Buyout or not, there is absolutely no way Gillis should have traded Luongo to Toronto. That is absolutely ridiculous. He's better off buying him out than taking any salary back.
- KB3Point0

Since Toronto didn't want him it's kind of academic

You ain't going to get an argument out of me on Gillis' mishandling of Lu. I've said from the beginning Gillis made a commitment to Lu long term so he should have traded Schneids back in 2011 to support our cup run.
- bloatedmosquito

this seems like still the far better option than trying to trade bobby lou. Why won't he go this route? i'm at a loss for this one

Guess you haven't followed along. Gillis has said a number of times that there will be no buyouts.
- IanEsplen

I still think this is just posturing. Philly said the same about Bryz.

IMO, by the time the recapture stuff comes around the cap will be up over 80M, so I won't worry about it too much.

If I'm Gillis and truly going to reset the team, I buy out Lu (unless a trade can be found that brings in a quality young player or pick), and trade Kesler and Bieksa. Those three guys gone is going to drastically change the culture inside the dressing room and on the ice. That leaves:

Sedin/Sedin/Burrows - Burrows is locked up, Sedin's have said they want to go year by year, so after next season perhaps they are looking at one year $6m or maybe a bit less.

Booth/ Sign-Draft-Acquire / Kassian - Keep Booth, if he is a bust again this year you can always buy him out next year, give Kassian a chance to actually contribute in an offence role.

Higgins / Schroeder / Hansen - Maybe Schroeder fits in on the second line and a "shut down" C is brought in to play the third. Maybe Schroeder doesn't fit at all and two C's are brought in.

A whole new 4th line, Sestito can be the 13th or 14th forward, of even play in Utica for all I care.

Edler / Garrison - becomes the new top pairing
Hamhuis / Corrado - Hamhuis played well with Tanev, he would be a good mentor for Corrado.
Ballard / Tanev - This pairing has worked in the past, Ballard has two more years, under the right circumstances I believe he can be successful.

Two budget signings on D

Schneider and Lack or other backup

Removing Kesler+Bieksa+Luongo makes tons of space for whatever the team wants to do in the future and changes the makeup and personality of the team in a drastic way.

Im not putting him on a pedestal..But ya gotta admit Gillis handled the whole Luongo thing wrong from the start
- Popcorn Kid

If you aren't even going to try and understand what has actually happened then you shouldn't even try to comment on something you clearly know nothing about. What part did he handle wrong?

Was it signing Luongo to the contract that ownership asked him to sign him to?
Was it not rushing Schneider and allowing him to develop into such a good goalie?
Was it not trading Luongo to teams Luongo said he wouldn't go to (he has a full NTC by the way)?
Or was it not trading Luongo to the Leafs because they wanted Vancouver to eat salary in the deal (they're better off buying him out)?

Please, enlighten us as to how "Gillis handled the whole Luongo thing wrong from the start."

You ain't going to get an argument out of me on Gillis' mishandling of Lu. I've said from the beginning Gillis made a commitment to Lu long term so he should have traded Schneids back in 2011 to support our cup run.
- bloatedmosquito

Schneider didn't have huge value back in 2011. Would have got less than LA got for Bernier this year. If you were going to trade Schneider and keep Luongo the time would have been around the time they traded CoHo. Both goalies were playing well and Schneider's value was very high.

So much of a steal that he's being constantly shopped around the league
- TheJerseyDevil1

So he isn't a steal???

If you aren't even going to try and understand what has actually happened then you shouldn't even try to comment on something you clearly know nothing about. What part did he handle wrong?

Was it signing Luongo to the contract that ownership asked him to sign him to?
Was it not rushing Schneider and allowing him to develop into such a good goalie?
Was it not trading Luongo to teams Luongo said he wouldn't go to (he has a full NTC by the way)?
Or was it not trading Luongo to the Leafs because they wanted Vancouver to eat salary in the deal (they're better off buying him out)?

Please, enlighten us as to how "Gillis handled the whole Luongo thing wrong from the start."
- KB3Point0

He handled ALL of those things wrong. He should never have caved and signed the deal if ownership was pushing for it. Why be a puppet, stand your ground.

He should have traded Schneider when the opportunity was ripe, right after losing in the final and re-loading for the next season.

He should have eaten crow and traded Lu wherever he wanted to go for whatever he could have gotten. If it was a 5th round pick and Scotty Upshall, he should have pulled the trigger.

He should have accepted the 2 2nd round picks or whatever it was that Nonis was offering before the new CBA was decided on, now he's screwed.

Since Toronto didn't want him it's kind of academic
- Canada Cup

They had an offer on the table at the trade deadline which included the Canucks eating some of his salary, so yes, they did want him.

Guess you haven't followed along. Gillis has said a number of times that there will be no buyouts.
- IanEsplen

What GM's say and what they do are two very different things....once he realizes there is no trade value in Luongo, which will be very soon, he will use a buyout.

You ain't going to get an argument out of me on Gillis' mishandling of Lu. I've said from the beginning Gillis made a commitment to Lu long term so he should have traded Schneids back in 2011 to support our cup run.
- bloatedmosquito

I agreed. The mishandling was not Luongo, it was in not maximizing his assets with Schneider.

I still think this is just posturing. Philly said the same about Bryz.
- KB3Point0

I don't think anyone has provided a quote of him saying that.

Even if they did, you are right. It is really meaningless. I mean what is the guy going to do, say that he will buyout Luongo and then try to trade him?

He handled ALL of those things wrong. He should never have caved and signed the deal if ownership was pushing for it. Why be a puppet, stand your ground.

He should have traded Schneider when the opportunity was ripe, right after losing in the final and re-loading for the next season.

He should have eaten crow and traded Lu wherever he wanted to go for whatever he could have gotten. If it was a 5th round pick and Scotty Upshall, he should have pulled the trigger.

He should have accepted the 2 2nd round picks or whatever it was that Nonis was offering before the new CBA was decided on, now he's screwed.
- 1970vintage

so this guy just has no idea how everything happened eh?

Lecalvier bought out, after Stu said it would never happen
- 1970vintage

I'm shocked that it did. Now I want to sign Lecavalier!

Lu should get bought out.
No point on trading him when teams will send offers for him for free.
Gillis is a hardass and screwed us with this stupid situation that shouldve been solved a year ago.

If I'm Gillis and truly going to reset the team, I buy out Lu (unless a trade can be found that brings in a quality young player or pick), and trade Kesler and Bieksa. Those three guys gone is going to drastically change the culture inside the dressing room and on the ice. That leaves:

Sedin/Sedin/Burrows - Burrows is locked up, Sedin's have said they want to go year by year, so after next season perhaps they are looking at one year $6m or maybe a bit less.

Booth/ Sign-Draft-Acquire / Kassian - Keep Booth, if he is a bust again this year you can always buy him out next year, give Kassian a chance to actually contribute in an offence role.

Higgins / Schroeder / Hansen - Maybe Schroeder fits in on the second line and a "shut down" C is brought in to play the third. Maybe Schroeder doesn't fit at all and two C's are brought in.

A whole new 4th line, Sestito can be the 13th or 14th forward, of even play in Utica for all I care.

Edler / Garrison - becomes the new top pairing
Hamhuis / Corrado - Hamhuis played well with Tanev, he would be a good mentor for Corrado.
Ballard / Tanev - This pairing has worked in the past, Ballard has two more years, under the right circumstances I believe he can be successful.

Two budget signings on D

Schneider and Lack or other backup

Removing Kesler+Bieksa+Luongo makes tons of space for whatever the team wants to do in the future and changes the makeup and personality of the team in a drastic way.
- 1970vintage

Kesler is the last person that should be gone. He'd be worth 6-7 Million as a UFA.

I don't think anyone has provided a quote of him saying that.

Even if they did, you are right. It is really meaningless. I mean what is the guy going to do, say that he will buyout Luongo and then try to trade him?
- Aetherial

Hoping for a poke check on that ass

For people that dont think losing Erhoff was one of the most critical things MG has done read this article. I loved when we got Erhoff and wanted him to be resigned badly. I know he was going to cost a lot but Id rather have Erhoff and a 3.5 mil D guy than Edler and Garrison.

http://canucksarmy.com/20...d-probably-win-the-norris

He handled ALL of those things wrong. He should never have caved and signed the deal if ownership was pushing for it. Why be a puppet, stand your ground.

He should have traded Schneider when the opportunity was ripe, right after losing in the final and re-loading for the next season.

He should have eaten crow and traded Lu wherever he wanted to go for whatever he could have gotten. If it was a 5th round pick and Scotty Upshall, he should have pulled the trigger.

He should have accepted the 2 2nd round picks or whatever it was that Nonis was offering before the new CBA was decided on, now he's screwed.
- 1970vintage

Wow. I don't even know where to start here.

When you have a franchise goalie, and the CBA allows for contracts to be signed in a certain way, and everyone wants to resign the best goalie your franchise has ever had, and he's in his prime, and you're trying to build a cup winning team, and your owner tells you to give him whatever he wants, you do it. The fact that the rules got changed years later does not change the fact that at the time it was a great contract for the Canucks. With the ability to just erase the last 3-4 years off his contract if he was to retire he would be very easy to trade today. The rules changed.

They wouldn't have got much for Schneider immediately after the cup run. Certainly not enough to trade him. If the biggest value in trading Schneider is that you don't have to buy out Luongo because Schneider is better, then just suck it up and buy out Luongo.

He should absolutely not have traded Luongo in any trade that required him to eat salary. There is absolutely no sense in it. There is certainly a bit of risk in the recapture penalties, but to add the additional salary (and cap hit) annually is just dumb. Way better off buying him out.

You're saying they're screwed. They are not. If they can't trade him they can buy him out.

Kesler is the last person that should be gone. He'd be worth 6-7 Million as a UFA.
- lkeh73

I dont agree with your reason, but I do agree we need to keep him.
I believe he will be back better and as good as that 40 goal selke trophy winning year under torts.
Torts will push him and i think it will work out.
Only concern is him staying healthy and stoping wonderful academy award diving on the ice.

Can Vancouver just trade a goalie already, I don't care which one it is just trade one of them

I'm shocked that it did. Now I want to sign Lecavalier!
- micah555

He'll get $6m from someone, I could see Tallon signing Vinny to a 3 year deal $18 million to fuk with his N. Fla neighbours

so this guy just has no idea how everything happened eh?

- malcohol

Why should the Canucks take any salary back in a trade for Luongo? The whole reason to trade him is to rid themselves of the cap hit, not keep some of it.

You ain't going to get an argument out of me on Gillis' mishandling of Lu. I've said from the beginning Gillis made a commitment to Lu long term so he should have traded Schneids back in 2011 to support our cup run.
- bloatedmosquito

BTW I like the Sid Vicious avatar..