NHL Rumors: Canucks management not happy, and Senators a hot item
Anthony Scultore
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NHL Rumors: Canucks president Jim Rutherford has made quite the stir after his recent appearance on Sportsnet’s Canucks Central.
“This is not going to get changed in a short period of time, but at this point I would’ve expected better,” Rutherford said. “In order for us to become a better team we have to play with a stronger system and really be more accountable.”
The immediate reaction to the talk about structure pointed directly at head coach Bruce Boudreau. His response to the criticism was classic Bruce: “Just another thing added to the book I’ll never write,” he said.
“I think every person wants to prove people wrong when they say things. I’m a pretty competitive guy at heart and maybe that’s the message — prove that it’s not a true statement.”
Bruce Boudreau via The Province
Vancouver is off to a 3-6-3 start and is tied for last place in the Pacific Division.
NHL Rumors: Canucks management not happy
While Boudreau remains the most likely to pay the price if the team can’t course correct soon, the players are not absolved.
“We’re at a point now, and certainly will be at this point even more so at the end of this road trip, where we have to make players more accountable,” Rutherford said. “We’ll have to take the necessary steps to get players’ attention. We tried to make changes in the offseason – a priority of ours is the right side of our defense. We need to make it younger.”
Jim Rutheford via TheScore
One particular player that could be moved by the trade deadline is captain Bo Horvat.
“Our priority is to keep Bo (Horvat),” Rutherford said. “We recognize what he can do for us. I hope we can sign him but if he keeps playing like this we’re going to get a better return for him.”
Horvat, 27, is playing great with 14 points in 12 games this season. He’s entering the final year of his contract with an AAV of $5.5 million.
NHL Rumors: Senators a hot sale item
The Melnyk family is apparently getting a lot of interest since they’ve announced the process to sell the Ottawa Senators.
Canadian born actor Ryan Reynolds, of Marvel’s Deadpool film fame has been interested since the reports emerged. On Monday night, he appeared on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon confirming he’s looking to buy the team as part of a consortium.
One caveat of any sell will be to keep the Senators right where they are. Reynolds noted that he grew up in Vancouver but also spent a lot of time in Ottawa.
Sportico recently valued the Senators at $655. The late Eugene Melnyk bought the Senators in 2003 for $92 million per Forbes. The deal is expected to be for an estimated $900 million once lease agreements are secured.
