Toronto Maple Leafs Could Win Luongo Sweepstakes by Default

The 2012 NHL draft is finally here.

Leafs Nation hasn't been this excited over a Leafs draft pick in a long time. The Leafs are almost assured a center will be available in the No. 5 slot. Alexander Galchenyuk or Mikhail Grigorenko?

Who to choose at No. 5 isn't nearly as important as finalizing the inevitable trade for Roberto Luongo.

Today the Columbus Blue Jackets completed a trade for goalie Sergei Bobrovsky. The price wasn't all that high, as they gave up the 45th overall and 117 overall picks in this year's draft, plus a fourth-round pick in next year's draft.

This eliminates another team from the Luongo sweepstakes, and another goalie.

The Tampa Bay Lightning were the first to bow out with the acquisition of Anders Lindback. Then Josh Harding re-signed with Minnesota. Now Columbus trades for Bob the backup.

Where does that leave Vancouver and Roberto Luongo? 

Well, the options out there are the Florida Panthers, Chicago Blackhawks and the Toronto Maple Leafs.

I would like to add three dark-horse candidates to this list of possible teams. 

The Edmonton Oilers, the New York Islanders and the Winnipeg Jets.

Winnipeg might lose Ondrej Pavelec because he might want too much money. The Islanders could trade for Luongo and send back Evgeni Nabokov to back up Cory Schneider. Edmonton could look for a veteran player with captain qualities to stabilize the young Oilers.

But that is all speculation on my part.

I don't think Vancouver will trade Luongo to a team within their division, so the Blackhawks and Edmonton might be out. Florida is not a team that is willing to take on big, inflated long-term contracts at this point. 

So that leaves the Toronto Maple Leafs.

The Leafs have options and the Vancouver Canucks have none. They have to sign Schneider and move Luongo to make salary cap space. The Leafs, on the other hand, can go into next season with James Reimer and Ben Scrivens as their goalie tandem. I would actually prefer this scenario if, and only if, the price for Luongo is steep. I mean, Nazem Kadri and Luke Schenn steep. Even though unproven, there still is the opportunity to trade for Jonathan Bernier or one of Ottawa's young goalies, or Tim Thomas.

The only question that remains is—what is a fair price to pay for Luongo? 

Two goalies have been traded since the Stanley Cup was given out, and both included second-rounders, plus picks and prospects.

Since Luongo is better and more established, I would say the price is higher, but how much higher is the key. 

My proposal includes a serviceable defeseman, a prospect and two picks, plus cap space.

To Toronto:

- Luongo

To Vancouver:

- Mike Komisarek

- Korbinian Holzer/Cody Franson

- Jerry D'Amigo

- TOR second-round pick (2013)

- TOR fourth-round pick (2012)

This should be more than enough to get a 33-year-old goalie at a cap hit of $5.33 million for the next 10 seasons. 

The Leafs need to make this deal and the Vancouver Canucks need to stop pretending that Luongo is the only goalie available.