Canucks could beg Luongo not to retire early!

Roberto Luongo will celebrate his 40th birthday in a few weeks, on April 4th.

Over the past three seasons, the veteran goaltender has been sidelined with injuries quite a few times, so the numbers of starts he gets have gone from 60 to 40, then 35… This season, he is currently at 37 starts.

The years seem to have caught up with Lou, and he has no longer the stamina to be a number one goalie for a full season. With a record of 14 wins, 15 losses and 4 defeats in overtime, a goal-against average of 3.16 and a .897 save percentage, there are now some questions as to whether Luongo is nearing retirement. 

The veteran netminder remains under contract for another three years at an average salary of $ 5.33 million, but it seems almost unlikely that he makes it until the end of his deal… 

Rumors have been getting louder that Florida Panthers GM Dale Tallon is looking for a new number one goalkeeper this summer to revive his team and it is believed that he has eyes on pending free agent Sergei Bobrovsky of the Columbus Blue Jackets. If Tallon can pull it off, it will be interesting to see what will happen to Luongo in Florida.

However, you can bet that the Vancouver Canucks' management is praying for Luongo to play in the NHL until the end of his contract. 

James Mirtle of The Athletic recently reminded that the Canucks and Panthers will share $ 8 million in penalties if Luongo had to retire before the end of his contract. 

If Luongo retires in 2019, the Canucks will have a penalty of $ 2.84 million on their payroll for the next three years. The Panthers, they will have to give up 1,287 million for three years.
If Luongo retires in 2020, the Canucks will have a penalty of $ 4.26 million on their payroll for the next two years. The Panthers, they have to give up 
$ 73 147 for two years.
If Luongo retires in 2021, the Canucks will have a penalty of $ 8.52 million on their payroll for a year they will have to assume alone.

“Here are the cap penalties from Roberto Luongo’s contract for the Canucks if he retires early. Could be really ugly," Mirtle posted. 

It does not make sense, but apparently it is true. The Canucks will surely be looking to be a contender in three-years time and won’t want to waste money on a retired former goalie when it could be use to bring in key players in their Cup run…

Wow! Start begging, Vancouver.