As the Vancouver Canucks' season winds down and their playoff hopes fade, the attention is shifting towards what promises to be another intriguing off-season in Vancouver.
It will be the first off-season for new management led by president of hockey operations Jim Rutherford and general manager Patrik Allvin. Having only made two noteworthy trades at the trade deadline, many are wondering what lies ahead in the summer and beyond.
One of those issues surrounds head coach Bruce Boudreau, despite producing a solid .625 points percentage since he joined the team in December.
Boudreau, 67, signed what was initially reported as a two-year deal but there are a couple of wrinkles in that contract.
“He’s on a one-year contract and there’s an option for next year," Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman said during the 32 Thoughts segment on Hockey Night in Canada. "Nobody will tell me exactly what it is but I think that I’ve kind of pieced it together, and that is that the Canucks have an option to keep him or not, but if they don’t, there’s a payment that has to go to Boudreau and also, Boudreau has an option not to return and if that was to happen, I don’t think he gets a payout but it would put him on the open market at the end of the year.”
The Canucks (32-28-9) have 13 games remaining in their season. Their next game is against the Vegas Golden Knights on Sunday.
