Breaking: Canucks hire Jim Rutherford as team President

UPDATE: NHL insider Elliotte Friedman has now confirmed that indeed Jim Rutherford has been hired by the Vancouver Canucks and will act as team President and interim GM. The team will continue its search for a full-time GM under Rutherford's leadership.

This just in from TSN NHL insider Darren Dreger, the Vancouver Canucks are expected to hire longtime NHL executive Jim Rutherford. 

Canucks insider Rick Dhaliwal reports that Rutherford is likely destined for the President role in Vancouver:

Canucks owner Francesco Aquilini and interim GM Stan Smyl met with the media earlier this week the pair made it clear that they will take their time before naming a permanent GM and/or a President. In the meantime multiple Canucks insiders have reported that the team has done the most research and due diligence on Rutherford, who has been unemployed since resigning from the GM job with the Pittsburgh Penguins in January of this year.

The 72-year-old was hired by the Penguins in 2014 and was the mastermind behind the team's back to back Stanley Cups in 2016 and 2017. He was also general manager of the Carolina Hurricanes when they won their only Stanley Cup in 2006. It's worth noting that he's a Hockey Hall of Famer, as well.

Interestingly enough, another name that's beginning to pop into rumor reports is ESPN and TSN analyst Ray Ferraro, as well.

Ferraro, who resides in the Vancouver area, was on today's Donnie & Dhali podcast with Don Taylor and Canucks insider Rick Dhaliwal where he talked about potentially joining the Canucks in a management role and made it clear that he'd be open to joining the team.

Check it out:

Honestly, I think this should be a no-brainer hire for the Canucks. Maybe not as team GM, but certainly in some sort of hockey operations role. Ferraro is one of the sharpest minds in the game and he possesses the ability to break things down in a really simple, matter of fact way. He's an excellent communicator with an incredible amount of knowledge and experience in the game. To me, he's exactly the type of person that Aquilini and Smyl should be targeting, especially if you pair him with a veteran executive like Rutherford.

Imagine the Canucks bringing in a veteran GM like Rutherford and then putting Ferraro alongside him as an assistant. This would allow Ferraro to learn the daily ins and outs of the GM position from a Hall of Famer and potentially take over his hometown team somewhere down the line. Thoughts, Canucks fans?

Of course, the Canucks already have a crowded management team with Smyl, Daniel Sedin and Henrik Sedin already on board, but it's clear that Aquilini is taking his time before making his next move. Smyl made an impassioned speech to the team's fanbase during his press conference with Aquilini that I feel should merit him consideration for the team's open President position. Hire a veteran GM, pair him with Ferraro and then allow the Sedins to work their way up the ranks slowly while they soak up all there is to learn along the way. Again... thoughts, Canucks fans?