As a fellow goalkeeper I feel for Luongo... The pressure he is under is far too intense, and almost unfair. However sometimes things can just spin out of hand for a player in an organization where the only real way back to the point where the goalie should be is to get a fresh start.
Luongo's talents are unquestionable. When Team Canada trusted him to be their backstop in Vancouver you knew all you need to know. Loungo is a force. However, it is hard to remember a goalie of his stature who has been such an enigma and so polarizing.
Last year's Cup Finals where the epitome of all of this of course. Loungo was beyond bad in Boston and yet Canucks fans continually called for him to be their starter. And in Vancouver they never boo'd the guy. And once again in Game 7, he came up small.
The moment I will always remember was the press conference after game 3 where Vigneault was asked if he considered pulling Luongo after he was shelled early. Alain said, "He came to the bench during a timeout and said, "Don't even think about pulling me." That was a shocking thing for a coach to 1. Say in a Press Conference and 2. Allow to happen.
I know Luongo is competitive. I know Vigneault was trying to show he was cometitive. But pulling a goalie is not ALWAYS about the goalie. It's about the team waking up. Leaving him in to get shelled in Game 3 destroyed the confidence of Luongo and the Canucks confidence in general. It may have been the first time I felt a coach should be fired for a move he made in the Stanley Cup Final. It wasn't fair to the player for the coach to not take control of that situation.
All we could assume from this was Luongo was so fragile he couldn't take being pulled....and this fed into so many people's belief that Luongo was too sensitive.
If he is, or isn't, fragile we can't say, but we can say Vancouver has made a ton of mistakes in their handling of Luongo. Back to making him Captain...
This season has so far been a nightmare for Luongo....and now even the incredibly patient and laid back Canucks fans are on him. Yesterday there was an article with Calgary Flames players coming out and saying how bad they felt for Luongo. It's getting worse and the Canucks talent is the only hope the team has of a turn around.
Corey Schneider is waiting patiently. His personality is much more calm and he knows his time is coming...somewhere. The Canucks will have to decide. One way or the other...very soon. Corey is ready for prime time and teams are calling in waves. (the latest being Tampa)...and there have been rumors the Panthers have inquired about Schneider as well. The Panthers need to fix their goalie situation quickly. I know for fact that during the trade discussions that landed Booth in Vancouver they talked about Schneider.
I am thinking the next mistake the Canucks make regarding Luongo may be trading Schneider and not allowing Luongo a fresh start. Somewhere else. A return to Florida could be perfect for Luongo. It is the perfect kind of salary for the Panthers to pick up...and Luongo would probably OK a trade back there.
The time is now. Both teams have a need. Both teams could help each other.
Again, this is not against Luongo, but at some point the question needs to be seriously addressed. Can he recover from last year's Cup Final or is it just too much to ask?
What do you think?
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