Roberto Luongo retired from the Florida Panthers. He just never left.
And now the goaltender is officially part of the franchise again.
Florida's all-time leader in wins and shutouts has agreed to become a special adviser to general manager Dale Tallon, a move that has been in the works for some time and was formally announced Wednesday.
His hiring was no surprise: Luongo has been a regular fixture at games with the Florida front-office brain trust this season, only now wearing suits instead of skates and having conversations in press boxes instead of locker rooms.
''I've had the honor and privilege to work with Roberto during his time playing for the Panthers and am proud to welcome him to our franchise's hockey operations staff,'' said Tallon, who is both Florida's GM and president of hockey operations.