Anyone doubting the Vancouver Canucks is in a really unhealthy place as of late want solely hearken to president of hockey operations Jim Rutherford, who on Monday confirmed the actual fact amid questions from the media in regards to the membership’s ongoing failure to ice a winner and associated dramas blowing up across the crew.
With playoff hopes already dashed and the season solely half over, Rutherford was blunt in his assessments.
“I’m fairly disillusioned with the job I’ve completed,” he mentioned. “This was by no means going to be a fast repair … I do know the frustration of the followers and media. And everybody needs it completed ahead of later, identical to I do. But in a cap world, it is not that simple to do.”
Rutherford, 73, joined the Canucks 13 months in the past amid a entrance workplace and training shakeup that noticed coach Travis Green and common supervisor Jim Benning fired.
But expectations {that a} new imaginative and prescient on the high would result in improved outcomes on the scoreboard haven’t materialized.
Rutherford was requested if the crew ought to simply tank the rest of the season to extend the chances of drafting superstar-in-waiting Connor Bedard in June’s rookie draft.
“I believed we had been tanking. We’re fairly near the underside,” he mentioned. “I’d by no means … go and inform a coach or the gamers do not play onerous for this recreation. They have a job to do, to come back to work each recreation and attempt to win that recreation.”
Addressing rumours that head coach Bruce Boudreau can be fired imminently, with Rick Tocchet ready within the wings to interchange him, Rutherford divulged he is been speaking to contacts about potential teaching hires for months.
Hockey insiders have reported that Vancouver Canucks head coach Bruce Boudreau will likely be changed by Rick Tocchet. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
“Bruce is our coach, and that is the way in which it’s right this moment,” was all he would say.
Rutherford mentioned the crew wants “main surgical procedure” and that the plan is to “retool” the roster with younger gamers fairly than refill on draft picks for a multi-year rebuilding mission.
“My desire is once we make offers, it is not essentially for draft picks who might are available in and assist the crew 4 years or 5 years from now. I would like to get youthful NHL gamers that will not have labored out nicely on the entry-level contracts and produce them in to get a second probability,” he mentioned.
One of the foremost strikes that appears inevitable is parting methods with captain Bo Horvat, possible in a commerce earlier than the season ends.
A pending free agent, Horvat is having a profession yr and can command upwards of $8 million a season on the open market, which is greater than the Canucks can handle below the wage cap.
“I imagine we have taken our greatest shot. The contract we now have on the desk for Bo proper now’s truthful worth for what he is completed as much as this yr, nevertheless it’s actually below worth for what he is completed this yr,” mentioned Rutherford. “So we’re in a pickle right here.”
The Canucks referred to as the information convention to deal with feedback made by defenceman Quinn Hughes implying that the crew’s medical employees mishandled a hand damage suffered by Tanner Pearson in November.
The membership initially mentioned Pearson can be out for 4 to 6 weeks. He’s now had three surgical procedures and can miss the rest of the season and probably extra.
Rutherford mentioned due to privateness issues, he couldn’t talk about the small print of Pearson’s remedy or damage.
“He’s had two setbacks, and that has led us to the place the place we’re right this moment,” mentioned Rutherford.
