Luongo shouldn't be traded

[GSmith]

Luongo plays and gets a shutout. Go figure. I'm not sure why the Canucks need to trade this guy. Corey Schneider is the future goaltender for this franchise, however the future is NOW in Vancouver. This team is starting to run out of their shelf life. Most teams only have a shelf life of 3-4 years, so the future is now for this team. They need to play their best now and make the moves to give them their shot.

Luongo is the better of the two goalies and is your best chance of winning. By the time Schneider matures into one of the best goalies in the NHL you won't have the same team around him. So Canuck fans, don't you think you should continue to run with Luongo? He did get you to game 7 of the Stanley Cup final and within a whisker of winning the cup.

[mikesmith]

The thing Canucks fans need to worry about the most is the lack of potential in the prospects department. A real mysterious group they have there. With an ageing team you would think they would have a better blue chip collection. Not the case.
Goaltending and Defense look OK for a few years. But lack of anything with pizzazz up front in the pipeline will have this team hurting in 2 seasons minimum.

Since 2010 They have traded away
1st rd pick
3rd round picks (2)
4th round picks (2)

And currently don't have a single 1st rd Canuck Draft Pick playing in their system.

GOOOD LUCK. WITH or WITHOUT Lou.

This team is tank nation by next season.

[Jwiebe]

Right now, Luongo is the best player on the Canucks. (Along with Kassian.) The only way either Luongo or Schneider will get traded is if they get a first round pick in return. And I don't see that happening until draft day.

[lpramsden]

Hey Mike - interesting take, although the original post was about what goalie to keep. Your point about a lack of prospects is somewhat valid, though factually incorrect - the twins were both first rounders, as was Kesler, Schneider, and Jordan Schroeder (admittedly he's only got 4 games under his belt). Another first rounder (Luc Bourdon) was killed in a motorcycle accident, so you can't really fault the drafting for that one. And we turned another first rounder (Hodgson) into another (Kassian), so while he wasn't drafted, it was a one-for-one swap. Really, the lack of prospects is owing primarily to the team's astounding regular season success, generally, for the better part of the past decade. I do think the reports of this team's demise are premature, but we'll see how it shakes out.

Your point about the team's lack of blue-chippers though is relevant. This is why it's so important to get full value (i.e. 1st rounders or prospects) in return for him. The appropriate return for a Vezina-calibre goalie is not what has been offered thus far. Patience is Mike Gillis' friend on this one. At some point, some other team will realize this and come knocking, willing to pay a fair price. It's only a matter of time. If it's next summer, fine.

[mikesmith]

I should have said SINCE 2010? My bad.

[lpramsden]

As for the more general issue about which goalie to keep: I stand behind the team's choice. Schneider looks like he'll be great for a number of years - he's a "young" 26. While the "Cup Window" may close before the end of his career, he would definitely be a key piece of remaining competitive over the longer term.

As for who's better "right now" - I'd argue it's him. While Luongo has done wonders for the franchise, he's had 4 playoff meltdowns in 3 years (Chicago X 3, Boston). All of which were catastrophic. If he hadn't handed the Bruins 3 games in Boston on a silver platter, we'd have had the Cup, regardless of how little the team scored. I love the guy, but best for everyone if he moves on. He agrees, Schneider agrees, the team agrees. Unfortunately, it's too bad the coach doesn't appear to.

[williamefwilson]

I still don't get all the buzz around Schneider. He's only played a handful of more career games than Luongo has played in playoff games alone. Luongo is an established, top-tier goalie at the NHL level. He proved this in Florida and has only been better in Vancouver.

We've never seen Schneider play in a situation where the better team wasn't on his side. No trial by fire, no reason to play him over the established goalie. In a shortened season, it's especially important to put a bankable product on the ice every night. Luongo's record this season speaks for itself and the same can be said about Schneider's current record.

As for playoff meltdowns, I blame the entire team. The Chicagos and Bostons that beat the Canucks were teams with equal, if not more, talent, but they also had a certain edge in grit and drive that Vancouver has always lacked. I would take Toews and Sharp over the two twins any day of the week. Regular season heroes don't always make for great post-season champs.