The Vancouver Canucks appear to be closing in on their next top leader.
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The Vancouver Canucks may be getting closer to their new chief of hockey operations.
According to a report by Darren Dreger of TSN, the Canucks are in talks with Jim Rutherford, former general manager of the Pittsburgh Penguins and Carolina Hurricanes.
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Dreger said it was unclear whether the team would also hire a general manager to work with Rutherford. Former general manager Jim Benning was fired on Sunday and former and former player Stan Smyl was named interim general manager, while owner Francesco Aquilini said he would seek new management.
While Benning was fired just over the weekend, Aquilini is understood to have been searching for potential candidates for several weeks. Some reports had suggested that he had also spoken to the sports management search agency Sportsology, run by Mike Forde. But Aquilini said Monday that he had not consulted with Forde. Forde helped the New Jersey Devils in their search for a new general manager last year and has also helped several NBA teams.
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Given Rutherford’s age, who will turn 73 in February, one wonders if this hiring is short-term, where he will help guide the Sedins into a likely future as co-general managers in a couple of seasons.
In similar terms, Bruce Boudreau was hired this week on a short-term deal to coach the remainder of the current season. (By the way, at 67, Boudreau is now the oldest coach in the NHL.)
His contract has a one-year option for next season, a move that recognizes the nebulous nature of the Canucks’ current position: The owners believe they are a playoff team, but they have fought hard to open the season that is going to be something. hard. achieve and it may be time to just start rebuilding the team.
Rutherford won the Stanley Cup twice with the Penguins, in 2016 and 2017, and once with the Hurricanes in 2006. He had started with the Hurricanes franchise in 1994 when they were still Hartford Whalers.
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He resigned as general manager of the Penguins in January, citing personal reasons. But in May he signed with PBI Sports agent Neil Glasberg, a clear sign that he was looking to return to hockey management.
Since winning the cup in 2017, he had been trying to build a team to win one more Stanley Cup for his mature superstars Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, making a series of moves that spoke of “win now”.
In doing so, he made some terrible missteps, like signing Jack Johnson and Brandon Tanev to big contracts that clearly misjudged their true talents. Johnson was an error-prone defender struggling to control the game in his own zone, while Tanev was a hard-working fourth player.
He also traded in for Mike Matheson, the blueliner former Florida Panthers general manager Dale Tallon had signed to a ridiculous contract.
Rutherford played as a goalkeeper for 13 years in the NHL, retiring in 1983.
Reference-theprovince.com