Canucks kick off post-Luongo era with a loss

VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – The Canucks began life without Roberto Luongo with a 1-0 loss to the Coyotes in Phoenix. The team certainly looked distracted during the game and arguably so, given the events that unfolded earlier in the day. GM Mike Gillis traded Luongo to the Florida Panthers. Vancouver got goalie Jacob Markstrom and checking forward Shawn Matthias in return.

In order to finalize the deal, the Canucks agreed to pay 15 per cent of Luongo’s salary until the end of his contract, which has eight years remaining.

Matthias is expected to slot into the Canucks third line. In 59 games this year he has 16 points. Markstrom has split this season between the NHL and the AHL. He has appeared in 12 games for the Panthers this season.

Over the past nine months the Canucks have traded Roberto Luongo and Cory Schneider. Eddie Lack is now the number one goalie, and he managed to make 32 saves for Vancouver in the loss to Phoenix.

Before he left for Florida, Luongo said he didn’t expect to be traded. “Stunned I think. I wasn’t expecting it. It caught me off guard. Just happy for myself and my family, and a little sad to be leaving Vancouver.”

He also addressed the rumours that the trade stems from Luongo’s frustrations about not starting Sunday’s Heritage Classic. He suggested he had moved past it. “I thought my contract was untradable. Obviously it hurt that I didn’t play that game but at the same time I was ready to play tonight. I had moved on and I was ready to go, so I wasn’t expecting this to happen, especially not today.”

Now that Luongo is moving on, he understands the Canucks had to make a business decision. “Everybody involved in this process had some tough decisions to make. When they were made I tried to handle it the best way I could and move forward. Just when I was starting to let my guard down a little bit the trade happened.”

As for his biggest regret, Luongo wished he and his teammates could have brought the Stanley Cup back to Vancouver. “We had a great run in 2011, but unfortunately we fell a bit short and that is the one that is going to hurt me for a while. I wish we had done a bit more to win that game. All-in-all it was a great run. There was a lot of stuff that happened in between, but I have nothing but good things to say about the fans that were really supportive, especially towards the end.”

In a statement Florida General Manager Dale Tallon expressed his excitement at acquiring Luongo.

“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.”