'Let's make a deal' getting harder

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Canucks GM Mike Gillis is finding it tough to find customers as he shops goalie Roberto Luongo. (JOELLE SCHNEIDER / POSTMEDIA NEWS)

PITTSBURGH -- Eventually, something has to give.

What became clear as the NHL's draft weekend came and went with only one major trade is the fact a wide gap remains between buyers and sellers. There's no doubt a number of NHL teams could use a Rick Nash or Roberto Luongo, but not at the prices currently being asked.

Of course, any team looking to move a former franchise player isn't simply going to give him away either.

"(We had) lots of discussion, but I think it's really challenging to make trades," Vancouver Canucks GM Mike Gillis said Saturday. "This is a complex (collective bargaining) agreement that everyone operates under and it will get more complex. It's hard to find partners to make trades."

Yet two big deals were made, with one coming during the draft and another shortly after.

Pittsburgh sent Jordan Staal to Carolina for Brandon Sutter, the eighth overall draft pick and a prospect.

Then after the draft ended Toronto traded defenceman Luke Schenn to Philadelphia for forward James Van Riemsdyk.

Gillis pointed out that a number of unique factors existed around that Penguins-Hurricanes deal, which was hammered out by Ray Shero and Jim Rutherford in a matter of hours. Both general managers knew Staal was anxious to play with his brother Eric in Raleigh, N.C., and that gave both plenty of motivation to sit down together in Shero's office on Friday night and talk seriously.

"You need a bunch of different synergy from a bunch of different places (to make a deal)," said Gillis. "Both of those teams feel like they're close, good players went both ways and they filled needs that they both have. That can happen in five minutes in this business.

"The right person, the right time, it can occur."

There was precious little evidence of that elsewhere on the draft floor at Consol Energy Center.

Scott Howson tried to deal Nash before the trade deadline in February and arrived in Pittsburgh hopeful that it might happen here. However, the Blue Jackets GM didn't end up getting even close to completing a move involving his captain.

With a thin free agent class set to hit the market on July 1, Nash might become an easier commodity to move, particularly once a few teams interested in Zach Parise find out he's going elsewhere.

"I think we'll have some more certainty then," said Howson.

The Luongo situation also bears watching. Gillis reiterated Saturday that there's still a chance he could have Luongo and Cory Schneider as a tandem again next season -- a scenario that would almost certainly be uncomfortable for both men.

Florida and Toronto are the two destinations that make the most sense for Luongo, but the managers of both teams balked at the Canucks demands.

"From my perspective, the prices that are being asked have to be reasonable," said Leafs GM Brian Burke. "If you can get a goaltender that makes you better and it costs you 15 first-round picks, would you do it? No. So somewhere between 15 first-round picks and something that makes sense, we're not there yet."

Those comments were virtually mirrored by Panthers GM Dale Tallon, who acknowledged speaking with the Canucks about goaltending over the weekend. Luongo was drafted by Florida and still has strong ties to that community.

"We made inquiries into possible deals, but in every situation it was giving up some of our top prospects," said Tallon. "And we weren't prepared to do that.

"We're not going to give up a (Jonathan) Huberdeau or (Erik) Gudbranson or any of these kids."

The Canucks claim they're willing to be patient. It's almost like teams are having a staring contest with one another and waiting to see who will blink first.

"For us to even consider trading a player of that stature is an enormous thing," Gillis said of Luongo. "We're going to do it on our terms and the timeframe we want to do it on, if we do it at all."

-- The Canadian Press

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition June 24, 2012 B5