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Jim Rutherford Sounds Off on the Current Direction of the Vancouver Canucks
Photo credit: NHL.com
Vancouver Canucks President of Hockey Operations Jim Rutherford has given his thoughts on the state of the team early on in the NHL's 2025-26 season.
The Vancouver Canucks' roster has seen a ton of change over the last 12 months with some of the more notable moves being J.T. Miller's trade to the New York Rangers and acquiring forward Evander Kane from the Edmonton Oilers.
There was plenty of optimism heading into the new season, especially with the addition of 18-year-old Braeden Cootes on the opening night roster, but so far, and yes it's very early, the Canucks haven't looked great as they sit 1-2-0 through three games.
Despite that, Vancouver Canucks President of Hockey Operations Jim Rutherford is keeping things positive and likes where the team is heading, not just this season, but next year and beyond.
Jim Rutherford discusses state of the Vancouver Canucks in recent interview
On Monday afternoon, Jim Rutherford spoke with James Cybulski and Mike Rupp on Amazon's broadcast to discuss his feelings about the current state of the Vancouver Canucks.
Rutherford said that it's going to take a little bit to see whether or not some of the younger guys in their lineup are truly ready for the National Hockey League, but added that he likes the speed that his team plays with and like the system that Adam Foote has implemented.
"We have a young team, we've got at least five first-year players in the lineup, we're continuing to try and transition the team after the J.T. Miller trade, and we're fortunate to have some young guys that are either ready to play, which we're going to find out in the first 20 games, or are really close to playing. Rutherford said.
He added, "I like the speed of our team, I like the system that Adam Foote's got them playing, they bought into it, they worked hard, we had a good camp, they prepared hard this summer. I can't ask any more than that, now we'll find out if we have enough players to succeed."
He added, "I like the speed of our team, I like the system that Adam Foote's got them playing, they bought into it, they worked hard, we had a good camp, they prepared hard this summer. I can't ask any more than that, now we'll find out if we have enough players to succeed."
Hopefully once the Vancouver Canucks reach that 20-game mark where they can evaluate their younger players, they'll be in a playoff spot in the Western Conference, which could make the decision to keep them up or send them down easier on Patrik Allvin & co.
The Vancouver Canucks will look to turn things around starting on Thursday in their first game of a five-game road trip against the Dallas Stars, with puck drop set for 5 p.m. PT on Sportsnet Pacific.
Previously on Vancouver Hockey Daily
| POLL | ||
OCTOBRE 14 | 1164 ANSWERS Jim Rutherford Sounds Off on the Current Direction of the Vancouver Canucks How do you feel about the Vancouver Canucks three games into the 2025-26 season? | ||
| Optimistic | 260 | 22.3 % |
| Not feeling great at all | 904 | 77.7 % |
| List of polls | ||
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