Jim Rutherford Makes Major Promise to Canucks Fans About Their Strategy to Upgrade the Team
Photo credit: NHL.com
Vancouver Canucks President of Hockey Operations Jim Rutherford says the team will be aggressive this summer as they try to improve their roster for next season.
The Vancouver Canucks are coming off a disappointing season which saw them miss out on the Stanley Cup Playoffs, one year after winning the Pacific Division.
If the Canucks want to make it back to the Stanley Cup Playoffs next spring, then General Manager Patrik Allvin and President of Hockey Operations Jim Rutherford are going to need to make some moves this summer, including a search for a second line centerman, which will be a high priority.
Jim Rutherford says Vancouver Canucks will be aggressive this summer
With the team having a pressing need for a second-line centerman, it seems more likely than not they'll have to go down the trade route to find one as the free agent market is quite slim beyond Sam Bennett and possibly John Tavares.
During an interview with Sportsnet 650 radio, Jim Rutherford revealed that the Vancouver Canucks will be aggressive over the summer as they try to improve the roster in the hopes of returning to the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 2026.
"We'll be aggressive," Jim Rutherford said.
He added, "If we can make a deal and do whatever we need to do to improve our team, we're going to do it."
He added, "If we can make a deal and do whatever we need to do to improve our team, we're going to do it."
Along with a second line centerman, the Vancouver Canucks will likely be in the market for a middle-six winger too, if if Brock Boeser ends up leaving the organization when free agency opens at 9 am PT on July 1st.
Among the second line center options for the Vancouver Canucks, via trade, include Trevor Zegras of the Anaheim Ducks, Jared McCann of the Seattle Kraken, Pavel Zacha of the Boston Bruins and possibly, although it would be really tough to get a deal done with Steve Yzerman, Dylan Larkin of the Detroit Red Wings.
As for a middle-six winger, if the Vancouver Canucks go down the free agent route, there certainly won't be a shortage of solid options for Allvin and Rutherford to consider including Nikolaj Ehlers, Andrew Mangiapane, Andrei Kuzmenko, Anthony Mantha and Reilly Smith.
It's going to be a very interesting summer in Vancouver, with a new head coach in Adam Foote, and a desire to turn things around quickly from the team's management. Hopefully, it'll lead to a successful 2025-26 campaign and the Vancouver Canucks will be back in the playoffs at this time next year.
Previously on CanucksDaily
| POLL | ||
MAI 16 | 967 ANSWERS Jim Rutherford Makes Major Promise to Canucks Fans About Their Strategy to Upgrade the Team Which do you think is a more pressing need for the Vancouver Canucks to add this summer? | ||
| A second line centerman | 851 | 88 % |
| A middle-six winger | 81 | 8.4 % |
| A bottom-pairing defenseman. | 35 | 3.6 % |
| List of polls | ||
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