Vancouver Canucks GM Mike Gillis continues to support head coach Alain Vigneault after another early playoff exit.
Gillis told reporters during the Canucks’ season-ending press conference on Tuesday that Vigneault is an excellent head coach and remains extremely confident in him.
“I have every bit of confidence in Alain,” Gillis said when asked why Vigneault did not take part in Tuesday’s press conference. “This has no reflection on him, our relationship, or what I think of him as a coach or a person.”
Some have suggested that the Canucks should move on from Vigneault, who this season became the all-time leader in wins in the history of the franchise.
The Canucks, who were the No. 1 seed, were eliminated in five games by the Los Angeles Kings after finishing one game away from winning the Stanley Cup last season.
Gillis stated that he believes in Vigneault and the criticism coming from the media has been unjust.
“It gets exasperating sometimes,” Gillis explained. “This guy’s the winningest coach in the team’s history, he’s got two President’s trophies, he lost in Game 7 on the Stanley Cup final. Is that when you decide it’s time to start getting rid of people?”
Vigneault, like the rest of the organization, will be evaluated by Gillis and the ownership group in the coming weeks.
“My future will be discussed first and then we’ll move on to every element of the organization,” Gillis said.
The Canucks head coach has one year remaining on his contract after leading the team to two straight President’s Trophies.
