Canucks News

"When news broke that Fabian Brunnstrom chose to sign with Dallas, there were no tears shed in Vancouver's front office Thursday. The Canucks never participated in the Brunnstrom dog-and-pony show, taking a pass on a visit to Vancouver by Brunnstrom, an indication that the team had lost significant interest after Dave Nonis was fired."

"For a week now, Canucks head coach Alain Vigneault has spent his days at GM Place on the hot seat. For a couple hours, sometimes more, each day, he's been brought in to informally defend, dissect and rehash a season most are trying to forget. He's not done yet. "It's still ongoing, it's going to take even more time," Canucks GM Mike Gillis said. "It's a major decision and I don't want anyone to feel that major decisions are made without a complete process.""

"Before he served any one person, Steve Tambellini served the Vancouver Canucks. It's the crest on the front that counts, right? Not the name on the back. Isn't that what they say in hockey? Team over individuals. Still, it doesn't make it any easier. In 20 years with the National Hockey League club, the last 17 in management, Tambellini has survived more regime changes than Bolivia."

"As anyone who's seen an Oliver Stone movie can tell you, it's now clear that Wednesday's TSN report was the first act in a sequence of events which will inevitably lead to Brian Burke and Dave Nonis reuniting in Toronto to run the Maple Leafs. I mean, who would argue differently? The crack management team at Maple Leafs Sports & Entertainment has long since targeted Burke as the man who would be king of their empire. Nonis, his close confederate and former first lieutenant with the Vancouver Canucks, has recently been made available amid an equally interesting set of circumstances. Put it all together and the inescapable conclusion is Nonis has been approached to serve as a caretaker GM in Toronto while Burke completes the last year of his contract with the Anaheim Ducks."

"Paul Maurice is out as coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs, and now the rumour mill can start churning, both over who's his replacement and who's the new boss. In the latter case, will that search lead back to Vancouver?...As for who might be part of that "new regime," the big rumour Wednesday was that recently fired Canucks GM Dave Nonis could be hooking up with the Leafs. TSN reported Toronto had approached Vancouver for permission to speak with Nonis. And the Canucks' response? "We do not plan on making any statement to confirm or deny the report," a team official told The Vancouver Sun."

"Vancouver Canucks president and chief executive officer Chris Zimmerman spent several years working for Nike, where he managed the company's U.S. golf operations before becoming president and CEO of Nike Bauer Hockey. He chatted recently with The Sun's Brad Ziemer about his golf experiences, which include teeing it up with Tiger Woods."

"The idea of analytics is so unorthodox and intimidating for the staid old hockey world, Mike Smith says there are general managers who will never "dip their toe in the water." But don't be surprised if new Vancouver Canuck boss Mike Gillis dives into the deep end. Analytics -- the sophisticated analysis of data -- revolutionized baseball when its most famous proponent, Oakland Athletics general manager Billy Beane, relied on statistics over gut instincts to build a perennial contender. Gillis, the former player agent hired last month to replace Dave Nonis as the Canucks' GM, cited Beane's success when discussing unconventionality in management. A day after introducing Laurence Gilman as the Canucks' first "capologist," Gillis reiterated Tuesday he is willing to try bold, new ideas."

"But Gilman agreed that the NHL's posts-lockout collective bargaining agreement has become extremely complex. "The level of complexity of operating an NHL franchise has grown exponentially over the last 10 years and even moreso since the advent of the salary cap," he said. "There was a point in time hockey decisions were made with little regard for financial implications. Today, given that these businesses operate on budgets in excess of $50 million and you have to operate within a salary cap system, there needs to be greater emphasis on what the financial impact will be."

"Mike Gillis hasn't had the opportunity to get any face-time with Roberto Luongo yet, but the new Vancouver Canucks GM says he's encouraged by two phone conversations with the franchise goalie. "I haven't sat down with him yet," Gillis said Monday. "I had a couple of opportunities to speak with him and felt very good about them. The idea that he doesn't want to be here is the furthest thing from being accurate. He wants to be here, he wants to win." "

"We are still not sure who is going to coach the team, but the Vancouver Canucks have their capologist. New general manager Mike Gillis made his first hire Monday, confirming last week's reports that former Phoenix Coyotes assistant GM Laurence Gilman will be the team's money man. Gilman's official title with the Canucks is director of hockey administration. His main duties figure to be keeping the team up to speed regarding the intricacies of the NHL salary cap."

"Wild forward and pending free agent Pavol Demitra was in Vancouver over the weekend so he could check out the city prior to returning to his native Slovakia for the summer. Demitra, 33, can become a free agent July 1 and both he and the Wild appeared destined to part ways after the season. The Demitra visit was confirmed by new Canucks GM Mike Gillis during a radio interview on Vancouver's Team 1040-AM. "

"When he took the job, Gillis said his top priority was hiring a "capologist" -- someone who understands the nuances of the collective bargaining agreement, is a good negotiator, has a constant eye on the market and knows the salary-cap situation of every team in the league inside-out. Gillis appears to have found his number-cruncher in Laurence Gilman, a longtime contract/CBA specialist with the Winnipeg Jets and Phoenix Coyotes who is expected to be unveiled shortly as the Canucks' newest executive."

"Trevor Linden is not riding into the sunset, he's riding for cancer research. The Vancouver Canuck icon will be joining Olympic snowboarding gold medallist Ross Rebagliati and Tour de France veteran Axel Merckx in a huge cycling fund-raiser June 1 on Vancouver's west side. Linden has always worked tirelessly for a number of causes, so his inclusion in this event is hardly a surprise."

"As if it wasn't apparent on April 5, Trevor Linden dropped another gigantic hint Thursday that his hockey-playing days are done. The long-time Vancouver Canuck forward, now 38, presented one of his jerseys to MLA Sindi Hawkins at a cancer fund-raising rally, telling the crowd in attendance: "She's taking over the No. 16 now." Linden has yet to announce his retirement and was coy when asked if he planned to do so in the near future."

"It just might be the Vancouver Canucks have their new capologist. A blog by the Globe and Mail's Tim Wharnsby was reporting Wednesday night the Canucks are set to hire former Winnipeg Jets and Phoenix Coyotes assistant general manager Laurence Gillman, who was part of the Michael Barnett regime before it was swept out of power last summer. Canucks GM Mike Gillis, reached late Wednesday at his Vancouver home, would not confirm the hiring but said he expected an announcement shortly, which tends to indicate they have their man."

"Vancouver isn't on Fabian Brunnstrom's travel itinerary, but that doesn't necessarily mean the Canucks are off the list of NHL teams with whom the Swedish free agent may potentially sign. Brunnstrom was reported in Dallas on Tuesday and will also be travelling to Detroit and Montreal and likely Toronto for some mutual tire kicking, as the 23-year-old forward gets down to the nitty gritty of where he will play in the NHL this fall. The Canucks were on the verge of getting Brunnstrom's name on a contract two weeks ago, but the surprise firing of GM Dave Nonis put the move on hold."

"Alex Edler's breakout rookie season with the Canucks has landed him a spot on the world stage."

"As rookie Vancouver GM Mike Gillis sets out to reshape the Canucks, MacLean offered up a few pointers."

"Through such a lens -- or kaleidoscope -- Mark Messier's three years as Canucks captain were a success. It's not a memory shared by most Canucks fans, but the Moose himself, a Hall of Fame talent and leader of leaders, remembers it that way."

"Martin could select an NHL guy with years of experience such as a Pat Burns or, should they become available, San Jose's Ron Wilson or Vancouver's Alain Vigneault. Any of those three would put the team in the hands of a competent leader, letting Martin focus almost completely on his GM duties."

"He loves to snowboard and promises to ride his bike to work if the sun comes out. Mike Gillis's credentials to manage the Vancouver Canucks can be debated, but there is no doubt he is qualified by lifestyle to live here."

"This was real-life television in the Global TV newsroom late last Tuesday afternoon. Sports director Squire Barnes and reporter Brian Coxford spilled out the information they'd gathered about who they were being told the new Canucks GM was going to be while veteran news director Ian Haysom listened, took a few notes, listened some more and finally said: "Go with it!""

"Markus Naslund is recovering after elbow surgery to remove loose bone chips Thursday. It's unclear how long the problem had been bothering the pending unrestricted free agent. He went to Hawaii following the season before having the surgery. One report has suggested Naslund won't return to Vancouver if coach Alain Vigneault comes back. New GM Mike Gillis, who used to be Naslund's agent, said Thursday he hasn't discussed the issue with Naslund. "He'll make a decision in the next little bit but I haven't heard that coming from him," Gillis said of the report."

"As a veteran of the coaching wars, Rick Bowness has endured a few reviews in his time and this one, he noted Thursday, is not really any different. Bowness, the Vancouver Canucks' associate coach, and head man Alain Vigneault are in limbo while new general manager Mike Gillis assesses their future with the NHL team."

"Mike Gillis didn't take the Canucks' top hockey spot in hopes of adding Kevin Lowe to his Facebook account. He isn't day-dreaming about summer days spent talking trade while chumming around with some general manager pals on fishing trips, in golf tournaments or at family events such as weddings. He didn't take the job to meet friends or find classmates. He isn't concerned about portraying himself as the smiling good guy, the nice guy. He isn't worried about hard feelings. It's a business, folks, keep moving along. Because in business emotional ties wreak havoc with the bottom line."

"At about the same time her father was being introduced to the media in Vancouver Wednesday as the new general manager of the NHL Canucks, Kate Gillis was being presented to an assembly of school kids at Glanford Middle School along with the rest of her Team Canada field hockey mates. "Today was the big day I got to tell my teammates [that her dad, Mike Gillis, is to become the new GM of the Canucks]," said Gillis. Gillis has known for awhile because it was "a big family decision" that had to be discussed."

"Michael Gillis doesn't seem the warm and fuzzy sort. It's difficult to imagine him crying at the movies -- or going to one. You don't envision him adopting an orphaned kitten, or hugging someone outside his family, or sitting on Oprah's couch and talking about, you know, feelings and stuff. But the Ontario lawyer with the reputation for ruthlessness managed Wednesday to reach out to a skittish hockey nation, wrap his arms around Vancouver Canuck fans and say: "There, there, everything is going to be alright.""

"For the Canucks, it's a brave new world. Vowing to be bold, aggressive and brutally honest, new -- and controversial -- Canucks general manager Mike Gillis swaggered into Vancouver's centre ring swinging. Gillis, who signed a five-year contract with the Canucks, jabbed the team's player development, he hammered the Canucks scouting, he knocked the team's drafting record, and he threw one big, knockout punch at what former GM Dave Nonis left behind, which had to shatter many of the rose-coloured glasses being worn by some fans and media. "I don't think this team is close at this particular point," said Gillis"

"On Markus Naslund: "If we can't provide an environment here that makes perfect sense for him to be here, then he won't be here. If we can, and it makes perfect sense for him to be here, then he'll be here . . . One of the most important ones is whether he wants to be here." On Fabian Brunnstrom: "I am familiar with him. But I'm not going to answer that question because I don't know what the status is at this point in time." On the Sedin twins: "They are front-line players but I don't know if they're players that the team will be built around going forward.""

"Alain Vigneault may not be a dead coach walking, after all. New Canucks general manager Mike Gillis heaped considerable praise on Vigneault and seemed to indicate Wednesday there was at least a decent chance he could return for a third season behind the Vancouver bench. At his introductory news conference at General Motors Place, Gillis suggested Vigneault was partially a victim this past season of the players he was given to coach."

"5 THINGS MIKE GILLIS SAID WILL BE HIS TOP PRIORITIES: 1. Deciding on a head coach. Mike Gillis says making a decision on his coach is the most important task he faces in the immediate future. He will sit down soon with current coach Alain Vigneault, who has a year left on his contract. 2. Gauge Roberto Luongo's long-term commitment to the organization. "Roberto is a priority," said Gillis. "If we don't have him as a priority, our shelf life with him is about two years.""

"There are also huge holes in the Canuck lineup, especially at the forward position, that will make winning difficult. Gillis conceded he didn't think the Canucks were "close at this particular point" to capturing the Cup. "I think this team needs to get faster, I think it needs more grit and I think it needs to be more competitive," Gillis explained. "If these get addressed well, this team won't be far off. A couple of very good decisions, or a couple of really bold decisions, might put this team in a position to win almost immediately. "I'm hoping to be able to take advantage of those opportunities as quickly as we can.""

"Mike Gillis clearly knows what the rest of us figured out quite some time ago. The Vancouver Canucks need help, lots of it, on offence. "The goalie is a double-A goalie, the defence is very good, there are some excellent assets on defence, but I don't think the group of forwards right now are ready to compete," was Gillis's frank assessment of the team he took control of on Wednesday."

"First off, let's dispense with the qualifier. It could be Mike Gillis will be the man who lifts the black cloud that has hung over the Vancouver Canucks for 38 years. He certainly looks like a serious hockey man. And yesterday, as he shared his thoughts on the Canucks, their regrettable history of player development and the misguided notion they're close to being an elite NHL team, he certainly sounded like a serious hockey man. True, there are a couple of things missing from his resumé. Previous experience as a general manager pops to mind. So does any front-office experience for that matter."

"New Vancouver Canucks GM Mike Gillis addressed as many of the issues he comfortably could Wednesday, perhaps assuring at least some of the jittery the franchise was not being turned over to Larry the Cable Guy after all. But as he proceeds on his path to sort through the people here and establish a process to staff the roster, he would do well to remember some of the moves that former Phoenix Coyotes GM Michael Barnett made that he may wish he had back when he concedes that he made some mistakes."

"Pavel Bure is highly complimentary of Mike Gillis when asked how the former player agent and just-appointed Vancouver Canucks GM will perform in his new job. "I think he's a smart guy who knows the hockey world," said Bure from his home in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. "He played himself and he was an agent for so many years. I think he's going to do really good." If you talk to Gillis's former clients, chances are you'll get a glowing review."

"When the Vancouver Canucks announce their new general manager Mike Gillis, they'll be taking a calculated risk on a man who has never done the job."

"The Vancouver Canucks have opted for a fresh face rather than experience in hiring player agent Mike Gillis as their new general manager. Gillis, a 49-year-old native of Sudbury, Ont., is expected to be announced at a press conference today."

"All signs point to the Vancouver Canucks hiring NHL player agent Mike Gillis as their next general manager, The Globe and Mail has learned."

"See, it makes perfect sense. Mike Gillis. Of course. Vancouver Canucks owner Francesco Aquilini's firing last week of general manager Dave Nonis wasn't about leadership or sustainability or even winning, although no hockey boss in this town can dodge that requirement. It was about getting his own guy, having a general manager of his choosing to run the organization the way ownership envisions."

"In one word, player agent Kurt Overhardt summed up the confirmation that Mike Gillis will replace the fired Dave Nonis as Vancouver Canucks general manager."

"J.P. Barry, who represents Swedish prospect Fabian Brunnstrom, said Tuesday night that Gillis must decide quickly if he is interested in pursuing the highly regarded 23-year-old."

"One of the first decisions new Vancouver Canucks General Manager Mike Gillis will have to make in taking over the NHL team is what to do about the stalled negotiations with highly touted Swedish free agent Fabian Brunnstrom."

"Gino Odjick is a friend of Vancouver Canuck owner Francesco Aquilini, but the former NHL enforcer insisted Monday he is not being consulted in the search for a new general manager. "It's just a bad rumour," said Odjick, whose name was bandied about on national TV as a member of Aquilini's advisory committee. "I'm not involved at all. Yes, we're friends, just friends, but he hasn't called me to ask what he should do.""

"Congratulations! You're the new general manager of the Vancouver Canucks. Hope you got a long-term deal and can learn quickly, because you've probably never made a National Hockey League trade but are suddenly in charge of a lineup that needs tweaking/upgrading/overhauling/last rites. Fortunately, there is plenty to work with when you begin calling other GMs. Actually, the other GMs will be calling you, but never mind."

"The Roberto Luongo trade rumours would appear to be as credible as an Elvis sighting, until you start thinking about Nonis's firing. The conceit in Vancouver is the Canucks are a Stanley Cup contender as long as Luongo is here, and Nonis's plan was to build a team around the goalie, which, theoretically, could win now. So here's the question. In firing Nonis, is Aquilini rejecting that vision and does he now plan to blow up the Canucks? If that's the case, then firing Nonis starts to make sense."

"As former GM Dave Nonis said during his farewell press conference, it's no shock what the Canucks need. They need scoring and they need size up front. Who's in and who's out in the pursuit of free-agent forwards? We take a look around some of the NHL's key teams that have more cap room than the Canucks."

"One of the funniest ongoing soap operas surrounding the changes enveloping the Vancouver Canucks is the saga of Fabian Brunnstrom, the allegedly much sought after Swedish Elite League forward looking to jump to the NHL... What's even more amusing is that now we're told by TSN than his now apparent destination is the Toronto Maple Leafs, another team where it is felt he might have a chance to play on the top six. But they have no GM or by extension coach either, right? They have exactly the same situation as Vancouver, unless it's already wired Brian Burke is going there and Nonis is going to be his right-hand man? We can't believe that."

"Does Nonis's firing put coach Alain Vigneault's job in jeopardy? Of course it does. It won't be the first time a coach-of-the-year is fired the next year."

"Francesco Aquilini owns the hockey team that owns the broadcast rights on TEAM 1040. But that didn't stop Tom Larscheid from sarcastically asking Aquilini at Tuesday's jammed press conference: "So, Francesco, tell us how you slept last night?""