Who knows for sure whether or not Roberto Luongo finally ends up in Toronto, but it appears the rumors won’t go away until he’s shipped to the Maple Leafs or lands elsewhere.
The Toronto Star reports that the Maple Leafs and Canucks recently resumed trade discussions about the veteran goaltender. Trade talks reportedly have been ongoing for quite some time, and while they may have died down in the past weeks, they’re reportedly back on now.
Things have changed since the two teams last discussed the trade, but the time for a deal may be approaching. Luongo, who came into the season as the backup, saw a decent amount of playing time earlier in the season, especially when anointed starter Cory Schneider struggled. However, Schneider has found his way, and that’s left Luongo riding the pine. He hasn’t played since March 18.
According to the report, Vancouver general manager Mike Gillis has backed off the lofty demands that he opened trade talks with. If he really wanted to get a deal done, it’s likely he would have had to come down anyway. The Leafs have gotten surprisingly good goaltending out of James Reimer and Ben Scrivens, which has quelled the urgency for the Leafs to add a goalie.
The report also speculates that Calgary’s Miikka Kiprusoff and Phoenix’s Mike Smith could give Toronto general manager Dave Nonis other options as well.
Luongo is 7-4-3 this season with a 2.47 goals against average and a .904 save percentage.
