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Jim Rutherford Won’t Rush To Hire GM, Make Trades

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Since the Vancouver Canucks cleaned house on December 5, firing GM Jim Benning and head coach Travis Green, among others, the team is 4-0-0. While new head coach Bruce Boudreau may have made a difference behind the bench in those contests, new President of Hockey Operations Jim Rutherford has barely been on the job since his hiring was formally announced on Thursday. It just goes to show that the Canucks roster is not in need of a complete teardown. Changes can be made, and knowing Rutherford they certainly will, but the Hall of Fame executive will not make any snap judgements. As a result, Rutherford told the media today, including NHL.com’s Kevin Woodley, that he will not rush to hire a GM nor to make any trades.

The interim GM as well, Rutherford was hired with the intention of overseeing the Canucks’ front office rather than running the day-to-day. He has others in mind for that role, stating that there are 40 names currently on the list to possibly be the next Vancouver GM. Rutherford won’t rush the decision though and will instead take his time with trimming the list. “I’m not here to be the general manager, but I’m capable of doing the job,” Rutherford said. “I would like to get somebody in place sooner than later, but if it’s not in the near future it’s OK. We want to try to get it right.” Rutherford mentioned that he will consider both former GMs and current Assistant GM’s for the role and wants to find someone that he works well with, whether that be an experienced mind who would be more of an equal partner or instead someone that he can mentor and mold.

Without a GM in place, Rutherford also does not expect to make any trades in meantime. Again, he is permitted to make a move and has more experience in doing so than just about anyone on the planet, but will not rush to change the roster that he just recently inherited and wants to take time to evaluate:

I’m not in a hurry to make a trade. I’ve already got calls. I got calls before I got to Vancouver: ’I like this player, I like that player, give me a call if you decide to move somebody.’ If somebody calls and something pretty good comes along that we think improves our team now and in the long run, yeah, we’ll take a look at it. But I’m not going to be making a lot of calls. My focus immediately will be to get this restructured and get people in place, because the stronger the hockey department is off the ice, it will make the team stronger on the ice… There’s work to be done here. There’s holes in the lineup, areas that have to be worked on… [but] I want to be careful with our trades.

While Rutherford largely spoke in generalities about his opinions on the current construction of the roster and his plans to improve, he did note that buying, in the typical sense of the word, is “not the cycle we’re in.” In fact, Rutherford stated that his early-round draft picks will be untouchable, as will some of his younger standouts. The one name specifically mentioned as off limits was starter Thatcher Demko, but as Rutherford watches the Canucks – especially if they keep winning – that list is likely to grow. Once Rutherford has his new GM and has had enough time to properly evaluate the roster, it seems like his plan is probably to re-tool by moving some of the veteran Canucks off the roster. A new voice and new plan in the front office is already exciting for Vancouver and their fans, but more fireworks are coming – just not quite yet.

Vancouver Canucks Fire Travis Green, Hire Bruce Boudreau

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12:45am: The Canucks have officially announced the change, relieving Green and assistant coach Nolan Baumgartner of their duties. Boudreau has been installed as head coach and he’ll be joined by new assistant coach Scott Walker.

7:10pm: It appears another coaching change is on the horizon in the NHL.  Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports (Twitter link) that the Canucks are expected to hire Bruce Boudreau as their new head coach which suggests that Travis Green’s time behind Vancouver’s bench is set to come to an end.  Rick Dhaliwal of CHEK and The Athletic adds (Twitter link) that no move to replace GM Jim Benning has been made at this time.

This season certainly hasn’t gone as well as Vancouver had hoped.  After making a big splash to add defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson and winger Conor Garland from Arizona while shoring up their backup goalie position with the signing of Jaroslav Halak.  Benning’s hope was that those additions, coupled with continued development from their young core, would be enough to get them back into playoff contention.  Instead, they sit at the bottom of the Pacific Division with 18 points in 22 games, tied with Chicago for the second-fewest points in the Western Conference.

Several key Vancouver forwards have scuffled offensively this season, highlighted by Brock Boeser and Elias Pettersson both sitting at four goals, hardly the ideal output for two of their top forwards.  This is where Boudreau’s reported hiring could pay dividends as his teams have typically been higher scoring and his system could jumpstart Vancouver’s attack.  At least, that’s what the team is hoping for.  Of course, their defense corps still isn’t the strongest even with Ekman-Larsson in the fold and getting more out of that group will also be high on Boudreau’s priority list.

Boudreau is no stranger to being behind an NHL bench as he sits just 16 regular season games shy of 1,000 for his coaching career which includes stints in Washington, Anaheim, and Minnesota, putting him 29th in NHL history in that regard.  His .635 points percentage sits seventh all-time among those who have coached at least 200 games.  The 66-year-old last coached in the 2019-20 season although he was set to be on Canada’s staff as an assistant coach for some upcoming international tournaments later this month.

Green will become the second coach to be fired this season and third departure overall (the others being Jeremy Colliton and Joel Quenneville who resigned from Florida).  He was in his fifth season behind the bench and had a 133-147-34 record along with only one playoff appearance in 2020 where they fell in the second round to Vegas.  He signed a two-year contract extension back in May but won’t be making it to the end of that deal.  Meanwhile, Sportsnet’s Iain MacIntyre notes (Twitter link) that Boudreau will receive the same term which means he’ll be under contract with the Canucks through 2022-23.

Boudreau will be joined by Scott Walker as an assistant coach, reports TSN’s Darren Dreger (Twitter link).  This would be Walker’s second stint with the Canucks having worked with them for three seasons in player development before moving onto Arizona.  The veteran of over 800 NHL games as a player is currently the President of Hockey Operations for Guelph of the OHL and was expected to coach alongside Boudreau as an assistant in those upcoming international tournaments for Canada.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Injury Notes: Boeser, Severson, Perron, Hoffman

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While Vancouver fans are relieved to see Elias Pettersson and Quinn Hughes back in action after they signed new contracts to stay with the team, they’ll have to wait a bit longer to see one of their young core members debut this season. Head coach Travis Green said Friday morning that it’s doubtful Brock Boeser plays in that night’s game against the Philadelphia Flyers. Boeser has been on the shelf with an undisclosed injury since October 2. He was expected to only miss one week, but that timeline has passed and his status is now day-to-day. In his absence, it appears rookie Vasily Podkolzin will now get a look on the second line with Pettersson and J.T. Miller.

Some other injury notes from around the league:

  • New Jersey Devils head coach Lindy Ruff notes that defenseman Damon Severson is progressing and could play in New Jersey’s game next Tuesday against the Seattle Kraken. The Devils play their season opener tonight, meaning Severson might only be on the shelf for one game. Severson suffered an undisclosed injury on October 4 and has been listed as day-to-day since then.
  • The Montreal Canadiens could see a big free-agent addition make his debut soon. Head coach Dominique Ducharme says that winger Mike Hoffman could be ready for the team’s Tuesday or Thursday night games next week, but he’ll miss Saturday’s tilt against the New York Rangers. That’s about right on time for Hoffman, who was projected to miss four weeks with a lower-body injury suffered in late September.
  • With the St. Louis Blues’ season opener looming Saturday in Colorado, they could be without forward David Perron, per the St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s Jim Thomas. Perron was absent from the Blues’ practice today but was seen at the facility wearing street clothes. Head coach Craig Berube called it a “maintenance day” for Perron, who’s questionable for the game with an undisclosed injury.

Vancouver Canucks Hire Brad Shaw

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The Vancouver Canucks will have many of the same faces back behind the bench and on the ice at practice next season, but one important position has been filled with an experienced free agent. Brad Shaw, who previously worked with the Columbus Blue Jackets but parted ways with them last month, has been hired as an assistant for head coach Travis Green.

Kyle Gustafson has also been hired as an Assistant/Special Assignment Coach, while Nolan Baumgartner, Jason King, Darryl Seward and, perhaps most importantly, Ian Clark have all signed contract extensions. Chris Higgins will resume his role with the player development department.

The big hire here is Shaw, who has nearly two decades behind NHL benches. Before joining John Tortorella in Columbus, he worked with the New York Islanders and St. Louis Blues. He served as an associate coach with the Blues from 2012-2016, helping to develop the defensive core that helped them win a Stanley Cup a few years later. Green released a statement on his newest assistants:

We’re excited to welcome two new members to our coaching staff. Brad has a vast amount of coaching experience and a strong technical mind for the game. Kyle is a bright, young coach who will help our team and strengthens our coaching staff.

There was also plenty of concern that Clark would be leaving the organization, but Patrick Johnson of the Vancouver Province tweets that it is expected to be a five-year deal for the goalie coach. That’s a very long term for an assistant, longer even than the deal that Green recently signed.

Vancouver Canucks, Travis Green Reach Contract Extension

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The Vancouver Canucks finished last in the North Division, a brutal turnaround after their second-round playoff run in last year’s bubble postseason. Many believed it would lead to substantial changes in the organization, but it appears as though they’ll give it another crack with the same management and coaching group. General manager Jim Benning was retained and now head coach Travis Green has signed a multi-year extension with the team. Benning released a statement:

We are excited to have Travis Green continue to lead the Canucks as head coach and move forward from a challenging year to focus on future seasons. Our plan has always been to draft and develop a young core and surround them with supporting players who can help us win. We have some of the best young players in the NHL and I believe Travis is the right coach to help us achieve team success and a return to the playoffs.

Now, Green was certainly not the reason for the disastrous season and many players spoke up in favor of bringing him back at the Canucks’ end-of-season media availability. Captain Bo Horvat said the team would “love to see him back” and explained that Green had been “awesome” toward them. There were also many who speculated that Green would not be unemployed for long if the Canucks let him go, especially with the number of other vacancies around the league.

Still, it is certainly surprising that no one is losing their job after a season like the Canucks just endured. While they did have a brutal schedule, cut up with a late-season COVID outbreak, they finished 20-26-3, ranked 25th in goals for and 24th in goals against. The team’s powerplay put them 25th, their penalty killing 18th, and save percentage ranked them 20th in the league. By almost every metric, the Canucks were one of the worst teams in the league.

In fact, they have been for a while now. Even with the team’s Cinderella-like run last season, Green’s overall regular season record with the Canucks sits at 122-129-31 and he has reached the playoffs just once in four years. If he and Benning are both coming back, it’s obvious that the real organizational change will have to come at the roster level (though perhaps that’s really the only place to effect real short-term change in any situation.).

With so much cap already tied up and new contracts for Elias Pettersson and Quinn Hughes to come, making that tangible change will be difficult. The only notable unrestricted free agents the team has are Brandon Sutter and Alexander Edler, who both expressed a desire to return to Vancouver earlier today. Most of the roster is still signed for the 2021-22 season, with more than $66.5MM already committed. Green is returning, but it may be difficult to turn things around in Vancouver right away.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Vancouver Canucks Plan To Retain Jim Benning As GM

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Things are getting interesting in Vancouver. On the eve of their season finale, a disappointing season at that, rumors are swirling around the Canucks. Earlier reports suggested that sweeping changes could be coming to the organization, including a potential return of Daniel and Henrik Sedin in front office roles. Meanwhile, head coach Travis Green is still working on an expiring contract and there has been no indication that a resolution is in sight. Given all of this mystery and speculation, the Canucks have made perhaps the most surprising move they could: retaining GM Jim Benning. The often-criticized executive has been informed that he will be back with the team next year, reports Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman.

As Friedman relays, given all of the uncertainty that has arisen over the past 24 hours, ownership indicated to their front office leader that he would be returning. It’s a major decision to make ahead of a crucial off-season, as Benning will be charged with managing the Canucks’ approach to the NHL Expansion Draft (made more important by the Seattle Kraken becoming a geographical rival right away), properly executing a top-ten overall draft pick, and otherwise handling an off-season in which his roster must significantly improve despite sorely lacking cap space.

Therein lies most of the criticism of Benning as well. The GM, who has been on the job since 2014, has made some questionable decisions in regards to his most precious resource, cap space. Benning has deemed the likes of Brandon Sutter, Erik Gudbranson, Sam Gagner, Antoine Roussel, Jay Beagle, Sven Baertschi, and Micheal Ferland as being worthy of sizeable commitments during his tenure, which has hurt the team on the payroll and in opportunity cost. It also forced the departures of superior players, such as Jacob Markstrom, Chris Tanev, and Tyler Toffoli last off-season. Those losses were felt this year as the Canucks, fresh off a run to the Western Conference semifinals last year, lived in the basement all season. Benning is left having to pick up the pieces and will try to find a way to squeeze more talent into his roster this summer.

Why is it Benning fixing the problem though? For starters, his track record on the trade market and in the draft at least come close to balancing out his contract negotiation mistakes. Since the 2018-19 trade deadline, Benning has added core members Tanner Pearson, J.T. Miller, and Nate Schmidt at below-market prices. His recent draft picks also include current and budding stars such as Quinn Hughes, Nils Hoglander, Vasili Podkolzin, Jack Rathbone, Michael DiPietro, Jett Woo, Kole Lind, Jonah Gadjovich, and more. So while some of Benning’s criticism is fair, too often his successes are ignored. Despite allegedly wanting to make major internal changes, the Canucks understand and appreciate what Benning has achieved and what he is trying to build in Vancouver. It seems that he will now be given at least one more year to show that he is still steering the organization in the right direction. It’s unlikely to appease the fans in the meantime, but the club hopes that their loyalty will be rewarded.

Coaching Notes: Tocchet, Green, Brind’Amour

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It seems that Rick Tocchet’s days as the head coach of the Arizona Coyotes could be numbered. TSN’s Darren Dreger reports that there is growing speculation that Tocchet and the ’Yotes will part ways this off-season. Tocchet’s contract expires at the end of the season and Dreger does not believe that it will be extended. If not for the NHL’s expanded playoff structure last season, Tocchet would have failed to make the playoffs in each of his four seasons as the bench boss in Arizona. The team was statistically eliminated from contention this season with last night’s loss to the Los Angeles Kings, marking the end of what at one time looked like a promising playoff push. However, this is the third consecutive season that the ’Yotes have remained in the playoff picture until the very end of the season. Last year, it earned them a play-in series berth which the team turned into an upset win over the Nashville Predators and a first-round match-up with the Colorado Avalanche. Considering that Tocchet took over a team that finished last in the Pacific Division in his first season, three years of fringe contention and a play-in series win is far from failure for the veteran coach. Dreger does not definitively state that the separation is a unilateral decision by Arizona and it could be that this is an amicable breakup coming between Tocchet and the team. A highly-regarded assistant with the Pittsburgh Penguins before joining the Coyotes, Tocchet should have no problem finding a job this summer and it could be that both sides equally want a fresh start.

  • Vancouver Canucks head coach Travis Green is still waiting for his contract extension. TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reports that a resolution is expected to come before the end of the season – which for the Canucks is still almost two weeks away – but he adds that there has not been any change to the status quo of late. Green, like Tocchet, took over a struggling team in 2017-18 and has improved the group, including finishing third in the Pacific Division last season and advancing to the second round of the playoffs. While the current campaign has not gone as planned, with Vancouver on the verge of statistical elimination even with a number of games in hand on their North Division competitors, the organization is happy with Green and LeBrun notes that there continues to be mutual interest in a new multi-year deal. With that said, Green is among the bottom-third of coaches in terms of compensation and is seeking a raise, but LeBrun reports that the Canucks have not improved their offer recently. If the two sides truly want to get a deal done before the end of the regular season, they need to get to work.
  • Rod Brind’Amour is another coach who is awaiting a contract extension and there is little doubt that the leader of the President’s Trophy favorites will get a new, long-term deal. However, Dreger notes that the Hurricanes want to get the new deal done before the postseason, which leaves little time to work out the details. Brind’Amour has previously stated that he wants all of his fellow coaches and support staff to also have new deals finalized before he inks his own deal, so the Carolina Hurricanes have a number of negotiations to complete over the next week or two.

Snapshots: Expansion Draft, Novak, Pettersson

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The Seattle Kraken cannot yet make trades, but that won’t stop them from making a major impact on the upcoming NHL Trade Deadline. TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reports that Kraken GM Ron Francis has begun to receive calls from a number of teams seeking input on potential deadline deals. Any team adding a valuable player who is not just an impending UFA rental is also adding another piece to their Expansion equation. In many cases, top contenders acquiring these quality players will either not be able to protect them or their addition will displace another valued player already on the roster. As a result, they have been reaching out to Francis to see what it would cost to make a side deal to protect assets that would be exposed by a potential deadline trade. According to LeBrun, the league’s other GM’s have not been happy with Francis’ responses. It seems the going rate for a side deal with Seattle to protect a player that they would otherwise be selecting is a first-round pick and a prospect. This price is scaring teams away from making major deals at the deadline, quieting a market that already has a number of restrictions working against it.

  • While a seventh-round pick may not mean much to the Ottawa Senators, especially given their immense pipeline of talent, it meant a lot to Bentley University. In 2018, the Senators’ final-round selection Jakov Novak became the first ever NHL Draft pick to attend Bentley, an Atlantic Hockey school who has never won their conference tournament nor qualified for the NCAA Tournament. The oft-forgotten Boston-area program was proud to add Novak, who has played up to expectations over the past three years. With 30 goals and 62 points in 87 games, including 17 points in 15 games this year, the power forward has been one of the best players in Atlantic Hockey – and other teams took notice. The junior winger is set to depart Bentley for greener pastures, leaving the program yet again absent of NHL talent. He’s not going far, though. Novak has announced that he will transfer to Northeastern University for next season. The Huskies exited the Hockey East Tournament early this year and did not qualify for the national stage, so they will be eager to add another talented forward with pro ability in hopes of taking a step forward next season. Novak hinted that 2021-22 could be the end of his NCAA career, but it only take one year for him to make a major impact at Northeastern. Vice versa, just one year playing alongside and against superior collegiate talent could be a major developmental leap for Novak that earns him a contract with Ottawa.
  • Vancouver Canucks star Elias Pettersson was eligible to be activated from the Long-Term Injured Reserve for the first time today, but his stay is not yet over. Head coach Travis Green tells NHL.com that the team underestimated Pettersson’s upper-body injury and he is not close to a return. “Definitely was more serious than we thought originally,” Green stated on Tuesday. “We didn’t think it was going to be this long. It hasn’t gotten any better to a point where he can play yet and I still think he’s going to be out for a few more games at least.” After a slow start to the season, the Canucks have been playing much better of late. In fact, they have the second-best record in their past ten games of any team in the North Division. However, still more than 100 percentage points back of a playoff spot, Vancouver will need Pettersson healthy if they want to complete the comeback.

Vancouver Canucks Intend To Extend Travis Green

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While no contract has been signed yet, Vancouver Canucks general manager Jim Benning told Sportsnet’s Iain MacIntyre that the team is working to extend head coach Travis Green to a new contract, keeping him in the fold.

“Travis has done an excellent job coaching this group of players. I think, from a development standpoint, our young players have continued to get better under him every year. We think he’s the right fit for this group and our group moving forward,” Benning said during a press conference Sunday as the Canucks opened training camp. “We want to kind of take a look at the financial landscape of the whole business here as we keep moving forward, but our intention is to sign Travis to an extension so he’s part of our group here moving forward.”

Green, whose contract expires at the end of the 2020-21 season, has been quite successful since being hired in 2017. He has posted a 102-103-28 record, which may not be the most impressive record over three seasons. However, the team has made significant progress each season, placing seventh in 2017-18, fifth in 2018-19 and then in third place in the Pacific Division last year, including a deep run into the playoffs, almost ousting the Vegas Golden Knights in the process.

Benning does have other significant negotiations to work out as well, including new deals for soon-to-be restricted free agents Elias Pettersson and Quinn Hughes as well as goalie Thatcher Demko.

Snapshots: Eriksson, Green, Patrick, Steen

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Loui Eriksson’s tenure with the Canucks has certainly been a rocky one through the first four seasons.  In an interview with Sportsnet 650 (audio link), GM Jim Benning acknowledged that he did try to move the winger this offseason but they weren’t able to find a taker.  With two years left on his deal that carries a $6MM cap hit, that’s not too surprising.  As things stand, the veteran will enter training camp hoping to land a spot on the fourth line although he is a candidate to be waived and sent to the minors to free up $1.075MM in cap room.

Benning also acknowledged that talks continue with head coach Travis Green about a contract extension.  He has been behind the bench for the Canucks since the 2017-18 season and is entering the final year of his contract.

Elsewhere around the league:

  • Flyers forward Nolan Patrick is skating without headaches as he tries to work his way back from concussion-like symptoms that sidelined him for the entire 2019-20 season, reports Sam Carchidi of the Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter link). While there are still some hurdles to be cleared, it certainly appears as if the second-overall pick in 2017 will have a shot at suiting up at some point for Philadelphia next season which is a great sign.  Patrick accepted his qualifying offer this offseason of just over $874K and because he didn’t play at all last year, he still is exempt from waivers for one more season.
  • Blues winger Alex Steen won’t be ready to suit up whenever the 2020-21 season gets underway, notes Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. There’s no word yet on how much time he’ll miss but as things stand, he’s a strong candidate to join winger Vladimir Tarasenko on LTIR to start the year.  That will give them some short-term cap flexibility in their efforts to re-sign RFA defenseman Vince Dunn.

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