NEWSLETTER
Late Sunday night, the Vancouver Canucks made sweeping changes to their front office and coaching staff following one of the worst starts to a season in franchise history. The Canucks own the second-worst record in the Western Conference at 8-15-2.
We learned that Bruce Boudreau would be the next coach of the Canucks before we knew that current head coach Travis Green had been fired, which was admittedly very odd, but also very much in form for the Canucks. In total, General Manager Jim Benning, Assistant General Manager John Weisbrod, head coach Travis Green, and assistant coach Nolan Baumgartner were all fired.
Here’s the full details from the Canucks release:
Francesco Aquilini, Chairman and Governor NHL, Vancouver Canucks, announced today significant changes to the team’s front office and coaching staff, and confirmed a search for new Hockey Operations leadership is underway.
DETAILS | https://t.co/J3rbN9Rmp3 pic.twitter.com/AGCKoS58wO
— Vancouver #Canucks (@Canucks) December 6, 2021
The changes come a day after a home loss in which fans voiced their displeasure with the organization with “Fire Benning” chants. In the interim, Stan Smyl will serve as Vancouver’s interim General Manager, with Ryan Johnson taking on the role of interim assistant General Manager. There is also a belief that former Canucks players Daniel and Henrik Sedin, who both recently join the hockey operations department, will have elevated roles within the front office.
Told it’s a two-year deal for Bruce Boudreau in Vancouver.
— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) December 6, 2021
This opportunity with the Canucks will be Boudreau’s fourth go-around as an NHL coach, after stints with the Washington Capitals, Anaheim Ducks, and Minnesota Wild. He was working as an analyst for the NHL Network this season. Boudreau becomes the 20th head coach in Canucks franchise history. He has a 567-302-115 career record as a head coach in 984 NHL games. Vancouver takes on the L.A. Kings at home tonight and Boudreau will be behind the bench for his first game as head coach.
