Roberto Luongo may finally get his wish.
The veteran goalie has wanted out of Vancouver since Cory Schneider usurped him as the primary starter late last season, and he didn’t change his mind after both goalies looked shaky in an opening-round sweep at the hands of the Sharks.
“I feel like I am in a stage of my life where I want to play,” Luongo said during his exit interview on Thursday. “Whether that’s here or somewhere else remains to be seen. But what has happened over the course of the last two years suggests that maybe it’s not my place to be the starter here anymore. That being said, things change so, who knows.”
Canucks general manager Mike Gillis gave further credence to the idea that Luongo will be hitting the road, calling the prospect of him returning next season “unlikely.”
“We’re going to do a thorough review of everything in the organization,” Gillis said. “Five years ago we reset. It’s time to do it again. … We have to get younger.
“Clearly, the landscape has changed and we have to address those changes going forward.”
Luongo has seen his playing slowly diminish over the past four seasons, and the .907 save percentage he posted this year was his worst mark since 1999-00 — his rookie season.
