Vancouver Canucks Ownership Refuses to Consider Rebuild Despite Struggles

The last 17 months haven't been what the Vancouver Canucks or their fan base was hoping for as the club has gone from Pacific Division champions missing the Stanley Cup Playoffs and so far this season, are just barely keeping their heads above water with a 6-7-0 record through 13 games.

Looking at Vancouver's roster, there's no doubt that the talent is there, whether it be Quinn Hughes, Elias Pettersson, Thatcher Demko, Brock Boeser or their younger players, but with where the team is right now and the uncertainty of their captain's future, many are wondering if it's time for a rebuild.

While a rebuild certainly brings mixed feelings among fans, it doesn't look like the Canucks will be going through one, at least not anytime soon.

During an appearance on Halford & Brough on Friday, National Hockey League insider and co-host of Donnie & Dhali Rick Dhaliwal was asked about the potential for the organization to undergo a rebuild.

Dhaliwal said that the team's ownership group, led by Francesco Aquilini will not allow one to go through for a number of different reasons, one being that it would likely mean both Quinn Hughes and President of Hockey Operations Jim Rutherford will depart the club.

He went on to add that rebuilds aren't easy and take a long time, with no guarantee that the team would be successful three, four, five years down the road.

Two examples of rebuilds in the National Hockey League are the Buffalo Sabres and the Montreal Canadiens, the former's has been unsuccessful, missing out on the Stanley Cup Playoffs 14 seasons in a row, while the latter began theirs in 2021 and returned to the postseason four years later, but still have a long way to go.

Another side of those, which is probably causing Aquilini's hesitancy, is the business and money aspect as if the team isn't good and isn't performing well on the ice, that likely means there will be lower interest from fans, lower attendance and lower revenue at the end of the season.

For now, Vancouver Canucks General Manager Patrik Allvin will continue to do his best to keep this team in the mix for a spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs as he looks to make a big addition to the roster via trade, but if the club misses out for a second straight year and fifth time in the last six seasons, then it might be time for a rebuild to be seriously considered.