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Roberto Luongo

Atlantic Notes: Maple Leafs, Luongo, Harvey-Pinard, Kastelic, Johnson, Mermis

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The Toronto Maple Leafs have been without captain Auston Matthews for almost two weeks with a lower-body injury. Sportsnet’s Luke Fox argued that Matthews’ prolonged absence has opened some eyes in Toronto regarding the team’s center depth.

Toronto essentially moved every center up a line with John Tavares and Max Domi manning the top two lines. Fox believes that the Maple Leafs must upgrade their third line, which has usually been centered by Domi this season. He’s only managed six assists in 18 games this season and hasn’t scored a goal in the regular since April 6th, 2024.

If general manager Brad Treliving concurs with the assessment the team will have some options available for trade. Fox lists Brock Nelson, Mikael Granlund, Frank Vatrano, Nick Bjugstad, and Jake Evans as the likeliest options for the Maple Leafs to pursue with the former being undeniably the best option.

Other Atlantic notes:

  • Earlier this week, Hall-of-Fame netminder Roberto Luongo met for an interview with former players Ryan Whitney and Paul Bissonnette on the Spittin Chiclets podcast. In the interview, Luongo revealed that shortly after being acquired by the Vancouver Canucks in the 2006 offseason the Detroit Red Wings offered Luongo an offer sheet which would have been more than his eventual four-year, $27MM deal with the Canucks. The organization pivoted to veteran netminder Dominik Hasek who would help them capture their 11th Stanley Cup title a year later after being rejected by Luongo.
  • Eric Engels of Sportsnet reported that Montreal Canadiens forward Rafael Harvey-Pinard won’t return tonight but is close. Harvey-Pinard is continuing to recover from a broken leg that has put his start to the 2024-25 NHL season on pause. He hasn’t played meaningful hockey since last season scoring two goals and 10 points in 45 games for Montreal.
  • Boston Bruins forward Mark Kastelic left the team’s overtime loss against the St. Louis Blues today after skating in 5:18 of the action. Conor Ryan of the Boston Globe shared that Kastelic is expected to miss the next few days with a lower-body injury. Thankfully for Kastelic and the Bruins, the team doesn’t play again until their contest against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Monday night meaning Kastelic could be an option.
  • One member of the Bruins organization who didn’t see any ice time this afternoon was veteran forward Tyler Johnson. Before puck drop, the team announced Johnson was out due to ’family reasons’ but would return to practice tomorrow. Johnson has gone scoreless in four games in Boston after signing a one-year contract with the organization two weeks ago.
  • Moving back to Toronto, defenseman Dakota Mermis skated this morning before practice according to David Alter of The Hockey News. Mermis, who has been on the team’s LTIR while recovering from jaw surgery, signed a one-year, $775K contract with the Maple Leafs this past offseason.

Vancouver Canucks To Induct Roberto Luongo Into Ring Of Honour

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Former Vancouver Canucks All-Star netminder Roberto Luongo will be inducted into the team’s Ring Of Honour next season at an undetermined home game, as announced by the team Wednesday night.

Luongo, 43, was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame just a few weeks ago alongside a pair of Canucks legends, Daniel Sedin and Henrik Sedin. The team’s all-time leader in wins (252), Luongo backstopped the Canucks to the 2011 Stanley Cup Final, was twice a Vezina Trophy finalist, and won the 2011 Jennings Trophy alongside backup Cory Schneider.

While he was drafted by the New York Islanders and played more games for the Florida Panthers, he reached his greatest team success in Vancouver. Luongo never won a Vezina Trophy, but he was universally recognized as a top-five goalie in the league for most of his 1,044-game career. His .919 career save percentage is tied for eighth among goalies with at least 250 NHL games, and his 489 career wins are fourth all-time.

Luongo was so revered in the Canucks organization that the team even attempted to name him captain. Although he couldn’t wear the “C” on his jersey during games as a goaltender, he was technically the twelfth captain in franchise history from 2008 to 2010 before conceding the role to Henrik Sedin.

Canucks president of hockey operations Jim Rutherford gave a statement on the news:

We are proud to welcome Roberto to the prestigious list of Canucks Ring of Honour inductees. Roberto experienced many of his career highlights as a Vancouver Canuck and is deservingly viewed as one of the best goaltenders our game has ever seen thanks to those moments. He was a fierce competitor and a tremendous leader for this team, and we are honoured to be able to acknowledge his contributions to this organization and city.

Given the level of play Luongo delivered in Vancouver, and his legendary status in NHL history, having his name in the team Ring of Honour is full and well deserved. It’s a bit surprising to see the organization opt not to retire Luongo’s #1 completely, but it’s still an option should the team reconsider in the future.

2022 Hockey Hall Of Fame Inductees Announced

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There will be six new members of the Hockey Hall of Fame. The 2022 inductees are Daniel Alfredsson, Roberto Luongo, Riikka Sallinen, Daniel Sedin, and Henrik Sedin. Herb Carnegie will also be inducted in the builder category.

Alfredsson, who retired in 2014, played 1,246 games in the NHL, including more than, 1,100 for the Ottawa Senators. The greatest player in the history of that franchise, he holds nearly every offensive record imaginable, including goals (426), assists (682), points, (1,108), powerplay goals (131), shorthanded goals (25), and game-winning goals (69).

The winner of the 1996 Calder Trophy, Alfredsson burst onto the scene with 61 points in 82 games after being a sixth-round pick two years earlier. Even then, he had gone undrafted multiple times, often deemed too small to compete at the highest level. In 2006, he reached a career-high of 43 goals and 103 points, finishing fifth in Hart Trophy voting, fourth in Lady Byng voting, and fourth in Selke Trophy voting all in the same year. The following season he helped bring the Senators to the Stanley Cup Final, leading the playoffs in scoring with 14 goals and 22 points, including four game-winners. His 1,157 career points rank only behind Mats Sundin among Swedish-born players.

Two of the names just behind him on that list were also inducted today, as the Sedin twins go into the Hall together in their first year of eligibility. The dynamic duo combined for 2,111 points together over 17 years with the Vancouver Canucks, rarely ever seeing the ice without each other. Difficult to separate, each won individual awards–Henrik took home the Hart Trophy and Art Ross in 2010, while Daniel won the Ted Lindsay (then Lester B. Pearson) and Art Ross in 2011–and came within a single game of the Stanley Cup. There are few players who have ever had such an impact on the Canucks organization, and it is lasting; the twins are part of the front office and will take on an increased role in the upcoming season.

The goaltender in that 2011 Stanley Cup run was Luongo, who will be inducted in his first year of eligibility as well, after one of the most impressive careers by an NHL netminder. Over parts of 19 seasons, starting with the New York Islanders but mostly spent with the Canucks and Florida Panthers, Luongo faced 30,924 shots across 1,044 appearances. Both of those numbers put him behind only Martin Brodeur all time, and while he was certainly not always playing behind the strongest defensive units, Luongo sits ninth in career save percentage at .919. A Vezina Trophy finalist on three occasions, he failed to ever win the award, instead settling for the Jennings Trophy in 2011.

While he failed to raise the Stanley Cup, Luongo’s international record is nearly unmatched. With two Olympic golds, two World Championship golds, and one World Cup gold, he routinely helped Canada topple the rest of the world in tournament play, including a memorable turn at the 2010 Games held in Vancouver while he was a member–and in fact captain, despite not being allowed to wear the “C” during games–of the Canucks.

Sallinen too will be known to hockey fans more for her international play than anything else, as she becomes the first Finnish women’s hockey player to be inducted. A three-time European champion, two-time Olympic medalist, and seven-time World Championship medalist, the dynamic forward was a huge reason why Finland became the consensus third-ranked country in the world, able to compete at times with the powerhouse squads from Canada and the U.S.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Montreal Canadiens Reaching Out To General Manager Candidates

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As reported by TSN’s Pierre LeBrun, the Montreal Canadiens are beginning the process of reaching out to candidates for their vacant general manager position. LeBrun reports that Montreal has reached out to Roberto Luongo, Mathieu Darche, and Daniel Briere, asking their teams’ permission to interview them for the role.

While LeBrun notes there are other candidates possible, those are three interesting names to focus on. Luongo is somewhat recently retired, hanging up the skates after the 2018-19 season, but he’s been in a management role ever since. For the past three seasons, he’s been a special assistant to the general manager with the Florida Panthers, a team that’s experienced a quick rise to success in that time. He also now has general manager experience internationally, serving as the general manager for Team Canada at the 2021 World Championships. Even with his recently retired status, that experience makes him an appealing candidate nonetheless.

Briere has general manager experience, too, however. After retiring from the NHL during the 2015 offseason, he immediately joined the Philadelphia Flyers, also in a special assistant role. He stayed there for two years before joining the ECHL’s Maine Mariners, where he’s been ever since. He’s been in a variety of roles there, serving as the vice president of hockey operations from 2017-18 to last season and the general manager in 2019-20 and 2020-21. His role was upgraded to team president for 2021-22.

Darche actually retired as a Canadien in 2012, but has the least experience out of all three candidates. His experience was in no small role, however. He’s been the director of hockey operations in Tampa Bay since 2019-20, getting a Stanley Cup ring in his first two seasons. The championship pedigree is hard to ignore, and the Lightning organization have developed some serious front office talent in recent years.

Regardless, it’s an exciting development for Canadiens fans eager to see a new face in the role.

Florida Panthers Create Goaltending Excellence Department

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The Florida Panthers have created a new hockey operations department, establishing the “Goaltending Excellence Department” that will be led by special advisor to the GM Roberto Luongo and new goaltending consultant Francois Allaire. They will be joined by Panthers goaltending coach Robb Tallas and Charlotte Checkers goaltending coach Leo Luongo and will focus on “comprehensive, integrated experience and program for all goaltenders in the Panthers system.”

GM Bill Zito released a statement on the formation of his new department:

Francois is a revered and highly influential figure in our game who has mentored a number of goaltenders to elite levels of play. Francois and Roberto provide us with unmatched experience and an exceptional pedigree. Their guidance, in tandem with our goaltending excellence staff gives us confidence in the evaluation of future talent and that Panthers goaltenders will be provided invaluable resources for their success and development.

Allaire has been a goaltending coach in the NHL for more than three decades, originally working with Patrick Roy and the Montreal Canadiens. His time has taken him to the Anaheim Ducks, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Colorado Avalanche, where he worked closely with Conn Smythe-winning goaltender Jean-Sebastien Giguere.

Roberto Luongo meanwhile is one of the most celebrated goaltenders in NHL history and sits third all-time in wins with 489. His long connection with the Panthers organization will continue in this new endeavor as the Excellence Department will provide “consistent communication, guidance, and unified instruction” to every goaltender in the system. Currently, that includes Sergei Bobrovsky, Chris Driedger, Ryan Bednard, Philippe Desrosiers, and Sam Montembeault, but likely also extends to 19-year-old Spencer Knight who was selected 13th overall in 2019 and is still playing at Boston College. Knight’s performance at every level so far has been nothing short of spectacular and his development extemely important to the Panthers organization. In four games this season for Boston College he has registered a .955 save percentage and notched two shutouts. He is expected to be Team USA’s starter at the upcoming World Junior Championship.

Minor Transactions: 3/7/20

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As usual, Saturday is a busy day on the schedule with 20 teams in action including the Panthers who will be retiring Roberto Luongo’s number in advance of their game against Montreal.  There should be plenty of roster movement throughout the day which we’ll keep track of here.

  • The Blackhawks have assigned defenseman Dennis Gilbert to AHL Rockford, per the AHL’s Transactions Page. The 23-year-old played for them on Friday while being up on emergency recall and logged 13:36 of ice time.  He has suited up 21 times for Chicago this season, picking up a goal and two assists.
  • With Lawrence Pilut dealing with the flu, the Sabres announced the recall of defenseman John Gilmour from AHL Rochester. The 26-year-old blueliner has played in four games with Buffalo this season but has spent most of the year in the minors.  After putting up 54 points at the AHL level a year ago, Gilmour has just 13 with Rochester so far this season.
  • The Oilers announced (Twitter link) that they have assigned defenseman William Lagesson to AHL Bakersfield.  With Oscar Klefbom being activated off injured reserve, the odds of Lagesson getting any NHL ice time go down considerably as he already was a regular healthy scratch but he’ll log plenty of minutes for the Condors.  Meanwhile, getting Klefbom back after missing three weeks due to a shoulder issue will certainly help Edmonton’s push for first place in the Pacific Division.
  • The Sharks announced the recall of defenseman Nikolai Knyzhov from the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda.  The 21-year-old signed as an undrafted free agent back in July and has played in 33 AHL games this season, picking up a goal and four assists. The San Jose Sharks later announced they have recalled defenseman Nick DeSimone from the San Jose Barracuda of the AHL. The 25-year-old DeSimone has yet to make his NHL debut. He has five goals and 19 points in 48 games.
  • After being recalled earlier in the week on an emergency basis, the Canucks announced (Twitter link) that they’ve returned defenseman Guillaume Brisebois to AHL Utica.  The 22-year-old has been up three times with Vancouver this season but has yet to see any action with them in 2019-20.
  • The New Jersey Devils announced they have recalled forward Janne Kuokkanen from the Binghamton Devils of the AHL. The Devils picked up Kuokkanen from the Carolina Hurricanes at the traded deadline for Sami Vatanen. Kuokkanen has fared quite well with Binghamton since acquired, scoring three goals and six points in four games. He has 15 goals and 48 points in 56 AHL games. The 21-year-old Kuokkanen has 11 NHL games under his belt, having played seven games with the Hurricanes last season with no points.
  • The Boston Bruins announced they assigned forward Karson Kuhlman to the Providence Bruins of the AHL after the team activated defenseman Connor Clifton from injured reserve. The 24-year-old Kuhlman played in 25 games for Boston, posting one goals and six points. Clifton, has been out since Dec. 29, with an upper-body injury. While offense was never a strong point for the 24-year-old with two goals and two points in 30 games, Clifton did provide some physicality with 85 hits.
  • The Carolina Hurricanes announced they have recalled forward Morgan Geekie from the Charlotte Checkers of the AHL. The 21-year-old center became one of the top forward options on the Checkers squad after the team traded away a number of prospects recently, including Kuokkanen, Julien Gauthier (to the New York Rangers) and Eetu Luostarinen (to the Florida Panthers). With the increased playing time, Geekie captured AHL Player of the Week honors for his performance last week, which included four goals and seven points in four games.

Florida Panthers Hire Roberto Luongo

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Retirement won’t last long for Roberto Luongo. The Florida Panthers have officially announced the hiring of Luongo as special advisor to the general manager, bringing him back into the organization. GM Dale Tallon explained how much the former goaltender means to the Panthers:

I’ve had the honor and privilege to work with Roberto during his time playing for the Panthers and am proud to welcome him to our franchise’s hockey operations staff. Roberto always approached every game with an unmatched work ethic and we are confident he will take to this new role with the same passion. A cornerstone player in our franchise’s history, we are thrilled that ’Lu’ will have a hand in shaping our franchise’s future.

Luongo retired from the NHL this offseason after a long, long career. He played more games in net than any player in league history other than Martin Brodeur, and ranks third in wins only behind Brodeur and Patrick Roy. Regarded as one of the league’s best netminders for nearly that entire period, he nevertheless only got to play in 70 total playoff games, reaching the Stanley Cup Final just once when he was with the Vancouver Canucks.

In March, the Panthers are set to retire Luongo’s sweater number.

Florida Panthers To Retire Roberto Luongo’s Number

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On March 7th, 2020 the Florida Panthers will raise the No. 1 into the rafters, never to be worn again. Roberto Luongo will be the first player in Panthers franchise history to have his number retired after he recently called it quits on a phenomenal career. Panthers GM Dale Tallon explained why the team made this decision:

A true professional, competitor and gentleman, Roberto set the standard for players in this organization. There was never a question in any of our minds that Roberto would be the first Panthers player to have his number retired by the franchise. One of the game’s most iconic goaltenders, he gave his heart and soul to the Panthers and the South Florida community and carried himself with dignity, modesty and humor. Roberto is most deserving of this honor and we are thrilled for him, and his family.

Luongo finished his career with the second-most games played by any goaltender in the history of the NHL, and trails only Martin Brodeur and Patrick Roy in wins. Despite having a career .919 save percentage including eight seasons of at least .920, Luongo never won a Vezina Trophy as the league’s best goaltender. Though he never took home that honor, there was no denying his impact on the Panthers and Florida both on and off the ice.

In 572 games with the Panthers, Luongo did his very best to keep the organization afloat. Playing through some very lean years in the early part of his career he established himself as one of the league’s premier workhorses, facing the most shots in the league on a regular basis. He unfortunately never did make the playoffs until transitioning to the Vancouver Canucks in the middle of his career, though he eventually made it back with Florida closer to the end.

Even for all the work he has done in goal, his off-ice contributions may be even bigger. While some players may only be present in a community during the season, Luongo has entrenched himself in South Florida and took up residence in Parkland. When the suburb was shaken by the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School last year, Luongo delivered an emotional speech explaining what the community meant to him, and how he will be a part of it for the rest of his life. The Panthers have decided to make sure he endures in their building as well.

Florida Panthers Ink Philippe Desrosiers

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Wednesday: Both contracts have been made official.

Tuesday: The Florida Panthers have completed the complete restructuring of their depth chart in net, as TVA’s Renaud Lavoie reports that Philippe Desrosiers has been signed to a one-year, two-way deal with a minimum $700K cap hit. The Dallas Stars product will likely compete to be third-string behind free agent addition Sergei Bobrovsky and rookie Samuel Montembeault, who has been confirmed as the backup. The trio represent a brand new lineup in goal, as the Panthers began last season with Roberto Luongo (retired), James Reimer (traded), and Michael Hutchinson (traded) in the top three spots.

Desrosiers, 23, was a second-round pick in 2013 after establishing himself as a young workhorse with the QMJHL’s Rimouski Oceanic. However, he has not lived up to that reputation in the pros, spending most of his time in the ECHL over the past four years. However, things began to change this season as Desrosiers finally played more games in the AHL than ECHL and posted a solid .910 save percentage and 2.54 GAA in 26 contests. Despite hinting at his remaining upside, Desrosiers did not earn a qualifying offer from the Stars, allowing him to test the market for a better opportunity.

Desrosier’s competition to be the next man up in AHL Springfield next year is veteran Chris Driedger and rookie Ryan Bednard. Driedger, 25, has made three NHL appearances in his career but, like Desrosiers, has also spent considerable time in the ECHL. While he may have the edge in experience and an existing familiarity with the organization entering his second year with the team, Driedger lacks some of the potential of his competitors and it may cost him in appearances. Bednard, 22, has yet to make his pro debut after signing late in the season with Florida following a postseason run with Bowling Green State University to wrap up his college career. After a stellar senior year, Bednard is likely the favorite to emerge as the No. 3 keeper for the Panthers, but his lack of pro experience may keep him from claiming the title right away.

CapFriendly reports that the Panthers have also signed AHL forward Joel Lowry to a minimum one-year, two-way contract. Lowry logged 30 points in 55 games for Springfield last season, earning himself an NHL deal for the first time in four years.

Roberto Luongo Announces Retirement

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One of the greatest goaltenders in the history of the NHL is finally hanging up his pads (literally). Roberto Luongo took to Twitter to announce his retirement and detailed his decision in a long letter to fans of his, explaining that he would love to stay on as part of the Florida Panthers’ organization in some capacity:

…Once I’ve had some time to process this and make the adjustment, I’d love to be part of the Panthers organization. This is where my home is and I still love and want to be involved with hockey. At the end of the day, maybe I didn’t win the Stanley Cup on the ice, but perhaps I can still put my name on it in another way. It wouldn’t be quite the same, but it would still be quite the accomplishment.

His retirement brings with it more than just a vacancy in the Panthers’ crease. Because of the structure of his contract and the fact that he is retiring before it is completed, both Florida and the Vancouver Canucks will face cap recapture penalties for the next several seasons. Though there is some dispute over the exact numbers, the most recent estimate from Frank Seravalli of TSN had the Canucks facing a $3.03MM penalty for each of the next three years, while the Panthers would face a $1.09MM penalty for the same duration. Luongo had three years left on his deal that carried a $5.33MM cap hit, though the Canucks were retaining $800K of that. The actual salary however was set to drop to just $3.62MM total over those three years, meaning he’s not giving up very much compared to the ~$93MM he has already earned in his career.

Regardless of the cap implications that his retirement causes, Luongo’s presence in the NHL will be sorely missed. The sarcastic, humble personality that he crafted through social media and interactions with fans made him well-liked across the entire league, even as he continued to put up incredible numbers. Third all-time in wins with 489, he will go down as one of the best goaltenders to never win a Stanley Cup or Vezina Trophy. His best chance at the latter may have been in 2004, when he recorded a .931 save percentage while appearing in 72 games for the Panthers. Unfortunately the team wasn’t able to help him and his 25-33-14 record cost him votes to the eventual winner, Martin Brodeur.

Or perhaps it was 2011 when Luongo led the league in wins with 38 and took home the Jennings trophy as the goaltender for the team who allowed the fewest goals. His .928 save percentage was a huge part of the success for the Canucks that season, though he would eventually watch Tim Thomas accept the award after an otherworldly season. Overall, Luongo finishes his career with a .919 save percentage across 1,044 regular season games.

Obviously it is impossible to see a hole appear in the Panthers net and not immediately speculate on who will fill it next season. While the team has James Reimer under contract they have explored trading him over the last few weeks, and are still being linked to free agent Sergei Bobrovsky. Though the cap recapture penalty is annoying, it actually may be better for a team with the cap space of the Panthers than trying to navigate the tricky long-term injured reserve waters. Bobrovsky reportedly met with the Panthers in recent days, but is also headed to New York to have some further meetings.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

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