Wednesday, April 3, 2013

{allcanada} Luongo laments fact contract likely prevented trade

VANCOUVER -- An emotional Roberto Luongo made it clear he wasn't upset to still be a member of the Vancouver Canucks after the NHL Trade Deadline passed.

The reason he hasn't been traded yet is a totally different matter.

"My contract sucks," Luongo said bluntly of a 12-year, $64 million deal that still has nine seasons remaining after this one. "That's what the problem is, and unfortunately it's a big factor in trading me and it's probably why I am still here. … I'd scrap it if I could right now."

Luongo has been waiting for a trade since last spring, when Cory Schneider supplanted him as the Canucks' No. 1 goaltender three games into the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Luongo suggested shortly after that it was time to move on, but almost 11 months later he is still in Vancouver and likely looking at waiting until summer to be traded.

Luongo, who has one relief appearance while watching Schneider start the past eight games, thought he might have been traded when he was pulled out of practice and off the ice early Wednesday. But it turned out they just wanted to have him available to sign off on his no-trade clause in case a late deal happened. It didn't, and Luongo admitted it hasn't been easy.

"I don't think disappointment is the right word," Luongo said, his voice cracking slightly a couple of times. "It's been an emotional ride the last year. … I am proud to be a Vancouver Canuck. I love it here, I love my teammates, there's nothing wrong with that. It's just a matter of the unknown, and what the future holds is something that you try not to think about, but I'm human and sometimes it gets to you."

Luongo, who is among the active NHL all-time leaders with 346 wins and 62 shutouts in 743 regular-season games, has played less than half of Vancouver's games this season. He is 7-4-3 with a 2.44 goals-against average and .904 save percentage in 16 appearances.

Schneider, in his third full NHL season, is 12-7-3 and among the League leaders with a .922 save percentage and 2.27 GAA.