Roberto Luongo to Leafs?

These are the murmurs coming out from  "sources".

BREAKING: can confirm Roberto Luongo will be traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs. Deal will be completed by draft, if not July 1. #Canucks

This was the tweet made coming from a source that has called trades before.

Unfortunately, with the way Leafs rumour mongering goes, you can't believe anyone except the top sources. It is best to keep calm until the trade is done and delivered because it usually comes back to bite everyone in the butt.

 Roberto Luongo will be a great fit for the Maple Leafs. There is a definite need for an elite goaltender, one that can get the job done in all situations. There are some unwarranted reservations when it comes with Luongo's play. I can assure you, his play will not be the issue, if he is truly being dangled by the Canucks.

 The only issue revolves around his contract. He is already 33 years of age and there are many years left on the contract. This is a negative no matter what a Canucks fan might say. It might not warrant a cheap low ball offer that Leafs fan are accustomed to suggesting, but it won't be CHEAP.

 His contract is laid out like this.

 Annual Cap hit = $5.333 Million 

  2012-13 to 2017-18 - $6.714 million 

  2018-19—$3.382 million. 

  2019-20—$1.618 million. 

  2020-2022—$1 million. 

 The contract has a few years tacked on at the end that might be considered (cap circumventing). This is probably a fair statement on the part of Canuck fans, but it is a hindrance. One that will devalue Luongo's trade value regardless of what anyone says. Those extra years have to be taken into consideration. When Mike Gillis was asked about whether he was mulling over a Luongo trade today, he replied with the following...

“I haven’t contacted anyone with respect to Roberto at all,” said Gillis on Thursday. “I’ve had people call me and ask about him and I’ve told them that we haven’t made any decisions at all about the future of our goaltending. And that’s absolutely the truth. Source: The Province

This is a legitimate statement, now whether he is bluffing or not, only GMs would know. It is only fair to trust his word over that of a source in Vancouver. Will Luongo come to Toronto? No clue, this is going to be a LONG wait. He might even end up staying. Elite goal tenders are not let go of this easily, even if there is a Schneider type back up.