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Price and Luongo: Players with the most to prove... |
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It's always an interesting exercise to look around the league and identify which players have the most to prove; which ones are badly in need of sweet redemption. You may not find two better candidates for that category than Roberto Luongo and Carey Price. The former was unjustly booted from his starting role with the Canucks, the latter went through intense struggles at the most critical point of last season.
Both goaltenders will battle for a position with Team Canada this fall, both will battle for top position if they're good enough to make the team--which is almost laughable when you consider that most of Canada had them slated in the 1-2 positions before last season got underway.
The competition for a coveted spot includes breakout star for the Washington Capitals Braden Holtby, recently crowned Stanley Cup Champion Corey Crawford and star netminder for the Phoenix Coyotes Mike Smith. Should both Price and Luongo falter out of the gates, Team Canada's net will perhaps be filled by the most underwhelming trio of goalies in recent memory. That's not intended to be a slight at Holtby, Crawford and Smith, but they don't have much on Marty Brodeur, Patrick Roy, Curtis Joseph and Ed Belfour; goaltenders of profile to have led Canada since NHLers began participating in the Olympics in 1998. Luongo and Price will have a tough enough time living up to that billing if they're the ones carrying Canada's torch come February.
The Olympics will be an awesome motivator for both Luongo and Price. Luongo has claim to the starting role having brought the Canadians Gold in Vancouver, in 2010. Price aims to wrestle the job away to dance again on the international stage, where he achieved his brightest accomplishment to date, capturing World Junior Gold with an electrifying performance throughout the tournament in 2006.
For as much motivation as the Olympics will provide both goalies to climb back up the ranks of NHL goaltenders, the situations they face for the upcoming NHL season will have a larger impact on where their careers go from here.
Luongo went 9-6-3 last year, posting a 2.56 goals against average and a .907 save percentage. He was relegated to the back-up position after requesting a trade out of Vancouver, as the Canucks finally promoted Cory Schneider to the starting role. Had Luongo not asked out of town, there's a good chance he'd have maintained his starting role, and to start the season Luongo played too well to just hand the reigns to Schneider, who struggled out of the gate. The first crack in Luongo's armor was Schneider's opening, and the Canucks never looked back, until, of course, a trade never materialized for Luongo's services. In what could only be seen as one of the most mishandled situations in NHL history, GM Mike Gillis flipped Schneider at this year's draft without even so much as a conversation with Luongo to see if he was willing to return to Vancouver. Gillis did the patchwork, and Luongo will report to camp.
Carey Price went 21-13-7 last season with a 2.59 gaa and a .905 SA%. By March 21st, Price was 16-4-4. Price's finish was quite a fall from grace, especially in the playoffs. Perhaps not playing during the lockout had altered his conditioning to the point that a burnout was inevitable, but throughout the season, he had maintained that his decision not to play was what he felt was the best thing for him. His position was hard to argue with for most the season, but the end left many questions about his ability to perform under pressure. To compound things, his comments after the season--blown largely out of proportion--that he couldn't find solitude or peace in Montreal aroused more suspicion that he might not be cut out to take the Canadiens all the way when the time comes that they're good enough to compete for the Stanley Cup.
Outside of the Olympics and the prospects for both players to redeem themselves, you have to think that this season will play a pivotal role in the future of both Luongo and Price. Both need to have impeccable starts to cement their roles with Team Canada, but most importantly, both need to have great seasons for their teams to make the playoffs. Anything less than greatness for either one of them might significantly alter their future with their respective clubs.
Luongo may very well still want out of Vancouver, no matter how well he plays this season. The Canucks may still want to trade him, no matter how well he plays this season.
The Canadiens drafted what many believe is a franchise goaltender in Zachary Fucale. Fucale won't be rushed, but knowing he's in the wings--having won a Memorial Cup last Spring en route to being the starting netminder for the Canadian World Juniors--his development is certainly on a path towards the NHL. That in itself should create a certain competition for Price that hasn't been there since Jaroslav Halak was traded in 2010. Combine that with the fact that Marc Bergevin is going to have to give P.K. Subban a very lucrative contract, and Price's future with the team becomes anything but certain. To reiterate, Price's performance will have a huge influence on the outcome of that situation.
Trading Price is an idea the previous administration of the Canadiens would've never considered. If Price can't get to the next level with the Canadiens this season, you have to think Bergevin and his associates consider another solution until Fucale emerges.
I certainly wouldn't suggest that a redeemed Luongo is that solution, but I wouldn't call it impossible, despite the salary cap implications. Trading Price for Luongo + is about as farfetched as any trade scenario a hockey fan can dream up, but there are ways to make sense of it. There are many more ways to dismiss it.
More importantly, both goaltenders could very well be on the market next summer. And this little side story could send tremendous waves through the hockey world well before then.
All of Canada will have their eyes on Luongo and Price between October and December, but Canadiens and Canucks fans will follow their stories intently throughout the season.
Montreal Canadiens Blogger • 
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