Roberto Luongo finally got what he wanted. By all accounts Vancouver fans got what they wanted as well(although the Vancouver organization should be ashamed of how they treated Luongo during his tenure). One of the more polarizing figures in Canucks history is now out the door, and it will be interesting to see how the future pans out for all players involved.
Here is the official Panthers press release:
SUNRISE, Fla. - Florida Panthers Executive Vice President and General Manager Dale Tallon announce today that the club has acquired G Roberto Luongo and F Steven Anthony from the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for F Shawn Matthias and G Jacob Markstrom.
“Roberto is one of the game’s elite goaltenders and we are happy to welcome him back to South Florida,… said Tallon. “With this acquisition, we have solidified our goaltending depth with a top-tiered netminder for the next several seasons. Roberto is a three-time Vezina finalist, who has experienced tremendous success throughout his 13-year playing career, which includes six post-season appearances, including the Stanley Cup finals, two Olympic Gold Medals and three All-Star selections. We look forward to his contributions to our club on the ice as well as his continued philanthropic efforts in the South Florida community.…
Luongo, 34, has played in 789 career National Hockey League games for NY Islanders (1999-2000), Florida (2002-2006) and Vancouver (2006-2014) posting a 367-305-92 mark with a 2.51 GAA, a .919 save percentage and 65 shutouts. He ranks second among active goaltending leaders in wins (367), saves (21,487) and shutouts (65). He also places third among active goaltending leaders in games played (789).
The three-time Vezina Finalist (2004, 2007 & 2011) has played in 64 postseason games, all with Vancouver, posting a 32-31 mark with a 2.54 GAA, leading the Canucks to the Stanley Cup Finals during the 2010-2011 season. Luongo, was also awarded the William M. Jennings Trophy in 2011 (the goalkeeper(s) having played a minimum of 25 games for the team with the fewest goals scored against it).
The Montreal, Quebec native currently ranks first among Panthers’ goaltender leaders in several all-time categories including career games played (317), single season games played (75), career wins (108), single season wins (35), and career shutouts (26). He also own Florida’s single season records for most saves (2,303 in 2003-2004), most minutes played (4,304 in 2005-2006) and consecutive scoreless minutes (182:37 in 2004).
Luongo has represented Canada numerous times on the international stage, appearing in the last three Winter Olympics (2006, 2010 & 2014). He won the Gold Medal at both the 2010 and 2014 Winter Olympics. During the 2010 Winter Games, Luongo posted a 5-0 mark with one shutout and a 1.76 GAA. He also won Gold at the World Championships (2003 & 2004) and World Cup (2004).
Luongo was drafted by the NY Islanders with their first choice (fourth overall) in the 1997 NHL Entry Draft.
Anthony, 22, was drafted by Vancouver in the seventh round in 2009 NHL Entry Draft. A Hailifax, Nova Scotia native, Anthony played his junior hockey with the Saint John Sea Dogs (QMJHL). He most recently spent time playing for the Kalamazoo Wings (ECHL) and St. Charles Chill (CHL).
Luongo was traded from Florida in 2006 to Vancouver along with Lukas Krajicek and a 6th rounder, for Todd Bertuzzi, Bryan Allen, and Alex Auld. Thanks to trade architect Mike Keenan this is still considered one of the worst trades in sports history.
Ironically after only playing 8 games as a Panther due to injury, Bertuzzi was then traded to Detroit for none other than Shawn Matthias, who is heading to Vancouver with goaltender Jacob Markstrom in exchange for Luongo and forward Steven Anthony.
Obviously there is a lot to this story that I will be getting into later, but I have a few quick thoughts based on what I've seen and heard around the organization.
Losing Markstrom is a big gamble, but after being drafted in 2008, Panthers brass was not sold on him ever living up to the billing of being the "best goaltender in the world not in the NHL." He has been very inconsistent, battled some injuries, and based on my last conversation with him a very surly and unhappy player. I'm not sure if he was upset in not starting in Florida or just unhappy with his own game, but he was testy.
Now, this was much earlier in the season when things weren't going very well for him, and his play in San Antonio has been very good of late, so maybe this is a perfect opportunity for him.
Shawn Matthias has all the tools to be a very good player. He doesn't score often, but when he does it's practically a damn highlight reel goal every time. He definitely brings his lunch pail each game and can skate like the wind. I feel he will blend in well with Tortorella's style.
After acquiring Brandon Pirri a few days ago, Matthias was certainly expendable, and there may be some plans to give some of the young kids in San Antonio some time with the big club as well.
Obviously social media exploded when this deal was announced, and much of it was ripping Tallon for hurting his goaltending depth.
Hold on.
First, I wouldn't be surprised if Thomas is traded to Pittsburgh, which would leave Luongo and Clemmensen for the home stretch. Clemmensen is scheduled to be a UFA this summer by design, as either Michael Houser or a summer acquisition will fill the backup role behind Luongo.
But the Panthers are toast in terms of the playoffs this season. Everyone knows this. Does it really matter how the "depth chart" looks at this very second? Surely Tallon is going to make sure all the holes are filled before opening night next year. He has a boatload of money to spend, and still some deals to make.
Luongo's $4.53 million annual salary(prorated as the Canucks picked up a portion) through the 2020-2021 season is troubling to say the least. Not in terms of price but in terms of length. It looks like a "we'll jump off that bridge when we get there" situation when he reaches his twilight.
But for now the Panthers are stable in net for the next 3-4 years. They just dismissed one of their most disliked executives in Michael Yormark. Brad Boyes was re-signed for two years. Mike Weaver was traded. The culture is changing. Tallon is doing what he does best in shaking things up for the future.
The last time he was able to do this, it resulted in their first division title. Starting next season, the expectations will be higher.
More to come.
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