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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.

Pacific Notes: Stephenson, Canucks, Russell

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After missing Friday’s game against Philadelphia for personal reasons, Vegas Golden Knights center Chandler Stephenson should be available for Sunday’s home tilt against the Minnesota Wild, according to head coach Peter DeBoer. Stephenson’s brought lights-out play for a Vegas team that’s needed him this season with a slew of injuries, producing at a career-best pace with 22 points in 25 games. All that’s been done while playing steep minutes (19:48 a game) and spending time without his usual pair of elite wingers in Max Pacioretty and Mark Stone. That line’s been reunited as Pacioretty and Stone are back healthy, and after Keegan Kolesar filled in down the middle for one game, Stephenson will return to his place atop the center depth chart for Vegas.

More from the Pacific Division:

  • There are some injury updates for the new and improved Vancouver Canucks under Bruce Boudreau, as the new head coach said today that Oliver Ekman-Larsson should be back next week, while Travis Hamonic is expected to miss two to three more weeks. While the team is undefeated under Boudreau, they’re facing a significant list of injuries. However, neither Ekman-Larsson nor Hamonic have been particularly impactful to start the year. Ekman-Larsson has just five points in 26 games to start his Vancouver career, a far cry from his peak of consistent 40-point campaigns. Hamonic has just an assist in nine contests as he’s found his way up and down between the NHL and AHL.
  • Injury news isn’t improving for the Edmonton Oilers defense, as head coach Dave Tippett notes that Kris Russell will be out for a couple of weeks. He joins Duncan Keith and Slater Koekkoek as Edmonton’s inactive blueliners. He’d been playing in an increased role with those injuries, but that responsibility now falls back on the shoulders of young defensemen Philip Broberg and William Lagesson.

Vancouver Canucks Make More Front Office Changes

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The Vancouver Canucks are cleaning house as Jim Rutherford comes in to take over the front office. Executive director of hockey operations Jonathan Wall and assistant general manager Chris Gear have been dismissed, according to Thomas Drance of The Athletic. As Iain MacIntyre of Sportsnet notes, Rutherford hasn’t even arrived in Vancouver to meet the staff yet, but two more employees that have been with the team for more than a decade (two decades, in the case of Wall) are on their way out. Farhan Lalji of TSN tweets that he understands these moves were in the works before Rutherford was officially hired.

Gear has been with the club since 2010, but only assumed the AGM role in early 2020. He had previously worked as legal counsel, but was slowly given more responsibilities on the business side and then transferred to hockey operations in 2016. His focus was usually on contract negotiations and the salary cap, certainly not where things have gone smoothly for the Canucks in recent years. Still, Gear is considered a valuable front office employee and will likely find work somewhere else if he wishes to stay in the NHL.

Interestingly enough, the Canucks actually included Gear in the Jim Benning dismissal announcement as one of the members of hockey ops that would run things in the interim. Apparently, that isn’t the case any longer.

Wall meanwhile ran the analytics department for the Canucks and had been with the team for more than 20 years. It’s not clear yet if the team intends on replacing these positions directly, or executing a complete overhaul of the structure of the front office. For now, it’s just Rutherford’s office to build from the ground up.

Vancouver Canucks Hire Jim Rutherford

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The Vancouver Canucks are set to bring in some veteran front office leadership, announcing Jim Rutherford as the new president of hockey operations. Rutherford will also take on the role of interim general manager for the time being, while he leads the search for a new one. Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic notes that it’s a three-year deal for Rutherford in Vancouver. Canucks owner Francesco Aquilini released a statement on the hire:

It is time for a new vision and a new leader who will set a path forward for this team. Jim has tremendous experience building and leading winning organizations and I believe he will help build the Vancouver Canucks into a team that can compete for championships again.

Rutherford, 72, left the Pittsburgh Penguins in January, resigning his position as general manager. In the following months, reports started to surface that the legendary executive wasn’t finished with his front office career and would look for a new opportunity somewhere else at some point. It appears as though the Canucks, who cleared out their coaching staff and hockey operations group this month, is that opportunity.

After firing head coach Travis Green, assistant coach Nolan Baumgartner, general manager Jim Benning, and assistant general manager John Weisbrod, the Canucks have actually won two games in a row. Bruce Boudreau is now behind the bench as head coach, and with Rutherford joining the front office, the team is obviously not going to deal with any inexperience moving forward. It would have been difficult to find a coach-GM/president pair with more experience actually, given how long Rutherford and Boudreau have been around the NHL.

First taking over as GM of an NHL franchise in 1994 with the Hartford Whalers, Rutherford navigated the relocation to Carolina and won a Stanley Cup with the Hurricanes in 2006. He joined the Penguins in 2014 and took home two more championships, before leaving the organization earlier this year. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame as a builder in 2020. Known for his blockbuster deals and out-of-nowhere free agent signings, Rutherford is extremely well-respected around the game even if not all of his moves pay off.

In Vancouver, it’s stability and structure that is necessary now, as they transition away from the Benning era. The team has some spectacular talents at the core of the team, but things have not gone well in recent years. In fact, the team has only made the playoffs a single time since 2015-16, reaching the second round in the 2020 bubble postseason. Rutherford will now decide how to shape the roster around Quinn Hughes, Elias Pettersson, and Thatcher Demko, and whether or not they want to strip things down before building it back up.

Darren Dreger of TSN first reported that things were “escalating” between the two sides and a deal was expected.

Aquilini: Exhaustive GM Search Coming

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Canucks owner Francesco Aquilini and interim GM Stan Smyl held a press conference today following the sweeping changes that were made late Sunday.  Aquilini told reporters, including Thomas Drance of The Athletic (Twitter link) that there is no timeline to try to find a replacement and that they will conduct “a thorough and exhaustive search” to find the right candidate.  It’s a similar line to what Chicago and Anaheim have used following their vacancies being created and it would suggest that Vancouver may wait until the offseason when they’re able to speak to candidates currently employed with other teams.

Meanwhile, earlier today, Ryan Kennedy of The Hockey News reported (Twitter link) that former Montreal GM Marc Bergevin is someone the Canucks are very interested in.  When asked about that, Aquilini acknowledged (via Drance) that he hasn’t approached Bergevin about whether or not he’d be interested in the position.

Vancouver Canucks Fire Jim Benning

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The changes in Vancouver weren’t limited to just the coaches as GM Jim Benning and assistant GM John Weisbrod have also been relieved of their duties. Stan Smyl will serve as interim general manager and be joined by Abbotsford Canucks general manager Ryan Johnson who will serve as interim assistant general manager for Vancouver. Owner Francesco Aquilini released a long statement, which in part reads:

These are difficult decisions, but we believed we would have a competitive group this year. As a result, I’m extremely disappointed in how the team has performed so far. I’m making these changes because we want to build a team that competes for championships and it’s time for new leadership to help take us there.

Our search for new leadership is underway. In the interim, Stan Smyl will lead our Hockey Operations team with the strong support of Ryan Johnson, Chris Gear, Daniel and Henrik Sedin, Doug Jarvis and others on the team to ensure day-to-day continuity. Stan has been a very loyal and committed member of our Hockey Operations Senior Management structure for many years and is someone whose experience and leadership we value greatly.

Benning joined the Canucks back in 2014 after serving as an assistant GM with Boston for seven seasons.  Over his tenure with Vancouver, they’ve only reached the playoffs twice, winning just one round which came back in his first season.  His initial coaching hire in Willie Desjardins only last three seasons while Travis Green made it into his fifth year before being ousted today.

Benning has made several questionable decisions on the contract front over his tenure.  Loui Eriksson received a six-year, $36MM contract back in 2016 which has not worked out well; he has scored just 38 times in 274 games since then.  Tyler Myers received a five-year, $30MM contract in 2019 to bolster Vancouver’s back end and that move hasn’t gone as well as they hoped.

His penchant for handing out bigger contracts to bottom-six role players also proved costly as Antoine Roussel, Brandon Sutter, Jay Beagle, and Micheal Ferland all received deals well above market value and provided middling returns at best.

Benning also missed on two of his three highest picks as well.  While he got Elias Pettersson fifth overall in 2018, he whiffed on selecting Olli Juolevi fifth overall a year earlier while Jake Virtanen never lived up to the hype of his six-overall selection in 2014.  Fortunately for Vancouver, Benning’s other two top-10 picks have shown some promise; Quinn Hughes is already one of the more dominant offensive blueliners in the league while Vasily Podkolzin hasn’t looked out of place in his rookie season.

This past summer, he took a big swing on the trade front, acquiring Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Conor Garland from Arizona for a package involving a first-round pick while also offloading Eriksson, Roussel, and Beagle’s contracts.  However, Ekman-Larsson is signed through 2026-27 and even with the Coyotes retaining part of that deal, the Canucks are still stuck with a $7.26MM cap charge while Garland received a five-year, $25MM pact, one that at least looks decent so far.

As a result, Vancouver will continue to be battling the salary cap for the foreseeable future.  They have over $70MM in commitments already for next season per CapFriendly with Brock Boeser owed a $7.5MM qualifying offer this summer.  Bo Horvat and J.T. Miller are UFAs in 2024 while Pettersson will once again need a new contract in 2025 so more big-ticket signings will be on the horizon over the coming years while the new GM looks to try to improve the existing core at the same time.

As for Weisbrod, he also joined the Canucks in 2014 and previously had worked with Dallas, Boston, and Calgary.  Prior to those stints, he had been the GM of the NBA’s Orlando Magic before resigning in his second year to join the Stars.  Vancouver has one other assistant GM on their staff in Chris Gear who also serves as their chief legal officer.

Aquilini, Smyl, and Boudreau will each meet with the media on Monday afternoon.

The firings were first reported by Irfaan Gafaar of The Fourth Period (Twitter link).

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.

Brad Marchand Suspended Three Games

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The Department of Player Safety has issued a three-game suspension to Boston Bruins forward Brad Marchand for slew-footing Vancouver Canucks defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson last night.

As the accompanying video explains:

It is important to note that there are many occasions during the course of a game where players use either their legs or their stick and upper body to restrain or impede opponents, or to gain leverage during a puck battle. When these players rise to the level of being illegal, the vast majority of them can be adequately punished with in-game penalties.

What causes this play to rise to the level of supplementary discipline, is Marchand’s use of both his upper and lower body to take Ekman-Larsson to the ice in a dangerous fashion and the speed at which the players are traveling towards the boards. 

While the video includes reasoning on why it rises to the level of supplementary discipline, it’s Marchand’s lengthy history with the DoPS that makes it a three-game ban. The Bruins forward has been suspended six times in the past, including once for a slew foot in 2015.

Ekman-Larsson did not suffer a serious injury on the play. Marchand was also not penalized, but he will have to sit down for the Bruins next three games and forfeit more than $90K in salary.

Canucks Receiving Strong Trade Interest In Bo Horvat

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It has been a tough couple of years in Vancouver.  They underwhelmed considerably last season and after adding some key pieces over the summer including Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Conor Garland, and Jaroslav Halak, there was an expectation that they’d be back in playoff contention.  That hasn’t happened as the Canucks have limped to a 6-13-2 record and are already fading from the postseason picture.

As is often the case with teams in this situation, trade speculation is sure to follow.  In a recent interview on Sportsnet 650 (audio link), Rick Dhaliwal of CHEK and The Athletic reported that Vancouver is fielding plenty of trade calls but at this time, the bulk of those calls have been focused on one player – Bo Horvat.

The 26-year-old has been with Vancouver for his entire career after being drafted ninth overall back in 2013.  He is in his third season as their captain and after he signed a long-term contract in 2017 following his entry-level deal, it felt like he was going to be a part of their plans for the long run.  Along the way, he went from being deployed primarily as a checker into becoming a strong two-way center for the Canucks.

However, that contract is only a year and a half away from ending and with things certainly not looking great for Vancouver, it’s certainly reasonable to speculate as to whether or not Horvat would be willing to sign another long-term pact, particularly if they shift gears and look towards a rebuild.  Clearly, several general managers around the league seem to have that idea with Horvat driving a lot of the trade inquiries at this stretch.

While Horvat is off to a bit of a slow start offensively this season with six goals and five assists through the first 21 games, he’s still the type of player that could command a sizable return.  He still often receives the toughest checking assignments and is quite strong at the faceoff dot, elements that contending teams always covet while a change of scenery could certainly get him going offensively again as well.

Horvat carries a $5.5MM AAV this season and next which is certainly below market value for a player of his caliber.  He also doesn’t have any trade protection which will make it a bit easier to facilitate a trade.

While Vancouver would understandably like to keep Horvat in the fold, he’s also arguably their best trade chip as none of their rentals – headlined by Halak and winger Tyler Motte – wouldn’t come close to yielding the type of return that Horvat would.  If they do decide to rebuild, Horvat is the type of player that should bring back a minimum of a first-round pick and a top prospect plus likely some other pieces as well.

The future was supposed to be now in terms of Vancouver’s playoff prospects but that’s looking less and less likely.  As a result, the Canucks may soon need to make some decisions about key veterans and with the type of interest Horvat appears to be generating, he could very well be a strong candidate to be traded if they indeed start looking towards the future.

Minnesota Wild Targeting J.T. Miller

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Things are not alright in Vancouver amidst another disappointing start. The Canucks sit seventh in the Pacific Division with just three wins in their past ten games. While the front office and ownership have promised (at least publicly) to stay the course and not overreact to their current turmoil, NHL competitors are taking notice and lining up for a piece of a potential fire sale.

At the front of the line are the Minnesota Wild. The Central Division leaders are enjoying a strong start, but are not without holes in the lineup, one of them being another top-six scorer. While The Province’s Ben Kuzma notes that Minnesota native Brock Boeser would seem to be the ideal acquisition, he reports that the Wild have in fact called on J.T. Miller. While Miller has flashed ability at every stop, including New York and Tampa, he has been at his best since landing with the Canucks. Miller can do it all from the center position; a balanced scorer, fierce checker, and face-off ace, Miller has developed into a well-rounded top-six pivot. He even plays big minutes for the Canucks, too. The Wild have taken notice and clearly feel that he could be an asset, perhaps even on the top line.

Kicking the tires is far from finalizing a deal though and the Canucks won’t let Miller go easily. Miller is signed through next season and at a $5.25MM AAV that is very palatable for a player who has scored at a near point-per-game pace since arriving in Vancouver. Kuzma suspects that a package from Minnesota would likely include Kevin Fiala, which could be attractive to the Canucks. Fiala and the Wild seem to be at odds about his role on the team following a difficult negotiation this summer and the 25-year-old forward could benefit from a change of scenery. The Canucks would get younger by swapping Miller for Fiala, but will also maintain their goal of avoiding a rebuild by adding another talented, proven forward in return. That won’t be it either, as the Canucks will be able to command some building blocks as well. Their first-round pick and top prospects Marco Rossi and Matt Boldy are likely off the board, but a second-round and/or an exciting young name like Calen Addison or Adam Beckman could be floated instead.

Again, a deal is nowhere close but when interest is able to be confirmed like this, there is typically more than just smoke. The Canucks and Wild seem like good trade partners, the question is whether Vancouver is willing and if so whether Minnesota can meet their demands. Miller could be a game-changer for a Wild team in position to make a deep run this season.

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