Trevor Linden has now assumed the role of General Manager for the Vancouver Canucks.
Linden Makes Big Changes for Canucks
September 20, 2015
canucks.com
No one saw this coming, but Vancouver Canucks' President of Hockey Operations, Alternate Governor, and team legend Trevor Linden made big news today as he fired General Manager Jim Benning a little over a year after he was hired. Linden then revealed that he would be taking over the duties as Canucks GM as well. The big announcements weren't done, though. Linden told a shocked media that head coach Willie Desjardins would be stepping down due to health reasons and would be immediately replaced by former Tampa Bay Lightning coach Guy Boucher.
"Obviously, there are a lot of changes going on within the organization," Linden said. "We are committed to bringing a Stanley Cup to the city of Vancouver and it's great fans. I just felt in order to achieve that goal, some tough decisions had to be made."
Both Benning and Desjardins had been hired in 2014, and together they led the Canucks to the Stanley Cup Playoffs last season where Vancouver fell in the Quarterfinals to Canadian rivals the Calgary Flames in 6 games.
Despite reaching the playoffs unlike the previous season, that result didn't seem to be good enough for Linden. Now it will be up to the club hero to bridge the gap between the veterans and the new wave of players. Most of the Canucks' stars are on the wrong side of 30. The Sedin twins, Ryan Miller, Dan Hamhuis, Alexandre Burrows, Radim Vrbata, and Chris Higgins are all at least 32-years-old. Hamhuis, Burrows, and Vrbata are in the last year of their contracts.
At 44, Boucher has not coached in the NHL since he was fired by Steve Yzerman on March 24, 2013 during his third year in charge of Tampa Bay. Boucher led the Lightning to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2010-11, but was unable to replicate that success in the following year-plus. Most recently, Boucher had been the head coach of SC Bern in Switzerland.
"I'm excited for this great opportunity," Boucher said. "My goal all along has been to get back into the NHL. This is where my heart is, and I feel we can put a product on the ice here in Vancouver that will make the fans proud."
Cynical media may say this is all a move by Linden to take some of the attention off of what is expected to be an uneventful 2015-16 season for the Canucks. However, if there's anyone capable of making the unexpected happen in Vancouver, it's the city-icon, Trevor Linden.