The NHL’s worst-kept secret for the last year or so has been the Vancouver Canucks’ attempt to trade goaltender Roberto Luongo. The club reportedly had talks over the summer about moving him, and those talks reportedly resurfaced again this week.
The suspense was at an all-time high Wednesday just minutes before the deadline. The goalie was pulled off the ice at practice just minutes before the deadline, and speculation ran wild. However, the 3 p.m. ET trade deadline came and went, and Luongo was not traded.
He has a pretty solid reason as to why he might still be a Canuck.
“My contract sucks,” Luongo told reporters following practice.  “That’s what the problem is. Unfortunately it’s a big factor in trading me and it’s probably why I’m still here.”
Luongo signed a 12-year deal worth $64 million prior to the 2010-11 season. He’s signed through 2021-22, and he comes with a $5.33 million cap hit for the duration of that deal.
“I’d scrap it if I could right now,” Luongo said.
See all of Luongo’s candid media session in the video below.
