It’s long been assumed that Roberto Luongo is on his way out of Vancouver. However, his most recent rumored destination is not the one you might expect.
The Islanders are now believed to be interested in trading for Luongo, according to TSN’s Bob McKenzie, depending on how contract talks go with their current starter, Evgeni Nabokov. Nabokov is an unrestricted free agent this season, so depending on what his asking price is, it appears that the Brooklyn-bound Isles could be looking at Luongo as an alternative option.
If a deal could be worked out between the Canucks and Islanders, it’s assumed that injury-prone New York goalie Rick DiPietro would be shipped to Vancouver and then bought out of his monster deal. According to McKenzie, the cost of buying out DiPietro is $1.5 million per year over the next 16 years, in comparison to the 18 years of over $1.5 million each that it would take to get rid of Luongo.
While McKenzie cautions that a workable deal for Luongo might be impossible for the two teams to work out, sending the once-heralded goalie to an up-and-coming squad like the Isles certainly would be intriguing. Then again, everything involving Luongo always seems to be.
