The Vancouver Canucks are heading toward another rebuild, not the “hybrid retool” GM Patrik Allvin discussed after the team traded Quinn Hughes to the Minnesota Wild. Even before Allvin came out on Prime Hockey Monday Night, President of Hockey Operations Jim Rutherford had mentioned the word rebuild not once, not twice, but multiple times, leading up to the Hughes trade and even after it.
Last year, in an interview with the Globe and Mail, Rutherford mentioned how if the Canucks had to rebuild, Quinn Hughes would be gone. That Hughes trade signalled the rebuild was on in Vancouver. Despite having veteran players signed to long-term deals with trade protection, the direction was to rebuild and have sustained success as they did when Henrik Sedin and Daniel Sedin were there.
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Well, that is the direction Vancouver is headed in. Not only is Rutherford saying it, but so is Allvin. As NHLRumors.com documented in two separate interviews earlier in January, Rutherford spoke with Iain MacIntyre of Sportsnet about the Canucks’ rebuild and how everything is on the table in terms of trade. Later in the day, Allvin told Canucks.com, the team was heading into a rebuild.
However, that was just the first time it would be mentioned during the week. Rutherford spoke with Patrick Johnston of The Province and Gary Mason of the Globe and Mail and detailed the plans for the rebuild.
“It’s our duty to take calls on everyone,” Rutherford told Johnston. “When we started the process … the intent at the start was to not get into any core player. It may very well end up staying that way. But it certainly would not make any sense for Patrik (Allvin) to not listen to anybody.”
That means Vancouver is taking calls not only on Elias Pettersson (year two of eight year deal at $11.6 million a season), but Jake DeBrusk, Tyler Myers, Conor Garland, Nils Hoglander, Filip Hronek, along with pending unrestricted free agents Kiefer Sherwood (traded yesterday afternoon to the Sharks), Evander Kane, David Kampf, Derek Forbort, and Teddy Blueger. It sounds like the Kings have interest in Evander Kane.
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The Canucks have to be very smart here. The big hesitation is to tear it down to the studs and not have those veterans there to help the young players come along. However, the Canucks have a habit of getting in their own way, too. Before the Canucks traded J.T. Miller last season, he was on the block two seasons earlier, in a contract year. But instead of moving them, they signed him to an eight-year extension.
The following season, Elias Pettersson, in a contract season, was on the trade block. The Canucks knew the history between the two players. However, the Canucks were primed to make a deep run. Once again, they signed the player to a long-term deal. Yes, centers are hard to come by, but Vancouver prevented itself multiple times from gaining assets for Pettersson and Miller.
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The same goes for Conor Garland and Brock Boeser. Both signed extensions to stay and help the Canucks win. But Vancouver was in no place to compete. Again, if Pettersson is traded, it will feel like Cory Schneider and Roberto Luongo all over again. That was a tough time for the Canucks organization.
But they need to get it right and have patience. Most teams don’t because they don’t want to be the next Buffalo Sabres or Detroit Red Wings. Teams want to do this quickly, like the Washington Capitals. The Capitals took flyers on players and drafted really well. So Rutherford and Allvin will have to be patient; it is about the future, not about the now.
“We’ve got to have the patience of living through where we are presently,” he explained. “Being cautious in what is being moved and what is the return. Continue to stick to either getting young players, 25 or younger, or getting draft picks,” Rutherford continued with Johnston.“There are deals out there that could make our team better today, but does it work for us over a three-year period? I would like to think based on the number of young players that we have, that we’ve been able to pick up over the last few years, with high ceiling, that this rebuild can take two or three years, not six to 10.”
But that has been the issue for the Canucks throughout their history recently. Vancouver tries to turn it around right away when going to a rebuild. These things take time, and Rutherford might not even be there to see it through, telling Mason of the Globe and Mail.
“Eventually I will have to do what’s best for my family but also what’s best for the Canucks,” Rutherford told Mason of the Globe and Mail. “I’m committed to this rebuild. I’m committed to this job today and as long as I’m here.” However, when asked about the following season, Rutherd told Mason, “As we speak, yes, I am.” But beyond that, he stated, “he didn’t know.”
For a team that is in a rebuild, you need the President of Hockey Operations committed to the plan. While he is still in place, he needs to start the transition process and hand things over to Allvin, a well-respected hockey mind.
The key for the Vancouver Canucks is to get the major positions right. As Rutherford has made clear, the NHL is based on having a number one goalie, a number one defenseman, and a number one center. And in recent times, two number one centers. If the Canucks get those right, it can speed things along, but drafting and developing are still key.
But make no mistake: the Vancouver Canucks are a bad hockey team, and the results show they are a young team rebuilding. There will be some suffering, and getting a high draft pick will help, but sticking to the plan is key for Vancouver. If they follow the Montreal Canadiens model, they will be fine; if not, they will be the next Sabres.
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