Luongo to start fourth straight game

Assuming Roberto Luongo is even still on the trade market, teams are getting plenty of chances to scout him this season.

Luongo will start in his fourth consecutive game with the Vancouver Canucks on Monday when they take on the Edmonton Oilers, according to NHL.com writer Dan Rosen. The 33-year-old all-star goaltender has allowed just five goals in his previous three contests.

A year or two ago, this wouldn’t have even been news, but the Canucks made a big commitment to goaltender Cory Schneider when they signed him to a three-year, $12 million over the summer. That’s far too much money for a backup, but as it is Schneider hasn’t played since Jan. 27 and reportedly won’t start until Thursday at the very earliest.

Even if this is a goaltending rotation, it’s a very expensive one. Vancouver has committed $9,333,333 in cap space to its goaltender and the cap drops to $64.3 million next season.

Still, because of this season’s condensed schedule, having two top-end netminders could give the Canucks a big edge over the competition.

Meanwhile, there have been rumors that the Washington Capitals are interested in Luongo, especially after Canucks GM Mike Gillis attended the Capitals-Penguins game on Sunday. Gillis also hinted at a potential deal two weeks ago, but that was before Luongo began this string of starts.