Who won Kentucky Derby? Inside Golden Tempo's win at Churchill Downs
Golden Tempo takes the win at the 152nd Kentucky Derby!
The Vancouver Canucks are narrowing down their search for a new GM to eight candidates, all of whom are inexperienced in the role. Concerns arise about appointing a rookie GM despite oversight from president of hockey operations Jim Rutherford.
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The Vancouver Canucksâ search for a new GM continues, with a Sportsnet report Friday that the Canucks have narrowed down their search to eight candidates.
Those being Canucks assistant GM Ryan Johnson, Toronto Maple Leafs assistant GM Shane Doan, Boston Bruins assistant GMs Evan Gold and Jamie Langenbrunner, Tampa Bay Lightning assistant GM Jeff Tambellini, Florida Panthers assistant GM Brett Peterson, Calgary Flames assistant GM Brad Pascall, and former Buffalo Sabres GM Kevyn Adams.
So, unless you remove Adams from the field, youâre looking at a situation where the next Canucks GM will be a rookie GM. While we respect the fact that the president of hockey operations, Jim Rutherford, will be around to supervise Vancouverâs next GM, it should be a little bit alarming that theyâll likely be giving the reins to a first-time architect of an NHL team.
We donât rule out the possibility of a rookie GM coming in and proving theyâre a smart and special manager. That absolutely is within the realm of possibility, and weâre sure Rutherford & Co. will make a solid sales pitch to Canucks fans and ticket-holders on whomever they hire.
The candidates include Ryan Johnson, Shane Doan, Evan Gold, Jamie Langenbrunner, Jeff Tambellini, Brett Peterson, Brad Pascall, and Kevyn Adams.
There are concerns that appointing a rookie GM could be alarming, as they will be responsible for building the team with oversight from Jim Rutherford.
The Canucks have narrowed their search down to eight candidates.
Jim Rutherford, the president of hockey operations, will supervise the new GM, providing guidance throughout the process.
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But look at whatâs ahead for Vancouver this summer, and tell us weâre wrong for being skeptical that a rookie GM can handle it.
For starters, theyâre guaranteed to have a top-three pick in the 2026 entry draft. They should have a clear idea of who theyâll be picking from picks one through three, and whoever is hired as GM will probably lean on the current scouting department. But thereâs still a lot of pressure there to get their pick right.
But this is just the start of what Vancouverâs next GM has to do. The new GM may want to hire their own coach, which may not be entirely fair to current bench boss Adam Foote.
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But thatâs the cruel reality of the coaching/management business. The next Canucks GM canât afford to go with anyone other than the coach theyâre comfortable with, so the new GM must have the courage of their convictions and hire a new coach if thatâs what they feel the situation calls for.
The next GM also needs full autonomy to trade as many Canucks veterans as they choose to. Those veterans include goalie Thatcher Demko, center Elias Pettersson, wingers Jake DeBrusk and Brock Boeser, and defenseman Marcus Pettersson. Vancouver already has a projected $21.5 million in salary cap space, but itâs highly unlikely that most, if not all, of those veterans want to be part of a full rebuild.
That said, the next Canucks GM could retain a couple of them to preserve a familiar environment for their young players. But if youâve been watching the Canucks in recent years, youâd know the environment is exactly what the team should want to change. Vancouverâs next GM must be self-confident enough not to let his playersâ opinions dictate what the right moves are for the Canucks to turn this ship around.
The Canucks weâre looking at now will be drastically different than the Canucks weâll see at training camp. Given how terrible Vancouver has been of late, thatâs a good thing.
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But whoever Rutherford chooses for the GM job needs to hit the ground running and immediately make major changes that will move the team forward. Canucks fans have grown tired of excuses, and the next GM will face significant pressure to deliver results that put Vancouver on the road to success. That will be true whether the Canucks hire an experienced or inexperienced GM.
Nevertheless, thereâs no protecting the next Canucks GM, as Rutherford wonât be able to shield them from criticism if thereâs no clear positive direction for the franchise. Canucks fans are wise enough to know this isnât a short-term, quick-fix job for Vancouverâs next GM. But youâd better believe those fans will hold a high bar for the new GM to clear.
If Vancouverâs next GM doesnât clear that bar, there undoubtedly will be legitimate cause for rage and anguish from the Canucksâ fan base. Itâs not a âMission: Impossibleâ situation for Vancouverâs new GM, but itâs going to take a patient, skilled manager to pull this Canucks organization out of the mud and put it into a playoff position on a year-in, year-out basis.
And the pressure for that job is a Day 1 issue that only a skilled GM can address and succeed in spite of.
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