With school now back in session, and before training camps officially open next week, over the course of the next few days we’ll be bringing you up to date on how each of the seven Canadian NHL teams have spent their summers.
How I Spent My Summer series: EDM | CGY | WPG | TOR | OTT | MTL
GM: Jim Benning
Head coach: Travis Green
Assistants: Nolan Baumgartner, Newell Brown, Manny Malhotra, Ian Clark
Signings
• Jay Beagle, four years, $12 million
• Antoine Roussel, four years, $12 million
• Tim Schaller, two years, $3.8 million
Departures
• Henrik Sedin, retirement
• Daniel Sedin, retirement
• Nic Dowd, UFA, Washington
• Michael Chaput, UFA, Montreal
• Jayson Megna, UFA, Washington
Biggest summer splash
The Canucks dropped a bombshell late on a quiet summer day, announcing on July 25 that Trevor Linden was out as president of hockey operations after four seasons. The press release claimed the most iconic figure in franchise history was leaving “amicably,” but it was immediately clear that Linden had clashed ideologically with managing owner Francesco Aquilini and his family and been forced out.
Considering Vancouver is well into a rebuild that has seen Linden and general manager Jim Benning assemble the deepest, most talented prospect pool in team history, the timing of the upheaval was shocking and created unsettling questions about the Canucks’ direction. Benning re-stated his commitment to completing the rebuild and now answers directly to the Aquilinis, without Linden as a buffer between ownership and hockey operations.
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Other notable additions/subtractions
The Canucks repatriated former goaltending coach Ian Clark, who spent the last seven seasons with the Columbus Blue Jackets, when Dan Cloutier requested a role change for family reasons. Cloutier remains on staff as the director of goaltending. Assistant coach Doug Jarvis was moved into an advisory role, and the Canucks lost their renowned human performance director, Dr. Rick Celebrini, to basketball’s Golden State Warriors.
Other summer headlines
Benning’s free-agent signing on July 1 of veteran depth forwards Jay Beagle, Antoine Roussel and Tim Schaller to expensive contracts (Beagle and Roussel received four-year deals with limited trade protection) generated intense debate in the market because they seemed a poor fit for a rebuilding team.
June’s first-round draft pick, dynamic defenceman Quinn Hughes, may be the Canucks’ most exciting prospect since Pavel Bure. But the five-foot-10 blueliner, who was born in Florida but grew up in Toronto, decided on July 28 to return to the University of Michigan for his sophomore season. A key issue was Hughes’ development path this season if he turned pro but proved unready for the NHL. He would rather play among peers and friends near his family home in Michigan than for the Canucks’ farm team in Utica, N.Y.
Key questions heading into training camp
For the first time this century, the Canucks go to training camp without Hall-of-Fame forwards Henrik and Daniel Sedin, who retired in April at age 37 while still productive NHL scorers. Between the draft, free agency and Linden’s exit, so much has happened since last season that only now will most people face the stark reality that the Sedins are gone and the team, which finished 25th in scoring last season, has to replace 105 points in its lineup.
This is why there is bubbling anticipation about the arrival of offensive sensation Elias Pettersson, the fifth-overall pick from 2017 who smashed a pile of records last season in the Swedish Hockey League while being named its MVP at age 19. Hobey Baker winner Adam Gaudette and elite goaltending prospect Thatcher Demko are among the other rookies trying to earn spots on the Canucks.
Calder Trophy finalist Brock Boeser, whose 29-goal season ended a month early due to a back injury that required surgery, has the twin challenge of avoiding the sophomore jinx and leading the Canucks’ attack in the absence of the Sedins. It’s a lot to ask from a 21-year-old.
How will the Canucks incorporate some of their elite prospects while Beagle, Roussel and Schaller are plugged into the lineup to add experience and leadership?
Vancouver is also without a captain, and although everyone’s money is on Bo Horvat, the centre is only 23 years old and the Canucks may wait to name Hank Sedin’s replacement.
What Vegas is saying about the Canucks
Odds on the Canucks winning their first Stanley Cup in 2019 vary from 75-to-1 to 125-to-1. They are universally picked to finish near the bottom of the league for the fourth straight year and sports betting sites believe the Canucks and Arizona Coyotes will battle each other as the Western Conference’s worst teams.
