TSN’s Darren Dreger gave his take on the interest Vancouver’s Roberto Luongo will draw from NHL clubs in need of goaltending upgrade, concluding that the return that GM Mike Gillis will get will be less than first thought and that for the Canucks to get anything significant back for the 33 year old netminder, they may have to take back a sizeable contract from their trading partner to make the deal more financially palatable.
The Leafs will show an interest in Luongo, but his status as an elite goaltender is fading. The team that lands him should expect quality play for the next 3-5 years, which leaves the additional six years remaining on his contract of predictable risk.
So the Canucks may have to take a contract back to sweeten the pot.
If we use the Maple Leafs as the example, perhaps defenceman Mike Komisarek (who has two years remaining at $4.5 million per) is asked to be part of such a deal?
The bottom line is that there will be trade interest in Luongo.
How much depends in how creative the Canucks are willing to get to move him.
With Cory Schneider about to become a restricted free agent and a year away out from unrestricted free agency, much of the Canucks' offseason will be spent focused on its crease.
What might make a deal for Luongo even more complicated could be the presence of no-trade clauses for potential salaried players who teams like Tampa or Toronto would potentially want to move in a deal for the netminder.
Players that Leafs GM Brian Burke might like to move (Komisarek, Tim Connolly, Luke Schenn and John-Michael Liles) all make north of $3.5 Million per season have limited no-trade clauses in their contracts, while Tampa’s Vincent Lecavalier and Ryan Malone have full no movement clauses.
*****
My prediction record for the first round was pretty brutal, as I went 3-5 overall. I did think that Los Angeles and Philadelphia would give the Canucks and Penguins a run for their money, but thought that they would fall short.
1st Round Predictions
Rangers in 6 = WIN
Bruins in 5 = LOSS
Devils in 5 = WIN
Pittsburgh in 7 = LOSS
Canucks in 7 = LOSS
Sharks in 7 = LOSS
Predators in 6 = WIN
Hawks in 6 = LOSS
Round Two begins tonight with the Nashville – Phoenix series, where the only advantage the Coyotes have is home ice. Mike Smith was the Coyotes MVP for the regular season and his superiority over the Hawks Corey Crawford was the difference in a series in their series victory over Chicago. That advantage is nullified as the Predators have Vezina candidate Pekka Rinne, who played wonderfully in defeating Detroit in five games.
Nashville’s additions of Paul Gaustad, Andrei Kostitsyn and Alexander Radulov added significant depth to their offensive attack, as well as getting unexpected scoring from forwards like Gabriel Bourque. Smith and coach Dave Tippett’s defensive style will keep the games close and might win Phoenix a game or two, but Nashville is the better team.
Preds in 6
*******
The next round of the AHL Western Conference Playoffs will begin early next week. Abbotsford, Toronto and Oklahoma City have won their series, while the matchup between Chicago and San Antonio goes to a fifth game tonight.
Specific dates and times for Games 1 and 2 at the Ricoh Coliseum next week are likely to be released over the weekend.
If you are interested in sponsorship or advertising your business in the Greater Toronto / Southern Ontario area on this column, please send a message for more information by clicking on the “Contact” button at the top of the page.
For Those on Twitter:
KINDLE USERS: Please sign up for Maple Leafs Buzz, which includes a free-of-charge 14-day trial and is just 99 cents per month afterwards. For more information
click here.
Toronto Maple Leafs Blogger • 
Join the Discussion:
»