TORONTO – It wasn’t all that long ago, Roberto Luongo says, when February would bring anxiety and stress as he worried about where, when and if he would be traded before the NHL deadline.
No more.
Now that the NHL’s oldest goaltender is back happy in Florida — where he’s spent the bulk of his Hall of Fame–worthy career — getting healthy enough to play has been his sole focus.
“After I dealt with my situation [in Vancouver], I’ve been much more relaxed this time of year,” Luongo said Tuesday.
“The last couple years have been more of a battle health-wise. I still love the game as much as I ever have. I have a passion for it. Even though it’s not fun to be out for periods of time, it’s all worth it when you get to come back to play some games.”
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While Luongo’s Panthers came out on the unhappy end of a 1-0 goaltenders’ duel in Toronto, further widening the gulf in the Atlantic Division, head coach Bob Boughner raved about his starter, crowning Luongo “a warrior.”
Luongo broke his thumb early this season, his 18th, and only rehabbed for two weeks before forcing his way back into the crease and posting an above-average save percentage with his hand less than healed.
Then when the 38-year-old suffered a groin injury in early December, Luongo had to watch his team tumble to the point where they’re a wild-card longshot looking to claw their way back into the race with 11 of their next 12 games at home.
“I’d like to believe if we had him all year, we’d have five or six more wins at this point — which would put us right in the thick of things,” Boughner says.
“Luey could steal you a game when you’re not good one night, or he can stand on his head when you need a big save. That’s what he’s done his whole career. A lot of teams that lose their starting goalie for 75 per cent of the year, they’re in trouble. I’m proud of the guys. We’ve stuck around, stuck in the fight.”
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Luongo returned from his 26-game absence last week, gathering a win over Calgary, but believes he needs to be patient as he regains the .943-save-percentage form he was humming at in the 10 games prior to getting sidelined.
“He’s obviously still a really good goalie,” said Auston Matthews, who’s failed to solve Luongo on eight shots this season.
Ever humble, Luongo blamed himself for allowing Tuesday’s lone goal, on a stoppable James van Riemsdyk shot — “That was the difference in the game. Obviously I don’t feel too great about it,” he said — and praised unknown third-stringer, Harri Sateri, for his nine-game stint when Florida backup James Reimer also fell to a sore groin.
Heck, Luongo even threw some sunshine toward Maple Leafs workhorse starter Frederik Andersen, who’s hopped into the conversation for the Vezina, a trophy that has eluded Luongo.
“He’s played great,” Luongo said. “This year he’s taken it to another level, obviously [being] in the top-tier of goalies in the league right now. He’s given his team a chance to win every night.”
By registering his fifth shutout of the season — a 40/40 Club special — Andersen now ranks top-three league-wide in starts, wins, shutouts, saves and shots faced.
Would the Leafs — outshot by an average of 2.5 pucks a night — have five or six fewer wins without Andersen healthy? You bet.
Much like the giddy “Luuuuu!” chants that have echoed throughout Luongo’s home barns for nearly two decades, “Fred-dy! Fred-dy! Fred-dy!” cheers are quickly becoming game-night routine in Toronto.
“[Luongo] has been around for a long time and seen a lot of good goalies. That’s cool to get some praise from him. Other than that, it doesn’t mean too much at this point. You want to keep pushing and keep playing well,” said the 28-year-old Andersen, who aspires to be starting a decade from now, like his opponent.
“I hope so. Yeah. I mean, why not?”
A noble goal, sure, but it’s easier said than done. Let’s be honest, Andersen and the Leafs need to focus on his durability this season. Remember in 2016, when Luongo played 62 games and backstopped the Panthers to an Atlantic Division title? He looked a little tired in their first-round ousting by the Islanders.
Andersen insists the Leafs are monitoring his workload smartly, yet backup Curtis McElhinney only gets the nod on back-to-backs. If that trend persists, Andersen will start 68 games this year, a personal high.
As a workhorse, Luongo’s path can serve as both inspiration and caution.
“Listen. I’ve been blessed with a long career, and I’ve been fortunate to not have suffered many injuries, especially early on in my career,” Luongo says. “I’ve been thankful for that.”
Unlike Andersen, the team doesn’t try to monitor Luongo’s starts. At this point, no one knows the goalie’s body better than he does. Playing through 2022 — the end of that rich and endless contract he once said “sucks” — seems inconceivable when you consider Luongo will turn 39 before this season wraps, but he’s still hands-down the team’s best goalie and he’s universally beloved.
“Everyone likes him,” Jonathan Huberdeau confirms.
In talking to the Panthers, there’s little doubt Luongo will leave on his terms.
“When he’s at the top of his game, he’s still one of the best goalies in the league,” Boughner says. “And that’s unbelievable at his age.”
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