Monday, June 26, 2006
A Fair Price To Pay
The Canucks have made their first move in negotiations with new goaltender Roberto Luongo Monday, making a qualifying offer to the restricted free agent, and there is more to come according to CKNW 980 AM in Vancouver.Two things that will turn the Bertuzzi-for-Luongo deal from a good deal to a great deal for the Canucks: 1) Luongo maintains his All-World play, especially considering that he will face increased pressure to perform from fans in this market, and 2) Dave Nonis signs him to a long-term contract.
The Canucks qualified Luongo at $3.2 million, which gives the club his rights for the 2006-07 season, but the radio station is also reporting that Luongo's agent, Gilles Lupien, will meet with his client in Montreal this week to discuss the prospects of a long term deal.
There's no reason to think that Luongo can't continue to perform at the same level as he has in the past. While his goals-against average and save percentage took a dip this past season, he also posted a career-high 35 wins in a career-high 75 appearances and has improved in those two categories every year he has been in the league. The 35 wins ranked 7th best in the NHL, an impressive stat considering the Panthers only won 37 games, 23rd overall in the league.
With that in mind, signing him to a long-term contract will be a bit trickier. He had already turned down multiple offers in the $6 million/year range from the Panthers, including a final offer of $25 million over 4 years. Mind you, Luongo maintains he accepted that deal while Keenan says he didn't.
Regardless, that little bit is mostly irrelevant now. What is relevant is the $6.25 million per year that was on the table probably signifies the starting point for Nonis' contract negotiations with Luongo - the multi-million dollar question is, is that a fair price?
The following table compares Luongo to some of the top goalies in recent years and lists what the market paid for them. Note that these goalies, with the exception of Kiprusoff and Vokoun, either signed their contracts as UFA's or as RFA's with contract years that extend into their UFA years. Where does Luongo's salary fit in?
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Comments/Questions: Feel free to post in the comments section or email me at gocanucksgo10 (at) hotmail (dot) com.
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