From a distance, trading for 33-year-old Canucks goaltender Roberto Luongo would seem like a fairly obvious and wise decision for the Toronto Maple Leafs. Delving deeper into the complexities of a potential deal, however, and the answer isnt quite is obvious. Far from it in fact. In essence, the merits of such a deal come down to one central question: Now or later? The Leafs must decide what their ultimate end-game is in making or not making a trade for Luongo. Now Do the Leafs believe they can compete for a Stanley Cup within the next 3-5 years? If the answer is yes – and the package going to Vancouver is amenable – they should make the deal. At its surface, Luongo instantly and dramatically solidifies the Toronto crease, a source of instability and frustration for the past six seasons. Even last year, a year that resulted in the loss of his number one job to Cory Schneider, offered elite numbers – 2.41 goals against average and .919 save percentage – that would dwarf those of any Leaf netminder since Ed Belfour in 2003-2004. Adding a goaltender of such status would give the Leafs a legitimate 3-5 year window to make the playoffs (a likely time-frame for Luongo to remain elite) and eventually compete for a Stanley Cup. Luongo turns 34 in April. Its conceivable that he could play toward his 40th birthday – Brodeur turns 41 in May – if hes interested in such a timeline, which is far from certain. Luongo would boost the Leafs playoff chances immediately and significantly, further legitimizing their crease in a conference that includes the likes of Henrik Lundqvist, Marc-Andre Fleury, Carey Price, Martin Brodeur, Tuukka Rask, Ryan Miller, Cam Ward, and Ondrej Pavelec. The club would no longer be at a disadvantage in goal when facing off against conference peers. Luongos presence would also radiate amongst his new teammates, eliminating the constant angst that comes with weak goaltending. The free agent class for the summer of 2013 looks to be promising. With Luongo on board, the Leafs would have upwards of $17 million available (more is possible with any buyouts exercised) with an inclination to add one or two major pieces, the likes of Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry and Alex Edler potentially on the market. Suddenly, the Leafs could possess an interesting and dangerous core for 2013-2014 that would include Luongo, Jake Gardiner, Morgan Rielly, Phil Kessel (expiring), Dion Phaneuf (expiring), James Van Riemsdyk, Mikhail Grabovski, John-Michael Liles along with said free addition one and two. Such a core would, at the very least, make the Leafs an intriguing candidate in the East. One thats capable of competing for a Stanley Cup? Thats the question. And what of the cap penalties the Leafs would face at the outset of Luongos retirement? Those would be happily accepted if they brought a Stanley Cup conversation to Toronto. Later The Leafs determine that their roster is not suitably constructed to compete for a Stanley Cup within the aforementioned 3-5 year window. In such a scenario, they should not make the deal. Favouring this approach would show preference toward a long rebuild, but one that offers the organization an opportunity to solidify its infrastructure – internal prospects would have the chance to emerge – and compete for a lengthier tenure. Without Luongo, the Leafs would obviously be less likely to make the playoffs this season and in the immediate future moving forward. The organization would hedge its bets in goal on James Reimer, Ben Scrivens and Jussi Rynnas, gambling that one or more develops into a capable starting NHL netminder. Decreasing their odds at the postseason this year would offer the club an opportunity to land a top pick in the 2013 NHL draft, a draft that includes potential cornerstones Seth Jones and Nathan MacKinnon. Snatching either one of the two, not to mention Aleksander Barkov, would be significant for the long-term future of the Leafs, an opportunity to inject a franchise-changing talent for the first time since Mats Sundin. The club would then build around the trio of Gardiner, Rielly and said prospect with an eye toward now and later. The long-term savings of not making the deal are also significant. Luongo has 10 years left on a contract that carries an annual cap hit of $5.3 million, hefty salary implications for a goaltender moving upward in age. Pocketing the extra $5.3 million in cap space annually, the Leafs could add even more this summer – notably boosting their defence – with just under $23 million to play with (again, more with any buyouts) amid a strong free agent class. Future flexibility would also remain intact with Phaneuf and Kessel set to become unrestricted free agents following the 2013-2014 season. Ultimately, the deal comes down to an end-game. Do the Leafs believe in their chances of becoming a Stanley Cup contender in the next five years? Or are they committed to a patient rebuild that could have long-lasting effects on the franchise? The choice is more complex than it appears. cheap ray ban . The Texans moved to 3-0 for the first time in franchise history by beating old nemesis Peyton Manning and the Broncos on Sunday. Houston is one of three unbeaten teams left, along with Arizona and Atlanta, heading into Sundays game against Tennessee (1-2) at Reliant Stadium. ray ban outlet . -- The Ontario Hockey League all-stars arent used to losing to Russia. http://www.officialraybansun... . MLSE is Canadas largest sports and entertainment company and owner of the premier professional sports teams in Canadas largest marketplace: The Toronto Maple Leafs, Toronto Raptors, Toronto Marlies and Toronto FC. On Dec. 9, Bell announced it had, in a joint ownership arrangement with Rogers Communications Inc., agreed to purchase a net 75 percent ownership position in MLSE from Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board. [url=http://www.officialraybansunglassesoutlet.com/]Cheap Ray Ban Sunglasses .S. Open by winning the Nordea Masters by five shots on Saturday. Ray Ban Aviators Sunglasses . The Australian broke Lackos serve twice in each set to set up a second-round match against Mikhail Kukushkin of Kazakhstan, who eased past big-serving Sam Querrey 6-2, 7-5.It took 113 days, but the NHL and the NHL Players Association finally reached a tentative agreement on a new collective bargaining agreement on Sunday morning. In the end, a deal was reached only after both sides were willing to provide concessions – something that they were only willing to do when both were backed against the wall with the prospect of another lost season at hand. Although the owners were able to reach their ultimate goal of a 50/50 split in hockey-related revenue, the players were able to gain some smaller victories during the final set of negotiations. According to TSN hockey analyst Mike Johnson, although the players won "some of the late battles" on issues related to contracts, the year two salary cap and a pension, "they lost the big war" in the end. "Theres only one number that really counts and thats the 50/50 because regardless of how you shuffle it around and what contract rights you keep or do not keep, youre only going to get 50 percent of the revenue," Johnson said. "So it doesnt matter for the players if they the team spent too much, too little, 50 percent will always be coming to the players, thats the big number." TSN hockey insider Bob McKenzie also weighed in saying that the last lockout should be considered before any quick judgments are made in terms of which side won or lost. "We did last time and we were 100 percent wrong…After the last CBA was settled everybody said, the players got absolutely crushed, this is a mortifying deal for the NHL Players Association, McKenzie said. "Eight years later, the players would want to stay in the same CBA and would stay forever in it because they thought it was terrific. So you got to be careful in these snap judgments." Speaking with Dave Hodge on Sunday morning, Sports Illustrateds Michael Farber and Sun Medias Steve Simmons didnt hesitate to claim victory for one side or the other. Simmons said that although during the last lockout there was an overwhelming feeling that the owners were victorious, at the end of the day players salaries continued to go up and eventually caused a second stoppage inside of 10 years. "Players win, players always win, especially the guys who can play win," Simmons said. "Theyre back, theyre getting paid well. The biggest factor&heellip;is that second year cap that they (the league) basically stood on, said were not moving off this hill and Bill Daly was prepared to die on that hill.dddddddddddd He didnt die on that hill, hes still alive and now hockeys alive." According to Farber, the determining factor in finding a winner or loser was the key HRR number of 50 percent. "Look globally. Weve gone from 57 percent to 50 percent for players," Farber said. "Weve gone from unlimited contracts, including back-diving contracts for players to variance and maximum of seven or eight years depending. So how can the players win when they limited in the length of their contract and when the gross HRR going to players is reduced from 57 to 50. So owners win." Cathal Kelly of the Toronto Star also weighed in and agreed with Farber, but said the leagues concessions in the final days of negotiations could be looked at as smaller victories for the players. "The owners win in the macro sense, but in the micro sense there was no rational world in which the players could give up an entire season and then claim that they had won," Kelly said. "They had already lost, so this is a limited victory on their part within the last week." Wrapping up the discussing, TSNs Dave Hodge said that unlike 2004-05, the players stuck together and did not concede as much as they had previously and that the owners likely did not get as much as they had expected. "The assumption is that there will be always cracks in the players groups before there will be cracks in the owners group. I think – not that the cracks were wide – but I think we may have seen the opposite here," Hodge said. "So maybe the players can claim that they won because they may not have given up as much as they mightve or that the owners wanted." Still, in the end, as NHL players get ready to return to the ice for their NHL clubs, the ultimate winners will be the fans, who finally get to see the return of NHL hockey after undeservingly being dragged through a lockout that tested their patience and loyalty. That commitment will belatedly be rewarded in less than two weeks as the NHL will officially drop the puck on their 2013 regular season, in what will hopefully mark the beginning of a decade or more of uninterruped on-ice action. ' ' '