Management Thread | Starting with a Thud Edition

[mriswith]

i think the 'rutherford has a masterplan with all this media stuff' is just copium. he's 73 years old. he was desperate to get back into the league after some shady stuff went down in pittsburgh. he's got a checkered reputation as a gm

i think he's legitimately frustrated by this team and his lack of agency to do what he thinks needs to be done. there's zero question in my mind that aquilini is making key decisions including setting the direction of the team and retaining boudreau. it beggar's belief to think that rutherford is out here trashing *his* coach, *his* roster and *his* strategy. he's trashing ownership

i dunno how this ends. aquilini would be reckless to fire rutherford. the blowback would be incredible. maybe he's putting pressure on him and trying to get him to quit and rutherford is building a narrative in the media to force aquilini to back off? who knows

whatever happens, this team is incredibly dysfunctional. it's making me question why i follow them

This is more or less where I'm at as well.

I did not want JR as GM but I was happy with him as president specifically because, other than Burke who wasn't available, JR seemed like the best option around for telling Aqua to back off. He has the clout, rep and track record to say no to ownership, and saying no to ownership is a lot more important for our franchise than being exceptional at the rest of the job. He also has a track record of making deals and turning rosters over, which I thought our team really needed regardless of direction.

It's becoming harder and harder to interpret the gap in between what JR says and what the Canucks do as anything other than Aqua still making the key decisions for this team and handcuffing Allvin & co. I'm surprised JR is tolerating this at this stage in his career, I expected a firmer hand and stronger middle finger for his dealings with Aquilini and that doesn't seem to be happening at all.

I'm not quite ready to disengage but it's getting there, I could see myself losing interest after next offseason if it's just more of the same. The number of miracles we need to become a contender is too large and mgmt is either unwilling or not allowed to make any sacrifices to get there, rendering the strategy virtually impossible to succeed with. We need everything to go right and nothing to go wrong, and everything to fall in our lap just to sniff being a dark horse contender, and even if we get there we have a ton of entropy working against us staying there for long.

Basically, Aqua is shadow Benning. It increasingly looks like Shadow Benning is still the GM, and even if the current puppets are better at being puppets it still sucks as a fan who really, really wants to watch a true blue contender and not permanent mediocrity where the stanley cup is sneaking into a wildcard spot. I can tolerate reconstruction, building up, and being bad for a long time when the strategy and direction makes sense, but I don't know if I can tolerate watching our guys tread water while management is handcuffed from making real changes or having any real strategy other than "compete immediately without sacrificing anything ever" by ownership.

 

[credulous]

It's becoming harder and harder to interpret the gap in between what JR says and what the Canucks do as anything other than Aqua still making the key decisions for this team and handcuffing Allvin & co. I'm surprised JR is tolerating this at this stage in his career, I expected a firmer hand and stronger middle finger for his dealings with Aquilini and that doesn't seem to be happening at all.

this is what really makes me question why i bother. the team president is out here telling us things are bad and need to change and yet those changes aren't being made. it's not constructive criticism or self reflection like 'we recognize we need to do this and we are working on it' either. at worst it's a coded cry for help. at best it's rutherford disavowing this team and distancing himself from the results

 

[Hit the post]

He took a job with the worst franchise in the NHL. That's evidence enough that he was desperate to get back in.

Not the worst but clearly a struggling team with the salient issue being a meddling owner. The later is a bigger issue that would scare away many prospective candidates.

 

[bossram]

Like I said before, this management group wants to maximize return. If they are truly all in this year then they would prioritize getting rid of Myers over getting the most back.

Just lower the price. Getting rid of Myers in a trade (without paying to move him) is the win.

If they can move him, and they're not, it's just another critical failure of this regime.

 

[andora]

We do remember somewhere at a desk we have a GM right - that does the trading

JR is putting pressure on everyone..

 

[credulous]

We do remember somewhere at a desk we have a GM right - that does the trading

JR is putting pressure on everyone..

functional teams don't work like this. rutherford shouldn't be putting pressure on his hand picked gm through the media. what does it say about the team if the management group he put in place over the last 12 months is already off plan to the point where rutherford has to send them a message in the media?

 

[arttk]

Just lower the price. Getting rid of Myers in a trade (without paying to move him) is the win.

If they can move him, and they're not, it's just another critical failure of this regime.

Yeah if they don’t get rid of him after his bonus is paid out, that’s a giant fail

 

[Bleach Clean]

functional teams don't work like this. rutherford shouldn't be putting pressure on his hand picked gm through the media. what does it say about the team if the management group he put in place over the last 12 months is already off plan to the point where rutherford has to send them a message in the media?

You're right, 'functional teams' don't work like this. However, dysfunctional teams do... which is what they are. And so, par for the course.

It is a stroke of luck in a way. Aquilini hired the wrong GM/President, IMO. Rutherford will call out the garbage. He is getting so frustrated by having his hands tied by his owner that he's lashing out. Meanwhile, the owner is publicly being shamed for his own actions.

This is a good time if you want to see real change. We are closer to it now than if the team had done well out of the gate.

 

[Bubbles]

This is more or less where I'm at as well.

I did not want JR as GM but I was happy with him as president specifically because, other than Burke who wasn't available, JR seemed like the best option around for telling Aqua to back off. He has the clout, rep and track record to say no to ownership, and saying no to ownership is a lot more important for our franchise than being exceptional at the rest of the job. He also has a track record of making deals and turning rosters over, which I thought our team really needed regardless of direction.

It's becoming harder and harder to interpret the gap in between what JR says and what the Canucks do as anything other than Aqua still making the key decisions for this team and handcuffing Allvin & co. I'm surprised JR is tolerating this at this stage in his career, I expected a firmer hand and stronger middle finger for his dealings with Aquilini and that doesn't seem to be happening at all.

I'm not quite ready to disengage but it's getting there, I could see myself losing interest after next offseason if it's just more of the same. The number of miracles we need to become a contender is too large and mgmt is either unwilling or not allowed to make any sacrifices to get there, rendering the strategy virtually impossible to succeed with. We need everything to go right and nothing to go wrong, and everything to fall in our lap just to sniff being a dark horse contender, and even if we get there we have a ton of entropy working against us staying there for long.

Basically, Aqua is shadow Benning. It increasingly looks like Shadow Benning is still the GM, and even if the current puppets are better at being puppets it still sucks as a fan who really, really wants to watch a true blue contender and not permanent mediocrity where the stanley cup is sneaking into a wildcard spot. I can tolerate reconstruction, building up, and being bad for a long time when the strategy and direction makes sense, but I don't know if I can tolerate watching our guys tread water while management is handcuffed from making real changes or having any real strategy other than "compete immediately without sacrificing anything ever" by ownership.

The "JR has clout" theory always annoyed me, no one in the world, not even Wayne Gretzky or Scotty Bowman or anyone, is going to tell Aquilini what to do when he's stubborn on something. That is just wishful thinking.

I would imagine Blueberry Boy explicitly told JR there will be no rebuild. JR, needing a job, accepted those terms. But he probably didn't grasp how poorly built this team was. Nor did he know what extent Aqua will meddle.

The only difference now is that JR is actively playing the media game, as opposed to the other GMs before him that kept their mouth shut.

It's my belief that Aqua has personally squashed two Miller deals. The one at the trade deadline and the Islanders fiasco at the draft. My prediction is that Blueberry Boy won't let his captain go and will order him re-signed to a 8 x 8 contract.

 

[credulous]

This is a good time if you want to see real change. We are closer to it now than if the team had done well out of the gate.

i don't see it this way. i think what happens next (although not imminently, probably not for a year or more) is rutherford leaves one way or another and aquilini continues to get his way

if rutherford's "best" course of action is to distance himself from this team in the media then he's probably just protecting his reputation. what is the media gonna do about aquilini? shame him?

 

[Just A Bit Outside]

Can't wait for JR to throw Bruce under the bus again after tonight's game.

 

[gringo]

Boeser+OeL - $13 shmilly for 1 goal between them

 

[andora]

functional teams don't work like this. rutherford shouldn't be putting pressure on his hand picked gm through the media. what does it say about the team if the management group he put in place over the last 12 months is already off plan to the point where rutherford has to send them a message in the media?

Agree that it is bold outside the norm... but we all want bold right?

 

[RussianRacket]

I have no faith in this current management. Destroyed a team with potential.

 

[EpochLink]

I have no faith in this current management. Destroyed a team with potential.

They were hired a year ago, too many bloated contracts

 

[CherryToke]

delete

 

[VanillaCoke]

It's unbelievable to me that we're still being subjected to practically the exact same trash as the past 8 nightmare years. Unbelievable.

It literally doesn't feel much different.

 

[Bleach Clean]

i don't see it this way. i think what happens next (although not imminently, probably not for a year or more) is rutherford leaves one way or another and aquilini continues to get his way

if rutherford's "best" course of action is to distance himself from this team in the media then he's probably just protecting his reputation. what is the media gonna do about aquilini? shame him?

Best course to distance oneself is to actually distance oneself, I.e: Resign.

Rutherford is instead choosing to go on the offensive. Visible frustration, not apathy. He’s trying to stay in the mix while hoping something happens above him, imo. If nothing does, then he’ll leave.

 

[SeawaterOnIce]

The "JR has clout" theory always annoyed me, no one in the world, not even Wayne Gretzky or Scotty Bowman or anyone, is going to tell Aquilini what to do when he's stubborn on something. That is just wishful thinking.

I would imagine Blueberry Boy explicitly told JR there will be no rebuild. JR, needing a job, accepted those terms. But he probably didn't grasp how poorly built this team was. Nor did he know what extent Aqua will meddle.

The only difference now is that JR is actively playing the media game, as opposed to the other GMs before him that kept their mouth shut.

It's my belief that Aqua has personally squashed two Miller deals. The one at the trade deadline and the Islanders fiasco at the draft. My prediction is that Blueberry Boy won't let his captain go and will order him re-signed to a 8 x 8 contract.

Anyone who doesn't see this is a total fool.

 

[Cancuks]

 

[TruGr1t]

The "JR has clout" theory always annoyed me, no one in the world, not even Wayne Gretzky or Scotty Bowman or anyone, is going to tell Aquilini what to do when he's stubborn on something. That is just wishful thinking.

I would imagine Blueberry Boy explicitly told JR there will be no rebuild. JR, needing a job, accepted those terms. But he probably didn't grasp how poorly built this team was. Nor did he know what extent Aqua will meddle.

The only difference now is that JR is actively playing the media game, as opposed to the other GMs before him that kept their mouth shut.

It's my belief that Aqua has personally squashed two Miller deals. The one at the trade deadline and the Islanders fiasco at the draft. My prediction is that Blueberry Boy won't let his captain go and will order him re-signed to a 8 x 8 contract.

Considering the shocking consistency in this underwhelming roster between two vastly different regimes, I'll consider this at this point. Not sure why anyone in the organization has any reason to covet any of this group of players.

 

[EpochLink]

View attachment 605787

This farce of an owner hasn’t tweeted much so far this season, guy probably hiding from shame

 

[SiZ]

We're the Haas of the NHL, but with an Aquilini instead of a Guenther.

 

[SeawaterOnIce]

This farce of an owner hasn’t tweeted much so far this season, guy probably hiding from shame

He built the most dysfunctional team in Canucks history. To replicate his household.

 

[ChuckNorris4Cup]

Good thing FA pulled JR out of retirement, empty his pockets more