Linden Steps Down

I blame much of what has happened to the Canucks on ownership.

Linden was officially hired April 9th, 2014 following the firing of Mike Gillis.

They (Canucks) fired Gillis and Torts they brought in an inexperienced GM, Coach and President.

And then they gave them the mandate of rebuilding and winning at the same time and there are few NHL executives or coaches who can pull that off.

As Canucks fans can attest Vancouver made some bad trades, free agent signings, and salary negotiations.

The worst for me was the Gubranson trade where they gave up two second round picks and a first round pick – from the year before – for a player who Ray Ferraro said at the time was at best a third pairing D-man.

And then so they wouldn’t look bad they signed him for $4 million a year after they couldn’t trade him.

Del Zotto was a frequent healthy scratch in Philly who they gave a generous two year deal to and Gangnier had played well the first half of the previous season in Columbus and they signed him for three years.

Now if you look back at the Linden years they are mostly a bust with the exception of some drafts – which most will give Benning and his scouting staff some kudos for. So something had to change.

They were keeping their promising new coach and keeping Benning on for his experience at player evaluation which means that it was Linden who had to go – who I thought was useless all along.

How they did it was quite strategic. According to Botch’s information from players’ agents when Benning was negotiating recent contracts with free agents Jimbo always said that he would have to get back to the owners.

There was no mention of Linden!!

Quite simply the Acquinlis froze Linden out and being a proud man who was growing tired of the Canucks’ shitstorm, he decided to leave.

I personally think it is a win/win situation for both parties.

And I have said all along that Vancouver needs an associate GM who is a deal-maker.

I think that Benning is too nice a guy to do that.

And someone who takes that job will want to nudge Jim sideways a bit which is probably the Acquili’s next move – get rid of Benning.

Note:

Let’s not forget that Linden played 19 seasons in the NHL and recorded 867 points (375-492-867) in 1382 regular season games with the Canucks, Montreal Canadiens, New York Islanders and Washington Capitals.

He (Linden) was am exceptional playoff performer and in 124 playoff games, he recorded 99 points (34-65-99) and 104 penalty minutes.

He will be missed!!

Trevor’s Note:

Good afternoon,

This is a difficult day, as I am writing to let you know that I am leaving my role as President of Hockey Operations for the Vancouver Canucks…

This team and this game hold a special place in my life and I leave very optimistic about the direction the Canucks are headed.

Most of all I am excited about the highly skilled group of prospects and young stars that we have assembled. From ownership to hockey and business operations, the club is as strong as its been in years.

Above it all, I can feel our fans’ sense of hope again and I know the future for the Canucks is very bright.

I love this city and this province, and I will always have a special relationship with this team and Canucks fans. I am going to step back from the spotlight for a while and enjoy the summer with my young family.

Thank you all for your amazing support. I am sure I will see you around town.

Trevor