In Vancouver, it always comes back to the goalies.
No issue is quite like it, and no year has ever been quite like this one.
Whenever the NHL ends its lockout, the Roberto Luongo situation will consume Vancouver sports landscape like a Mount Seymour-sized Hoover.
Most believe the Canucks will move quickly to trade him. He said in July, it's time to "move on." And it is.
But to get the right trade, the Canucks are still willing to smoke it out. They've been prepared since the end of last season to start training camp and even the season with both Luongo and Cory Schneider.
Luongo is game. He has always been the consummate professional. He will handle it with class, and put aside his desire to be the No. 1 starter for the sake of the team. It's why he took the public U-turn over the summer. He went from the honest player who admitted a trade is in everyone's best interests to the honest player who said he realized he's OK with coming back. He came around on his own, reading the tea leaves and noticing the chances the Canucks were going to deal him before training camp were diminishing quickly.
Some contend the Canucks should reconsider, given the circumstances. They argue the Canucks should keep Luongo for a run at the Stanley Cup. With a condensed schedule, and a goalie in Cory Schneider who has never been an NHL starter, it's not without merit. It would provide mind-blowing depth and give the Canucks the best tandem in the league.
But, man, what a risk.
It's not just about the distraction a year of Luongo and Schneider would generate. It's the impact it could have on his trade market. Luongo has always thrived on a heavy schedule. No one can be sure how a year of sharing the job with Schneider, when he plays 50 per cent of the games or less, would have on him. If he struggles in the role, he'll be a 34-year-old goalie next summer coming off a down year. If people believe his contract is difficult to trade now, what would they think then? Good luck with that. And over the long run, the Canucks can't keep both. It's just too much invested into a position where only one player can start.
A Luongo deal can make the Canucks a more complete team, especially if they can get younger and get a third-line centre.
But how much will it weaken the position in net?
That depends entirely on Schneider. He's not going to have much of a safety net. This season will be on him. It's what he's always wanted but the pressure will be immense.
The backup goalie market is weak. There is Dan Ellis, who has gone public with his interest in the Canucks, though the feeling has not yet been mutual. Maybe it should be. Ellis has been terrific playing for the Charlotte Checkers, the Carolina Hurricanes affiliate, where he signed a tryout deal. With a 5-2-2 record, a 1.71 GAA and a .948 save percentage, he has been one the AHL's best goalies. More important, he has been healthy. Ellis, who has proven resumé of being a successful starter for stretches in the NHL, played only 10 games last year because of groin issues.
If last year's surgery fixed the problem, you'd be hard pressed to find a better possibility available.
From there, it gets dark fast. There's Dwayne Roloson, who is already coaching, Brent Johnson, who soon will be coaching, and Ty Conklin.
The Canucks can obviously get a goalie back in a Luongo deal. Toronto may be more willing than ever to part with Ben Scrivens, given the way Finnish netminder Jussi Ryn-nas is impressing with the Toronto Marlies.
And, of course, there's Eddie Lack, the wild card already in the Canucks fold.
He continues to show he's got a great personality, but this year he has been without the great stats. Lack is 7-4-1 this season with the AHL Chicago Wolves with a 3.02 GAA and a .898 save percentage.
Is he ready for the NHL? Would the Canucks bet on him?
It doesn't seem likely. He probably would have needed a sensational start to the AHL season to get into the conversation. Lack's game still requires a lot of refinement.
Even on his own AHL team, you can make the argument his backup, Matt Climie, is the one who is more ready to sub in for stretches in the NHL.
None of these options is going to help the Canucks much. In a 60-game schedule, how many games is a backup not named Luongo going to get? Maybe 15.
If Schneider is injured or, more frightening, proves somehow he's incapable of handling the job, the Canucks season gets put on a roasting pan and tossed into the oven.
