Roberto Luongo trade rumors: Would Canucks deal with Capitals?

Published Sunday, Feb 3, 2013 at 4:32 pm EST
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There could have been any number of reasons Vancouver Canucks general manager Mike Gillis and assistant GM Laurence Gilman were at Sunday's Pittsburgh Penguins game in Washington. They could have been doing simple due diligence on the Eastern Conference—or maybe Capitals GM George McPhee was throwing a Super Bowl party.

Another possibility: They were scouting the Caps and seeing if they like any of their pieces enough to strike a deal for Roberto Luongo.

Roberto Luongo to Washington? He's been mentioned as a trade possibility to every team this side of Munchkinland. (AP Photo)

Vancouver's 33-year-old All-Star goalie has been on the block since the offseason, and while the Capitals haven't always been the most talked-about potential trade partner, they do make sense.

Braden Holtby, after a standout rookie postseason, regressed to the mean with authority, as evidenced by the Penguins' six-goal game against him on Sunday. Holtby is 1-3-0 with a 4.52 goals-against and .862 save percentage. Michal Neuvirth (1-3-1, 2.99, .899) has been better, but only relatively speaking.

Both are young and have been successful in the past, and the Capitals have problems beyond goaltending, but Luongo would undoubtedly be an upgrade.


Players Gillis could be interested in: young defenseman Dmitry Orlov and prospect Filip Forsberg. If he's looking for immediate help along the second line, though, the Capitals don't have much to offer.

Luongo started the season as the Canucks' No. 2 but has outplayed Cory Schneider, who re-signed as a restricted free agent last summer.

Gillis has said that he has a potential deal on the table but doesn't feel the need to make an immediate move.

Other teams reported to be interested in Luongo are the Toronto Maple Leafs, Philadelphia Flyers Chicago Blackhawks and Florida Panthers.