The Vancouver Canucks are in need of dier change, that is hockey’s worst kept secret. The Canucks have struggled all season long with blame being pointed everywhere. Who’s fault is it? Management? Maybe, coaching? possibly, the players? likely. Regardless change is coming for the Vancouver Canucks and the question is what is changing and when? It has been said time and time again but change is needed, let’s look into the needed changes and possible fixes.
Ownership
First, one of the number one things you will see or hear on social media or in the arena is to sell the team. Canucks fans have been calling for Francesco Aquilini to sell the Vancouver Canucks. Yes this may solve some of the Canucks issues but in the bigger picture this could cause Rogers Arena to be hockey-less, a buyer could step in and move the beloved Canucks somewhere new such as Quebec City, Houston, or even Portland. For Canucks faithful the last thing needed is for Aquilini to sell the team, cut that thought. Although the best thing Aquilini could do is let his general manager do his job and give him the keys to the car. Aquilini has always been known to be too involved in hockey operations and that has clearly never worked in his favor.
Management
The Canucks have endured eight long years of Jim Benning at the helm and now may be the time for a change. When taking the job as the Canucks general manager Benning decided it would be best to retool. Unfourtantly for the Canucks their retool has ended up looking like an eight-year dollar store rebuild. Benning and company have done a good job drafting adding the likes of Quinn Hughes, Thatcher Demko, Brock Boeser, and Elias Pettersson. They have also had their fair share of questionable moves such as Oli Juolevi, Jake Virtanen, Jared McCann, and Kole Lind who did not last long enough in Vancouver to find success. He has other questionable moves that have done more harm than good such as Loui Eriksson, Tyler Toffoli, as well as many more head-scratching moves.
Coaching
Someone has to take the fall and during a rough season, it tends to be the coaching staff. Although Travis Green should not shoulder all the blame he should shoulder some. His constant line mixing is negating the ability for the new-look Canucks to gain chemistry and his historically bad benching tactics do not help. Yes, players need to earn their playing but benching a young player with promise does more harm than good. He did it with Vasily Podkolzin multiple times to start the season and did it with Virtanen and Ben Hutton in the past. Although the players are not playing to standards Green has not been utilizing them to their full potential either. It is apparent there will be a coaching change, the timeline is currently unknown. The question remains who takes over, here are a few options.
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Players
Travis Green has seemed to of lost the locker and it becomes more apparent each game. Unfourtantly for the players Green has upper management on his side and a trade to shake things up is becoming imminent. A couple of players have found their names in the rumor mill, most recently J.T. Miller. The rumor mill has said the Minnesota Wild have call the Canucks about Miller with Kevin Fiala being named on the other end. Although Miller is leading the Canucks in points desperate times calls for desperate measures and Miller’s value could be as high as ever right now. Other players who could be on the move out are Tyler Motte and Jaroslav Halak. Both of which would hold some sort of value for a playoff contender.
Changes Are Coming
Some sort of change is coming in Vancouver and your guess is as good as mine. Although if the Canucks want to salvage their season the change needs to hit sooner rather than later, that is if the Canucks are not taking a run at Shane Wright or Conor Geekie. Until the change Canucks fans have to listen to Aquilini and his broken record saying “be patient” because apparently, 50 plus years is not enough time.
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