A New Era...I Think...

Earlier this week, the Vancouver Canucks were eliminated from playoff contention thanks to a 3-0 loss to Anaheim.  That prompted the Canucks to fire General Manager Mike Gillis and name Trevor Linden the President of Hockey Operations.  If you just read the last part of the sentence, then you know Vancouver is heading back to its past to try and find the way to the future in the same manner that Colorado did after last season and Buffalo tried earlier this season.  Yes, the results have been mixed so far, with Colorado finding success right out of the gate and Buffalo still trying to find its way.  However, the hiring of Linden means that John Tortorella is officially on the hot seat, as it is entirely possible that Linden will want to find his own guy at head coach.

The Canucks head into the off-season with questions to be answered: questions such as what to do with Ryan Kesler, who has asked for a trade, and who the team should be building around, with the Sedins turning 34 by the start of next season and the majority of their key players also on the wrong side of 30.  Goaltending is a question mark now that Roberto Luongo is gone, but it appears to be Eddie Lack's job to lose, as he's posted solid numbers this season.  However, it is the blue line that may very well need a makeover, as they've been at fault for a few of Lack's bad games this season, and that may very well be a reason why Tortorella gets his walking papers if Linden decides to pull the trigger here.  Other than the Sedins, it appears that the Canucks have question marks here, as well, especially with the uncertainty of the Kesler situation.  At the very least, the Canucks do have some top prospects at this spot, with Bo Horvat, Nicklas Jensen, Brendan Gaunce, and Hunter Shinkaruk all waiting for their chance to shine.  That brings me to the thing that Linden should continue to do, which is develop the pipeline, as Gillis' time was defined by the lack of top-end talent in the system and trading away what they did have (i.e. Keith Ballard for Michael Grabner and the first round pick in 2010 that turned out to be Quinton Howden).

Smart decisions will be imperative if Linden wants to call his tenure as President of Hockey Operations for the Vancouver Canucks a success, especially when it comes to hiring a General Manager and possibly head coach.