What a long and strange summer it has been for Roberto Luongo. Cast aside as the most expensive backup in the NHL, Luongo found himself on the outside looking in.
The Vancouver Canucks had cast aside the four-time All Star, Olympic gold medalist and Vezina Trophy finalist for their goaltender of the future, Cory Schneider. Then, in a turn of events that would challenge the minds of even the most veteran Lifetime movie writers, Schneider was traded to New Jersey, Luongo returned to the starting lineup and Florence began a torrid affair with her pool boy, Ricky.
While Luongo’s return to the Vancouver net might not be as saucy as the Florence/Ricky affair, it is the most relevant to your fantasy hockey team. Our Versus Series examines the out, then in, then out and then finally in again status of Roberto Luongo and St. Louis’ similar yoyo relationship with Jaroslav Halak.
There are certainly less dramatics in St. Louis with regard to their goaltending controversy. Coach Ken Hitchcock will typically play the hot hand in his goalie stable, but his default net minder has been Halak. His much larger contract certainly has the Blues’ front office leaning his way. After all, they don’t want to end up with a high dollar player sitting on the bench making twice as much as the starter like say, Vancouver.
Halak, the 27-year old from the Czech Republic came to St. Louis after a career defining playoff run with the Montreal Canadiens. Faced with the choice between the young starlet and prodigal son Carey Price the Montreal brass let Halak take a walk to the gateway city and a nice big contract. Since his arrival, Halak has yet to deliver the type of playoff performance that made him famous in Montreal. In fact, his platoon status with Brian Elliott significantly hurts his value in the fantasy sports world. He’s solid if and when he plays, but the presence of a reborn Elliott, reduces his starts.
Luongo’s story in Vancouver is well documented and could only be crazier if he had a new, hotheaded coach with a short fuse take over the Canucks bench job. Oh…..Well, things will certainly stay interesting for Bobby Lu and his relationship with firecracker/ticking time bomb/head coach John Tortorella. Besides, who is the backup in Vancouver anyway? Fun fact, his name is Eddie Lack, he is from Sweden, and his nickname is “The Stork” due to his large physical frame.
The interesting thing about each of these goaltenders is that they actually do possess significant fantasy value. Both Luongo and Halak have a proven history of being streaky and being really, REALLY good. It might be a stretch to put either net minder on an “elite” list, but at different times in recent history, each has proven that they can be world class.
The smart pick is to go with Luongo. Based on Tortorella’s style and the way he conditioned the New York Rangers to play team defense, Luongo could see a return to form. He is only 34, so he still has some good miles left on the tires. You’ll be able to find either goaltender in the third or possibly fourth rounds, but you will get more games and possibly a return to Vezina form with the Vancouver starter. Advantage, Luongo.