Taken by the New York Islanders with the fourth overall pick in the 1997 NHL Entry Draft, Roberto Luongo was widely viewed by scouts and NHL general managers alike as a can’t-miss prospect, who many expected to be a franchise goaltender someday.
As Canada’s go-to goaltender, Luongo won a silver medal at the 1999 world Junior Championships, taking Best Goaltender honors with him.
Luongo made his NHL debut during the 1999-2000 season with the Islanders. Hampered by a very thin team in front of him, Luongo struggled in his first season, posting a 7-14-1 record in 24 games played with a 3.25 goals against average and a less than stellar .904 save percentage.
New York Islanders GM Mike Milbury drafted American goaltender Rick DiPietro with the first overall pick at the 2000 NHL Entry Draft, all but signaling that Luongo, through no fault of his own, would be traded.
That summer Luongo was moved to Florida along with forward Olli Jokinen for forwards Mark Parrish and Oleg Kvasha. Luongo and Jokinen played well for the Panthers, Parrish and Kvasha would struggle at times for the Islanders.
With the confidence of his n ...
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Article written by Mark Ritter
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