Brophy on NHL: Luongo’s crippling deal

Can’t you just hear the good people of Vancouver today: “Eight more years of this?!!!”

That, of course, would be in reference to their $10 million dollar man – goaltender Roberto Luongo. The often-maligned stopper is in the fourth year of a 12-year contract that virtually assures he’ll be a Vancouver Canuck for life.

Despite the fact he’s a finalist for the Vezina Trophy this season, Luongo is being condemned throughout British Columbia for allowing an overtime goal in Game 6. After building a comfortable 3-0 lead against the defending Stanley Cup champions, the Canucks have dropped three straight and are on the verge of becoming the fourth team in NHL history to lose a series after winning the first three games.

To make matters worse, Luongo was pulled in Games 4 and 5 and then was benched at the start of Game 6. In a bitter twist of fate, rookie goalie Cory Schneider was injured while failing to stop Chicago’s Michael Frolik on a third period penalty shot and Luongo was pressed into action. As you must know by now, Luongo gave up a humungous rebound in overtime that Hawks’ rookie Ben Smith promptly deposited behind him.

Game over.

If the loss isn’t bad enough, there’s Luongo’s contract to consider. It really makes you wonder what the heck is going on in the mind of a general manager that saddles his organization with such an immovable contract. Luongo has long been considered a goaltender that could be fantastic, but when he was handed his 12-year deal, it was based more on his potential to be great than anything he had accomplished in his otherwise unremarkable career with the New York Islanders and Florida Panthers.

Would anybody have blinked if the Canucks had signed Luongo to a five, six, or seven-year deal? Probably not. But 12 years? A deal that takes him through the 2018-19 season? Eight more years of possible uncertainty between the pipes?

A huge concern for Canucks fans is Schneider may have to be traded away because of Luongo’s contract. Schneider, 25, may have a bigger upside than his goaltending partner, has the potential to be a competent No. 1 goalie in the NHL if given the chance. Because of Luongo’s contract, though, he isn’t likely to get that chance in Vancouver.

Such long-term deals are proving to be debilitating around the league. It all started when the New York Islanders gave their goalie, Rick DiPietro, a 15-year deal worth $67.5 million in.2006. Like Luongo, DiPietro had accomplished nothing in his NHL career when he cashed in big-time. Many agreed he had the potential to be a solid No. 1 stopper, but he had done nothing to warrant a 15-year deal. What’s worse is DiPietro has been injured more often than not since signing. I am certain there are Islanders fans hoping he’ll be forced to retire because of injuries to get his contract off the books. Sad, really.

Vincent Lecavalier has looked more like his old productive self down the stretch in the regular season and into the playoffs. On the other hand, you’d have to think many in Tampa Bay shutter at the thought Lecavalier is signed through 2019-20 and will be 39 years old when his contract expires. Lecavalier has been injured the past few years, which has certainly contributed to his drop in production, but you have to wonder also about his motivation. For that matter, how does any player on such a deal remain motivated? Perhaps the most bitter pill to swallow about Lecavalier’s 11-year, $85 million contract is the fact it was orchestrated by two owners – Len Barrie and Oren Koulis – who are no longer with the team.

Boston’s Marc Savard signed a seven-year deal worth slightly more than $28 million, but his career is now in jeopardy because of repeated concussions. Sadly, some believe the Bruins caught a break by Savard’s medical situation because in the event he retires, the remainder of his deal won’t count against the salary cap.

Without question the craziest contract was the one Ilya Kovalchuk signed with the New Jersey Devils last summer – the 15-year, $100 million contract. That was after the NHL failed to allow a 17-year, $102 million contract. Nobody has ever denied Kovalchuk has special talent, but he has never been a part of a winning team in the NHL. The Devils, who made a great second half surge toward the playoffs that ultimately fell short, will have difficulty surrounding Kovalchuk with support because of his deal. It may mean they’ll lose star forward Zach Parise, without question a more complete player.

Not all long-term contracts are bad or debilitating and some are designed to allow the player to retire with a few years remaining on their contracts with only a small cap hit for the team to swallow. That’s the case with veteran defenceman Chris Pronger of the Philadelphia Flyers who is slated to be paid just $525,000 in the final two years of his deal. You just know he won’t be playing those two seasons. Mike Richards and Jeff Carter of the Flyers both have similar long-term deals, but their play (when healthy) remains at a high level.

The salary cap was supposed to save foolish and reckless general managers from themselves, but ridiculously long contracts have put some teams – the Canucks included – in peril. Don’t be surprised if the length of contracts is an issue in the next collective bargaining agreement talks.

In the meantime, if the Canucks lose this series to Chicago, you have to wonder how Luongo and the fans will co-exist for the next eight years.