As the Vancouver Canucks are in the early days of a rebuild, former coach Bruce Boudreau recently took a shot at Vancouver's previous management. Boudreau's harsh words aren't wrong, but that doesn't mean the Canucks are now moving in the wrong direction with new GM Ryan Johnson.
The NHL hockey market in Vancouver has grown increasingly volatile as the Canucks have self-immolated for both of the past two seasons.
Canucks fans have grown exhausted with the ongoing drama of the organization and the consistent disappointment with the current iteration of the team. And even former Canucks coach Bruce Boudreau has weighed in on the state of the franchise, ripping former president of hockey operations Jim Rutherford while praising new GM Ryan Johnson and new co-presidents Henrik and Daniel Sedin.
"I think (Johnson and the Sedins) are going to be so much better than to have Jim there and (former GM) Patrik Allvin, who did whatever Jim wanted anyway, so it didn't really matter if Patrik was there or not," Boudreau said last week on the Fellowship of the Rink podcast.
"(Johnson) was the only one that was easy to talk to. The only one that would have a conversation where you weren’t worried that, 'what do I have to say now,' to make sure that it doesn’t get back to anybody. It makes you feel comfortable to talk to him."
As Vancouver's former head coach from 2021 to 2023, Boudreau has earned the right to have his own opinions of the organization, as scathing as they may be. And this writer has all kinds of time for Rutherford, a proven winner and a Hockey Hall of Famer.
But there’s no question the Canucks needed a thorough air out as much as any NHL team. There was a sense of toxicity in B.C. that had to be addressed head-on. And that's what the team did by hiring Johnson – and, earlier this week, by hiring coach Manny Malhotra as the replacement for Adam Foote.
This Vancouver team needed a radically different approach, and that's what it feels like Johnson, the Sedins and Malhotra will be doing with this team, even if it’s very early days in the new direction the franchise is taking. But by cleaning house and letting go of Allvin and Foote, the Canucks are clearly trying to turn the page and start a new generation of the team through a full rebuild.
That’s the really positive news here if you’re a Canucks fan. Vancouver ownership and management now appear to be on the same page for a rebuild, after many years where that wasn’t the case.
The quick-fix mentality has been abandoned, and that process started in earnest with the blockbuster trade of superstar defenseman Quinn Hughes to the Minnesota Wild.
So there can be no turning back now for the Canucks. The veterans they still have – including forwards Elias Pettersson, Brock Boeser and Jake DeBrusk, goalie Thatcher Demko and defenseman Marcus Pettersson – all have to be shopped to see what the team can add in trades for them.
The proof is going to be in the pudding for Johnson and the Sedins when it comes to peeling off veteran pieces of Vancouver’s roster. But while there’s going to be more pain ahead, the Canucks have to focus on moving two steps forward for every step back. And that means patience for Vancouver fans.
It’s going to be difficult for those fans to grit their teeth and bear it as the Canucks steer into a new direction, but the good news is it’s the right direction.
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