It took some time, and several roadblocks, but Roberto Luongo has finally been traded to the Florida Panthers, according to Renaud Lavoie on Tuesday afternoon.
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TSN’s James Duthie confirms that Luongo is currently signing the trade papers and has become a member of the Panthers. Duthie adds that Vancouver will acquire 24-year-old goaltender Jacob Markstrom and 26-year-old forward Shawn Matthias in return.
It’s believed that Vancouver will be retaining a portion of Luongo’s contract as part of the deal.
Luongo requested a trade last year and subsequently remained with the Vancouver Canucks after several teams couldn’t meet the trade demands of the club in addition to taking on Luongo’s massive contract.
Despite a mutual desire to get a deal done, Vancouver ultimately traded Cory Schneiderinstead of Luongo at last year’s NHL Draft.
For a time, it seemed as though the situation was resolved, even though many speculated Luongo wanted out. After being sat for the Heritage Classic on Sunday, speculation festered again and Luongo has ultimately been moved as a result.