Canucks general manager Mike Gillis suggested to the Vancouver Sun on Tuesday that trade talks surrounding goalie Roberto Luongo are picking up steam.
"We have a potential deal in place with one team that has to do something with another player that they have — and it's not who anybody thinks it is — and so we have to wait. (But) we've been offered packages that don't fit what our plan is, what we need," Gillis told the Sun.
Gillis explained how the offers have not suited the Canucks' needs.
"(Teams would offer) excess salary coming back with a [throw-in] player who can't play in our lineup. They say, 'OK, we'll do this, but you've got to take this.' Well, we're not taking it. We've had lots of proposals like that with good pieces that can help us but the other part doesn't help us, and oftentimes they have term attached to them, so we'd just be turning around and buying out a guy.
"I'd rather keep the guy we know, who's a good person."
Last May, Luongo told reporters that he would be willing to waive his no-trade clause if the Canucks asked him to. For now he's holding tight until he hears from his general manager.
“He hasn't approached me so it's status quo from my side," said Luongo. "Until Mike comes to me I have nothing to report.”
Cory Schneider started the Canucks opener on Saturday but was pulled in favour of Luongo during a 7-3 loss to the Anaheim Ducks. Luongo got the start the next night and played the whole game in a 3-2 shootout loss to the Edmonton Oilers.
The Canucks announced via Twitter on Tuesday that Schneider will start the team's next game on Wednesday at home against the Calgary Flames.
"It was a bad game, a very bad game to start the year but I would like to think that 60 games prior to that is more of a body of evidence than 25 minutes of bad hockey," said Schneider. "I'm going to use that to be confidant in my game and secure in my abilitites."
Canucks head coach Alain Vigneault is keeping his focus on getting his players prepared to face their next opponent.
"My concern is that I'm picking a goalie for (Wednesday) night and making sure the players, the goaltender that's playing and the goaltender that's backup are ready to play," said Vigneault. "We aren't concerned about what's being said outside our environment."
