Bonsixx said:
With all due respect, I almost find it funny how people can possibly debate, regardless of price of trade, whether Luongo is worth having on the team.
If the Leafs were to get him, after years of brutal goaltending, we'd all be in love with Luongo after about 15-20 games, and that's even with his typical October slow start. Not to mention he's only 33, he probably has five years of great goaltending left in him.
I guess it depends what you're interested in. A playoff appearance or a Cup. I think the Luongo decision flirts with making that choice.
If the Leafs had a contending roster in every other way and the only missing piece was a good starting goalie, getting Luongo now makes more sense. But that sure isn't the Leafs team I watched this season. At the very least, they probably need a franchise center and a stud dman. They'd have a heck of a time adding all three in their current cap situation much less keep them when Kessel & Lupul's contracts come due.
Although they showed they could score in a run and gun system, that dried up some when Carlyle shifted them to be more defensively oriented. It would be at least questionable if the current group can deliver offensively in the tighter, more physical playoffs. And they now have to make a talent transition to Carlyle's more defensive, more physical system. Meanwhile, I don't think anyone would mistake the teams top 6 dmen as Cup caliber. Nor would they feel we've got a great bottom six for the PK, checking & chipping in with scoring. So they have quite a bit of work to do beyond getting a goalie to improve this roster to contender level.
The roster is currently cap constrained. There are things Burke can do to get some relief but he's signed himself into a tighter corner than he's ever had. So that's a little tougher than it's been to date.
It is a sports team so anything could happen. But it would be pretty shocking to most if the Leafs wound up in the Cup final over the next couple of years. It's pretty unlikely. Therefore, Luongo may help them get into the playoffs. And hopefully, the team gets better over the next couple of years in other areas.
But it's pretty likely that as (if) they get better, Luongo is likely to tail off after age 35 or so. Then where are they? Cap constrained with a $5.3 mil backup?
There's no question in my mind that Luongo would improve them. But my concern is if they can come together quickly enough around him to win a Cup. I've seen lots of playoffs since '67. Making an appearance in the playoffs just doesn't do much for me any more. I want to see a parade and I'm not convinced we will if they sign Luongo.