Canucks Management
Not saying that Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin is a dummy, but Canucks President of Hockey Operations Jim Rutherford is truly the league’s best ventriloquist. Bounce around the league in your head … he might be the only one.
That reality started to become clearer this past weekend following Vancouver’s trade of captain Quinn Hughes to the Minnesota Wild. In multiple media opportunities, Hughes thanked Rutherford and Canucks ownership, and on two occasions as he listed the key people, he left out Allvin.
Hughes discussed the trade conversations held between his agent Pat Brisson and Rutherford. He praised Wild GM Bill Guerin.
Yet who does Rutherford toss out to stumble through the media shooting gallery multiple times following the deal? Patrik Allvin.
In fact, the GM is always paraded out as the front man until the you-know-what really hits the fan.
Did any of the hockey savvy media members in Vancouver — sorry, we’re REALLY limiting ourselves here — actually believe at any point after Rutherford arrived and Allvin arrived soon after that the Swede would really be calling the shots. Ahhhhh, no.
Rutherford is an alpha male executive with Hockey Hall of Fame Honoured Member credentials, which he deserves. He did the best he could in Carolina with the Hurricanes under strangulating finances, he won Cups in Pittsburgh with the Penguins, putting the pieces of the final puzzle together in 2015-’16, and then he avoided retirement by coming to Vancouver.
My favourite goalie as a kid, Rutherford’s history corresponds with mine in the world’s greatest game. I’ve followed his progression and eventually had handfuls of very insightful and entertaining conversations with him along the way. It’s been a privilege.
That said, I think it’s time to think transition. Jimmy will be 77 in February and he stated when he arrived to the Canucks organization that he wasn’t interested in working through a rebuild. No interest.
Plus, at times during the four years, it’s all been a bit of a gong show.
So does the guy figuratively sitting on Rutherford’s knee stick around after the elder statesman actually moves along?
Charlie McCarthy wasn’t much without Edgar Bergen, Walter doesn’t do a whole lot without Jeff Dunham, and Lamb Chop was useless without Shari Lewis.
Earlier Canucks:
— Canucks Lose Yet Again; Sabres Win 3-2
Of interest from the Kraken:
— Canucks, Kraken; Simmer’s Sunday-9: Media BS, Hughes’s Replacement Shines
