When the Vancouver Canucks clean house, they do it like a 1980s teen comedy. In the weekend’s last minutes before the parents get back.
Canucks Clean House, Eye Foundation Suspiciously
The parents, in the case of this strained metaphor, are the live audience. Before Saturday night’s disastrous result was even concluded their feelings were too obvious to disguise, no matter how enthusiastic the organist.
#Canucks fans are booing with five minutes left. Still scattered “Fire Benning” chants as well. pic.twitter.com/6EIF9apS7J
— Daniel Wagner (@passittobulis) December 5, 2021
Rumours abounded through Sunday, but it was difficult to confirm anything until late in the day. Elliotte Friedman has repeatedly reported that ownership wanted to be patient with their next move, resisting a panic decision they’d regret later. Saturday night apparently changed that. Which does make fans wonder why – or how – that same ownership could possibly be surprised considering how the 2021-22 season has gone.
Given the speed with which new coach Bruce Boudreau was hired, they were ready for something. And just to put a cap on former general manager Jim Benning‘s tenure, the fact that Boudreau had been hired was leaked in the media before word of Travis Green‘s firing.
Who’s Out
It’s no surprise that Benning also got caught up in the “Canucks clean house” moves. According to Thomas Drance, there was word weeks ago that he was not allowed to make a coaching change to “wake the team up”. And when you can’t do that, you aren’t the general manager. So both Benning and the slightly mysterious John Weisbrod* are gone on the administrative side. Gone, too, are former head coach Travis Green and his long-time assistant Nolan Baumgartner. Baumgartner was primarily responsible for the penalty kill, and… yeah.
Who’s Left
Stan Smyl
It’s not a 1:1 ratio for replacements coming in, which should raise some eyebrows. When more people replace those who are fired, is that a case of ownership assessing the workload more accurately? Or are they overcorrecting? In any case, the interim general manager is now Stan Smyl, a legendary Vancouver Canuck. Smyl’s #12 was the first retired by the team. He has an extensive local history, leading the New Westminster Bruins to the Memorial Cup Championships three consecutive seasons, winning twice.
Smyl was drafted by the Canucks with the 40th overall pick in 1978 and never played with another NHL team. He was captain for eight of his 13 seasons, immediately stepping behind the bench when he retired in 1991. He was eventually promoted to the White Collar side of operations in 2004 and given a “senior advisor” role to then-general manager Mike Gillis in 2008. He’s coached, scouted, and overseen player development at different levels for 16 years by now.
Ryan Johnson
The general manager of the Abbotsford Canucks, Ryan Johnson has moved 70 kilometres West. While he was a player for the Canucks, it’s probably not a part of his career he looks on fondly. A series of broken bones and a concussion derailed his time there, and he ended his playing career with the Chicago Blackhawks the next season. Off the ice, on the other hand, has worked out better. Johnson has been the director of player development for the Canucks since 2015. He added being general manager of the Utica Comets in 2017-18.
Johnson’s now the interim assistant general manager with the big club while retaining his previous duties, which should keep him busy.
Chris Gear
Not one of the sexiest names in the new “governance by committee” committee, Chris Gear was first hired as a vice-president in 2010. Most of his responsibilities were on the legal side, but in 2015 was given more responsibility as one of the team’s “capologists”. For all the previous group’s failings, they were consistently good at finding ways to squeeze every dime they could out of the salary cap system. How those dimes were used wasn’t his department. He was… promoted(?) to assistant general manager in 2020, so the owners at least like his work.
Doug Jarvis
Yes, that one. Doug Jarvis has been with the team since 2016, first hired as an assistant coach and now a senior advisor. If you value experience, Jarvis has it. Not only is he the current NHL Ironman record holder, playing 964 consecutive games, but he also has four Stanley Cup Champion rings as a player and another two as an assistant coach. Add the Masterton Memorial Trophy and a Selke Trophy win and there’s a lot to respect in his career.
Henrik and Daniel Sedin
Obvious listing is obvious, but we’re tying the twins together here once again. The hiring of Daniel and Henrik Sedin this year is one that speaks volumes. These guys would have been hired immediately after retiring – taking the Stan Smyl Route – but they’re more the Grouse Grind type. They took it slowly, staying away from hockey for a few years before deciding the time was right to return. These are smart guys, on and off the ice. Whenever the Canucks clean house next, it won’t include them. Or at least it shouldn’t, but we saw what happened to Trevor Linden.
Who’s Who
Bruce Boudreau
The big name is obviously the new head coach, Bruce Boudreau. The veteran coached his 985th game on Monday as the Canucks hosted the Los Angeles Kings. It was difficult to tell if the game was that much better or if it was simply the overwhelming relief of the fans and players getting past the Benning era. The biggest feature of Boudreau’s teams is the heavy reliance on offence. He loves to play on the attack, ride his top scorers a lot, and have fun doing it. His teams – the Washington Capitals, Anaheim Ducks, and Minnesota Wild – have always had winning records in the regular season. Well, winning-ish if you go by points percentage rather than wins and losses.
Boudreau’s teams have had a more difficult time come the playoffs, but frankly, that’s got to be the least of Vancouver’s concerns right now. In the meantime, does this sound like the crowd is having fun?
https://twitter.com/vanessaj7_/status/1468089162322509824
Scott Walker
Scott Walker is a Prodigal Son returning to Vancouver. Drafted by the team in 1993, Walker was a scrappy, brawling fourth-line winger for the Canucks. He chipped in three or four goals in each of three full seasons as he racked up penalty minutes. Then the Nashville Predators chose him in the expansion draft, where he promptly scored 15 goals and 40 points in his first year.
*cough*
Walker played over 800 NHL games with different teams around the league, coming to Vancouver as a player development coach in 2015. He joined the Arizona Coyotes in 2018-19 as an assistant to the general manager, taking over development of player personnel the next season. And now he is back with the Canucks, this time behind the bench. He will be taking over the penalty kill duties from Baumgartner. Makes sense, given he was frequently in that role as a player throughout his career. In an ideal world, the Canucks clean house will result in them keeping their house clean.
The Next Move
A Vancouver Canucks Koan: What is the sound of one shoe dropping? The coach and his staff are set – briefly – but there’s at least one more position to be filled. Two, if the team decides to bring in a President of Hockey Operations or similarly titled job.
Odds are very good that no one is officially announced as the new general manager for the calendar year. Quite possibly one doesn’t get named until the end of the season. The interim GM may or may not stay in place. Frankly, given how much Smyl loves both the team and the city it’s a bit difficult to picture him taking the job on a full-time basis. General managers are, after all, hired to be fired. If you’re fired as a general manager, you aren’t just being demoted to an assistant position. You’re gone.
Smyl can draw on his experience as an assistant coach from 1994 – 1999. He remained an assistant as four different coaches came and went. Tell us there isn’t a lesson in there somewhere. At the very least, it raises the stakes for him personally if he takes the job and fails. Obviously, he could go elsewhere for work, but whether he’d want to is a legitimate question.
The Next Move(s)
The same is true of presidents. Whatever authority they are given at their hiring, they only work until the owner says otherwise.
The obvious solution lies in the Sedins. It seems clear that they were hired on only after everyone was very certain of their positions. These are cautious, thoughtful guys, just like they were as players. They know perfectly well that it is far too early for them to take on president or general manager roles. But they are also getting a crash course in the administrative side of running an NHL team. The idea is probably to keep them on the payroll as they move through the ranks, getting a well-rounded perspective.
That training may last only as long as they hold out on Aquilini’s endless phone calls asking “How about now? Now? Now though, right?” Trust them not to jump at that chance too quickly. Be a little more suspicious of the owner giving them a push.
*Okay, seriously: can anyone tell us what exactly John Weisbrod did? Does? Can do? After drawing a salary with the Canucks for eight years we still have no idea what his skill set is.
