Could Barry Trotz be the next coach of the Vancouver Canucks?
When talking about the Canucks' season at his year-end presser last week, team president Jim Rutherford made it clear that he wants to see a tighter performance from the club next season.
"We'd like to see our team play a more structured game and not depend on our goalie as much," he said right off the top, when asked for his general thoughts on the season.
"How we're going to play to give players a chance when they get in trouble," he elaborated. "Like, our exits from our defensive zone are not good. Probably one of the worst in the league.
"I could talk about all zones, I could talk about all things — but just to make this one point: the defensemen are getting in trouble all the time. There's puck pressure, puck pressure, puck pressure. And I'm not saying we have the best defense by no means, but we have defensemen that are certainly capable of playing better if they had that structure.
"When they're in trouble, 'What am I supposed to do with the puck?' instead of just banging it up the boards and you know, they keep it in the zone and bang, it's in our net.
"I'm only talking about the defensive zone. I could talk on about the different zones, and it's something that's very fixable, but it's something that the Canucks are going to have to do if we're going to be a consistently good team, and not have to rely on our goalie for most games."
So yes — what Rutherford wants to fix is more than just zone exits, but that's the still the first example that popped into his head when he thought about how he wants the team to change moving forward. He's coming from Pittsburgh, where the Penguins play a well-structured game and have been a consistent playoff team, often getting more than expected out of unheralded players.
And when I think of active coaches who epitomize 'structure,' Trotz might be the first name that comes to mind.
If you missed it, Trotz was dismissed by the New York Islanders on Monday after four seasons. And he'll be in demand, although Darren Dreger of TSN suggests that maybe he won't want to coach again.
Right now, Philadelphia and Detroit officially have vacancies. Winnipeg and Chicago have both said that they're conducting coaching searches but their current interim coaches, Dave Lowry and Derek King, are welcome to apply.
We could see more openings come up, especially depending on how the playoffs progress. And especially when a two-time Jack Adams winner like Trotz suddenly comes on the market.
As for Canucks incumbent Bruce Boudreau, here's a reminder of where things stand with him:
A few days before Jim Rutherford was hired last December, Boudreau signed with the Canucks on a two-year contract — one year plus an option. I hadn't noticed this before, but according to
CapFriendly's list of coaching salaries, which is not complete, Boudreau made $2 million this season and is set to receive $2.5 million next year.
No idea whether he would have received the full $2 million this year, or if that number was pro-rated for the 57/82 games he coached. Those details are not as crucial for coaches, since they don't fall under the salary cap.
At his season-ending media availability, Boudreau said he wants to come back next season, and that he believed a deal would get done.
"He knows we want him back," said Rutherford last week. "He was told that before the season was over. He knows our position. He did a terrific job, but he didn't coach a whole season here. We would like to see him back and and work with him on on a few things — everybody work together to make it better."
So — from a 57-game sample size, Rutherford is not willing to offer Boudreau a longer-term contract extension. Now the ball is in Boudreau's court. He has until June 1 to decide whether or not to return.
"He can take whatever time he wants," Rutherford said. "The longer you leave things, these type of things start to fester a bit because then they become more emotional.
"But we have to make sure, in our job, that we don't let it become emotional and, for the wrong reasons, it gets off the tracks.
"Our talks with him have been very positive. He's well aware that we appreciate and respect the job he's done. We've explained to him why we're doing it the way we're doing and why we want him back, but also with with the understanding that, 'Continue to do the job you're doing; it doesn't mean this is your last year in Vancouver.'"
So if Boudreau does decide to move on, perhaps Trotz becomes a candidate in Vancouver — but not before. And I suppose there's always a chance that Trotz snaps up a vacancy where Boudreau was also a candidate.
Also, assuming Boudreau is OK with the idea of 'working with management' to help improve the team, I think what will draw him back is the desire to work with a talented group of young Canucks players — and to try to finish what he has started. Other good teams may end up in the market for new coaches this summer, but I'm not sure he'd be any closer to a Cup if he went to, say, Philly. Although he would be closer to his family's home base in Hershey, PA.
One good sign — if you missed it, Elliotte Friedman reported on this weekend's TV edition of '32 Thoughts' that Boudreau was part of the Canucks' recruiting meeting with Russian free-agent forward Andrei Kuzmenko.
The undrafted 26-year-old finished second in KHL scoring last season, with 53 points in 45 regular-season games and 14 points in 16 playoff games. He spent the last four seasons with SKA St. Petersburg, where he was teammates with Vasily Podkolzin for three years.
Friedman also mentioned Edmonton, Vegas, Carolina and Nashville as other teams that have interest in Kuzmenko. Sounds like his decision could still be a couple of weeks away.
Finally — a quick reminder that the 2022 Draft Lottery is going down this Tuesday, May 10, at 3:30 p.m. PT, televised live on Sportsnet.
And yes, the Canucks are in the mix. They finished with the 15th-worst record in the NHL, which puts their odds of a lottery win at a miniscule 0.5%. Yes, that's 1-in-200, with slightly better odds for the second drawing. Like last year, only two lottery spots are now up for grabs.
It's likely a moot point that a new rule comes into effect this season, that a winning team can't move up by more than 10 spots. If the Canucks do win, they'd climb from 15th spot to fifth.
I just ran the
Tankathon lottery simulator five times. Not surprisingly, the Canucks did not move.
So go have some fun with that, and tune in tomorrow to see if Montreal can retain the first-overall selection for the 2022 Draft that it is hosting, July 7-8.
Vancouver Canucks Blogger • 
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