The headline seems wrong: Roberto Luongo traded to the Florida Panthers? Have the Canucks moved the goalie who came out last year and said he had a horrible contract. According to Renaud Lavoie from TVA Sports who broke the story, that is exactly what has happened.
The Canucks will be getting back goalie Jacob Markstrom and Sean Mathias, they also send prospect Steven Anthony to Florida.
#canucks traded Roberto Luongo to Panthers.
— Renaud Lavoie (@LavoieRenaud) March 4, 2014
#panthers are sending Jacob Markstrom and another player to #canucks for Roberto Luongo #tvasports
— Renaud Lavoie (@LavoieRenaud) March 4, 2014
It sounds like Shawn Matthias is heading to the #canucks along with Jacob Markstrom.
— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) March 4, 2014
Luongo was upset when Eddie Lack started the Heritage Classic ahead of him on Sunday, losing to the Ottawa Senators at B.C. Place stadium. The decision sparked another round of goalie controversy in Vancouver and appears to have come to a head today.
The 34-year-old Luongo has a mega-contract with a $5.53 million cap hit that does not expire until after the 2021-22 season. However with the deal being front-end loaded, much of it has already been paid. The Canucks are also retaining some of the salary and cap hit (15%) on the deal. Luongo is 19-16-6 this season and has a 2.38 GAA and .917 save percentage this season.
Luongo played for Canada in the Sochi Olympics, shutting out Austria in his only appearance. He won his second gold medal after being the starting goalie in the 2010 Vancouver Games.
This is Luongo’s second stint with the Panthers as he played for the team from 2000-06. His wife is from the Florida area. In an ironic twist he is now teammates with Tim Thomas, the goalie he faced in the 2011 Stanley Cup Final. The two will now have to pump each other’s tires in Florida.
The 24-year-old Markstrom has long been considered one of the top goalie prospects in the game but has thus far been able to translate his promise into NHL success. He is 1-6-3 so far this season with an .874 save percentage and 3.52 GAA. It will remain to be seen if playing behind a better team will allow Markstrom to finally fulfill the promise he has shown in Sweden and in the AHL.
The 26-year-old Matthias has nine goals and seven assists for 16 points in 59 games this season. The centre is a former second round draft pick (47th overall) of the Detroit Red Wings in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft.
The 22-year-old Anthony was the Canucks 7th round pick in 2009. He is playing in the Central Hockey League where he has four goals and 14 points in 33 games for the St. Charles Chill. It looks as though he was included in the deal for purposes of the 50-man contract limit.
In other Panthers news, the team signed Brad Boyes to a two-year extension worth $5.25 million ($2.625 million AAV)
The 31-year old Boyes, has 17 goals and 11 assists for 28 points in 59 games with the Panthers this season. He was slated to become an unrestricted free agent this summer after signing a one-year, $1 million deal for 2013-14.
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