staff has charted, but these are exceptional

circumstances where a perfect fit is there for the taking. No team stands to gain more from

reaching out and grabbing Kesler than the Hawks.

NHL trade deadline: Why Alex Edler is a hot

commodity

Dimitri Filipovic, The Nation Network – Sporting News

Alex Edler’s name being bandied about in trade rumors is nothing new, as he’s long been

considered a likely candidate to be dealt, should Mike Gillis and the Canucks decide they’d like

to shake up their current core. When you combine the Roberto Luongo deal, the Ryan Kesler

rumors, and Gillis' recent comments about the team’s direction, it seems like the Canucks could

certainly be headed down that road.

Esler is considered a "puck-moving defenseman," and as we learn every time the deadline, draft,

or free agency period arrives, teams around the league have trouble containing themselves at the

thought of acquiring a player that fits that description. The allure of bringing such a guy into the

mix can cloud their judgement.

Which brings us back to Edler, who GMs around the league would be wise to at least inquire

about. His point production has been on the decline since he averaged 49 points/82 games from

2009-12. He also has a back injury in his past, and missed 16 games earlier this season with a

knee injury.

But that doesn’t mean anything unless we put his case into context. He’s currently starting the

smallest percentage of shifts in the offensive zone for his career (48.3), and playing against

tougher competition than ever (0.609 Corsi Rel QoC). Taking that into account, it’s not a

surprise that his production has dipped; generally speaking, when players take on a bigger

defensive role, their game on the other end suffers.

Covering the Canucks, I watch him on a nightly basis, and I don’t see anything fundamentally

different about him. He’s still, relatively speaking, the same player that he was during his best

offensive seasons. He can still log big minutes, and he can still be a great option on the top

power-play unit. Most importantly: he’s a bargain. Look at this list of defensemen that have

signed similar deals to his over the past year (i.e. four-plus years, less than $3 million per year):

Signed at $5 million a year for years to come makes him a bargain as a legitimate top-four option

that many a team would benefit from in a big way.

NHL trade deadline: Jackets' Umberger

would welcome old foe Kesler

Tom Gatto – Sporting News | March 5, 2014

R.J. Umberger says people shouldn't blame him if Ryan Kesler doesn't want to be traded to the

Columbus Blue Jackets.

The (Vancouver) Province reported Monday that Kesler would turn down a deal to the Jackets,

but the reasons weren't made clear. The Province, though, noted that Kesler and Umberger didn't

get along when they were teammates for a season at Ohio State. The animosity, according to the

report, continued well after the two reached the NHL.

Umberger told reporters on Tuesday that his issues with Kesler are in the past. From Aaron

Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch:

Aaron Portzline @Aportzline

R.J. Umberger said reports his relationship w Ryan Kesler may have had anything to do w Kesler

not "approving" #CBJ are "totally wrong."

8:17 PM - 4 Mar 2014

Umberger: "If it helps our team, I'd take him in a minute. He's a great player. No doubt about it.

For people to assume that, it's unfair...

8:18 PM - 4 Mar 2014

More Umberger: "I would defiinitely play with the guy. I've said hey to him a few times. We've

put that stuff behind, really we have."

8:19 PM - 4 Mar 2014

Yet more Umberger: "The reason people hate Ryan Kesler is because he's hard to play against.

That's respect. I could definitely play w him."

The Roberto Luongo-Tim Thomas friendship

is off to a beautiful start

Sean Gentille – Sporting News | March 5, 2014

All this trade business ends with a Roberto Luongo-Tim Thomas buddy movie, right?

Strombone @strombone1

And on another note me and Tiny Tim are gonna rip it up the rest of the year!!!!!!! #dreamteam

4:12 PM - 4 Mar 2014

Luongo is referring to his former adversary-type-guy-turned-partner with the Florida Panthers.

He and Thomas, thanks to Tuesday's trade with the Vancouver Canucks, are, beautifully, now

teammates.

The two famously sniped at each other during the 2011 Stanley Cup finals, Luongo kept it alive

later on — and when news of the trade broke, the general response started with "wow, Luongo

was traded," and progressed to "wow, Luongo and Thomas are teammates." Now, here we are.

Speaking on TSN 1050 after the trade, Luongo was a little less lighthearted about their pending

relationship: "I don't know, we'll see how it goes when I get there," he said.

In any case, a movie is inevitable. Maybe they could be roommates, or partners on the force with

wackily divergent sensibilities. One likes Twitter, the other likes Facebook. What will they get

into next?

Thomas and the Panthers are playing the Boston Bruins on Tuesday. We'll let you know what he

says about his new best friend.

UPDATE (10:03 p.m.): Thomas weighed in on his new BFF.

Fluto Shinzawa @GlobeFluto

Tim Thomas on Luongo situation: "Dale went kicking tires and found one that needed to be

pumped."

6:56 PM - 4 Mar 2014

That remark was, of course, a snipe directed at Luongo's remarks after Game 5 of the 2011

Stanley Cup Finals between the Canucks and the Bruins.

Roberto Luongo traded to Florida Panthers,

Canucks saga ends

Sean Gentille – Sporting News | March 5, 2014

Roberto Luongo, at long last and when few were expecting it, has been traded.

The Vancouver Canucks, after about 18 months of trying, sent their longtime starting goalie to

the Florida Panthers. TVA's Ren Lavoie first reported the move.

"This caught me off guard. But I'm excited. I'm going home," Luongo told TSN Radio after the

trade.

Vancouver's return: goaltending prospect Jacob Markstrom, who started the season with the

Panthers before they sent him to the AHL and bottom-six center Shawn Matthias. Also headed to

the Canucks: minor-league forward Steven Anthony. Vancouver will pay 15 percent of Luongo's

salary, and they'll still be on the hook for the so-called "cap recapture" penalty if he retires before

2022.

That's a complicated process, and CapGeek has the details , but the crux of it is this: The longer

Luongo plays, the more Vancouver will have to pay against the cap for the years remaining on

his contract. Before any penalty is figured in, Luongo makes $5.33 million against the cap.

In short, Canucks general manager Mike Gillis was dealt a harsh hand after the lockout because

of the institution of the cap recapture penalty, and then failed to make the best of it; he opted not

to close deals with the Panthers and Toronto Maple Leafs, then sent promising backup Cory

Schneider to the New Jersey Devils in the summer.

Now? Vancouver has got no Luongo, no Schneider, prospect center Bo Horvat, the

Markstrom/Matthias duo and the looming prospect of cap recapture. Rough times.

Luongo, 34, played for the Panthers from 2000-06 before Vancouver acquired him, and he has a

home in South Florida. They were one of his approved destinations the last time the Canucks

tried to move him.

In eight seasons with Vancouver, Luongo won at least 30 games six times, and has posted a save

percentage lower than .917 just once: in the lockout-shortened 2013 season, under a cloud of

trade speculation and while splitting time with Schneider.

The last round peaked over the summer ; the Canucks, because of Luongo's contract, had

decided to turn the reigns over to Schneider. As was the case at the 2013 trade deadline, there

wasn't enough of a market for him to suit the Canucks' taste, so Schneider was dealt instead, on

draft day to the New Jersey Devils . Coming back was the No. 9 overall pick, which Vancouver

used on Horvat.

Luongo began the season back in the No. 1 position for Vancouver and has played well enough,

posting a .917 percentage. The team, though, has struggled, partially because of injuries — and

now the rebuild seems to have begun for the 2011 Western Conference champions. Center Ryan

Kesler may well be traded in the next 24 hours, and the same goes for defenseman Alex Edler.

Despite getting Markstrom back in the deal, Vancouver figures to start Eddie Lack in net,

potentially long term. The 26-year-old has posted a .924 save percentage in 24 games and,

whether it was a harbinger or not, started over Luongo in Sunday's Heritage Classic.

Luongo — at least temporarily — joins Tim Thomas, the goalie who beat him in the 2011

Stanley Cup final while with the Boston Bruins, with the Panthers. Thomas is on a one-year

contract and his name has been involved in trade rumors leading up to Wednesday's trade

deadline.

The two goaltenders were involved in a famous exchange during the Cup final. Luongo criticized

Thomas's playing style before saying: "I've been pumping his tires ever since the series started

and I haven't heard one nice thing he had to say about me, so that's the way it is."

Thomas later quipped he didn't know he was supposed to praise Luongo.

Asked on TSN 1050 about being teammates with Thomas, Luongo laughed and said: "I don't

know, we'll see how it goes when I get there."

Florida, 15 points out of the Eastern playoff picture at 23-31-7, has new owners who have

promised to spend more money. Luongo doesn't fit with their young core, but he's still good

enough to make a difference.

"We needed to make a statement," GM Dale Tallon said on a Tuesday conference call, adding

that Luongo, unlike Markstrom, was a "proven commodity."

"You have to pay the price to get guys like this," Tallon said.

Canucks GM Gillis to blame for bad Luongo, Schneider deals

Mike Zeisberger, QMI Agency – Slam! Sports | March 5, 2014

In the end, this is on Mike Gillis.

Forget, for a moment, all the white noise surrounding the ongoing soap opera that has been the

goaltending saga that has lingered over the Vancouver Canucks like a bad stench.

Wade through all that stuff, and here is the bottom line.

When all is said and done, the return the Canucks GM received in trading away Cory Schneider

and Roberto Luongo is Shawn Matthias, Jacob Markstrom and a first-round pick that was used to

select Bo Horvat.

Would you make that deal even up?

Didn’t think so.