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Canucks coach confirms Luongo wants out of Vancouver

Roberto Luongo

Apologies for all the Canucks news today, but we can’t skip this story:

Vancouver coach Alain “Turnip Truck” Vigneault has reportedly confirmed goalie Roberto Luongo wants to be traded.

As per QMI Agency, Vigneault shared the news Wednesday with French-language TVA Sports.

“This is what [Luongo] wants now,” he said. “And what we must do is (make the best decision) for our organization.”

Assuming nothing was lost in translation, we can officially start speculating where Luongo will end up.

We probably shouldn’t count Tampa Bay out, despite what Lightning GM Steve Yzerman said this morning.

But if we absolutely had to pick a favorite right now…

Toronto?

Yes, the Maple Leafs would be taking a risk given Luongo’s substantial contract and the perception among some (not everyone) that his best days are behind him.

However, offset the risk for general manager Brian Burke of missing the playoffs for the fifth straight time on his watch with the risk of acquiring a goalie that’s been consistently among the best in the NHL, and, well, what would you do if you were Burke? You’d at least have to consider it, no?

When a GM knows his job is on the line (and it is for Burke), he’s far more likely to roll the dice. Case in point, Dean Lombardi. The Kings’ GM knew he was in trouble if his team didn’t make the playoffs, so he went out and got Jeff Carter, a guy that was deemed untradable by many. (I still remember you, yettyskills.)

Related: Report: Luongo is indeed making a list and Maple Leafs are on it