With the trade deadline now less than 24 hours away, the speculation on where a variety of players might be dealt is at a fever pitch. Roberto Luongo of course being the most discussed name in Vancouver.

 This has me wondering, where might the Canucks all time leader in pretty much every goaltending category find himself come Thursday morning. I have narrowed it down to some of the more likely & perhaps, less likely situations for the man called "Luuuu".

- Toronto Maple Leafs
We've actually been hearing this since before the
dawn of time...or so it seems. Lui to Toronto makes sense for the Leafs. A team that is currently in a playoff position, but without a playoff goaltender. They also are kicking the tires on Miikka Kiprusoff, so we will see what goes on there. But Lui as a Leaf isnt an all too insane theory at this point. It will come down to if the Leafs have what the Nucks want in return.

- Vancouver Canucks
Chances are pretty good come Thursday morning Luongo could be staying put. Right now, this seems like the more probable situation with the way goalies have been dropping into the trade rumour mill lately & Gillis insisting on wanting reasonable market value back for his prize keeper. For now, the 1/1A set up in Vancouver has done decently and Luongo has kept the team player mentality by not griping about it publicly if he actually has any animocity to it. Perhaps he has come around to staying here for the rest of the year & has eased up on subtly e-mailing Mike Gillis articles on prospects from the Leafs & Panthers who have done well in a recent game. 

- Florida Panthers
Ideally, this would be a dream come true for Lui. He
really would embrace a move to Florida, plus it would give him a few extra weeks vacation time to work on his poker game & think up some clever tweets. Florida is going nowhere this year, and could certainly be looking to unload some of their veterans who might want to see a playoff game or 2. Canucks would be eager to get a useful part back for Lui with a prospect or two. Florida has plenty of both currently. Florida could part with 1 of the several NHL capable in a year or 2 prospects they have with either Theodore or Clemmensen so the Canucks get an NHL capable back up in return. Both teams would surely be pleased with what they get.

 - New York Islanders
This will be a far more realistic scenario if the Islanders also go out & get Miikka Kiprusoff & Ryan Miller tomorrow. My theory that Charles Wang has asked Garth Snow to stockpile goalies in the hopes of trying out a goalie rotation idea similar to baseball teams pitching rotations is quite realistic. With Nabokov, DiPietro, Poulin & Thomas already, they are getting close to this dream.

 - River Rock Casino
Probably a less likely scenario, but in a fit of rage,
Roberto opts to retire immediately & focus on his budding poker career, only to return a week later after losing repeatedly when opponents learn to just hum Chelsea Dagger while at the table with him.

- Waivers
Maybe its because I just saw the new GI Joe movie last night, but what if Mike Gillis isnt actually Mike Gillis, but a clone made up of microscopic nanites that has been sent by Dean Lombardi or Chuck Fletcher? If the Sedins also get traded or waived, this theory should be immediately investigated. In any case, I suppose this COULD happen & thus Roberto might end up on waivers.

- Hockey Night In Canada
Lets be honest. Don Cherry is getting close to
retirement & HNIC is looking for the next larger than life personality to throw in there. With Brett Hull seemingly M.I.A. and Sean Avery being hated by everyone, including his own mother, the amount of likable & entertaining personalities in the NHL to throw at the public is a slim pool currently for CBC. Brendan Shanahan seems unwilling to step down from the job he has, despite failing it massively. While Craig Conroy probably couldn't fit whatever he is going to say every week into a 5 minute segment, so this means there is still an opening. With Lui at the help, the CBC could team up almost anyone with him & they would seem less boring... except for PJ Stock.

- Toronto Blue Jays
If he can pitch, maybe he will go to Toronto for a
different reason than to tend goal for a hockey team. Granted, he would be more suited as a catcher, and that too is something the Jays desperately seem to need 
after watching the opening day game. He already has a catchers mask & is used to playing without a goalie stick. The change of positions doesnt seem too much of a stretch.

- TV or Movie Star
After Luis epic acting job on the TSN video of him & Schneider getting along earlier this year ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Ap8tlQ3oZ0 ) it seems possible Roberto could just drop his stick
& blocker & pick up a script. I'm thinking a buddy comedy movie with Steve Carrell maybe.

- Starbucks
Really, whatever team he is with Thursday morning, there will be a Starbucks in that city... so this is actually the most solid guess I have.

 Whatever happens tomorrow, the fact is, Roberto Luongo will be somewhere Thursday & it will of be most likely of his own choosing since he has a No movement clause in his contract. It is also a near certainty that wherever he is Thursday some people will be happy & disappointed with it. Personally, I will be fine with him staying here. I like the fact that we have 2 #1 goalies. Its a position that you really cant afford to be thin on, and for now, we are not. If he moves on,  I'll wish him luck wherever he goes.. I just might not cheer for whatever team he is on.

Its official, Ilya Kovalchuk has indeed signed.

My card. 

The highly sought after super sniper unrestricted free agent has teams who can afford him, and some that cant, hanging onto every word his agent Jay Grossman says to them in person, or his twitter account. Fans and reporters even moreso.
 
No one has been able to get the Russian star to sign for them. Yet, I managed to get him to earlier this season, and it didnt even cost me a penny... and whenever I find a buyer for this item, he'll have even paid ME to sign. I even managed to get the sniper to sign more than once this year. Basically, if I show up where Ilya is, he seems to be a willing signer.

This is why I am offering my services to any GM who really wants Kovalchuk to sign to hire me. I dont know what an Assistant G.M. makes these days, but I will take the minimum. You will be getting someone that has managed to get Ilya Kovalchuk to sign...several times..... and for a lot less than 10 million dollars a year.

With teams like his former squad the New Jersey Devils, along with New York Islanders and Los Angeles Kings being heavily rumoured in the mix, there is a lot of demand for this former  2 time 50 goal scorer & 2004 Rocket Richard trophy winner. One thing its fair to say is... his original team, the Atlanta Thrashers arent even an after thought for their former franchise player. But who knows. With me there, maybe their GM can get him to sign?
 
General Managers... feel free to contact me. I will listen to reasonable offers.... Unlike the man you are trying to sign.