Rob The Hockey Guy

On the day before July first, there’s still a lot of uncertainty as to which direction the Canucks will go, not just for next season, but the next bunch of seasons. Daniel and Henrik, fresh off a Stockholm visit from Mike Gillis and their agent JP Barry, are presumably pondering a last ditch offer from the Canucks to keep them in Vancouver long-term. We should know within the next 24 hours if Daniel and Henrik will be staying or going. I, for one, think it’s a good idea to bring them back, but not at any price.

The Sedins, to me, are worth about $6 million or less for a 4-5 year contract to the Canucks. Certainly, some other team will offer them more if they reach the open market, but the Canucks will not be in a position to win a cup if they have 3 players (the Sedins and Luongo) all making over $6 million.

That brings us to Luongo. The latest rumour has him agreeing to a deal in principle (not on paper yet, he can do that beginning on July 1) to stay with the Canucks long-term. That rumour got more momentum after the Canucks netminder was seen with management at the entry draft in Montreal on Friday. It would be hard to believe that Luongo would be announcing the Canucks first round pick if he hadn’t already agreed on a long term deal.

This is a great signing, especially if it’s in the low $7 million or less range. Don’t believe the nonsense that having a high priced goalie doesn’t allow you to win in the new NHL. Just because a couple of teams have won cups with low priced goalies (Carolina in 2006, Detroit in 2008) doesn’t mean there aren’t other ways to win. It makes sense to spend big money on the most important position, and when you have a world class goalie like Luongo, it would be foolish to let him get away.