Reports now that Jim Rutherford wants out of Vancouver

The 2022-23 season has been an unmitigated disaster for the Vancouver Canucks.

After making a late surge for a playoff spot under coach Bruce Boudreau in 2021-22, the Canucks fell flat on their face to start this season and are nowhere near being the playoff contenders that some saw them as prior to the campaign. Boudreau, of course, was sent packing as was captain Bo Horvat who was dealt to the New York Islanders in a blockbuster trade.

As for the rest of the team, they're left to pick up the pieces of this season and hopefully make a better run of things next season. Of course, there will be offseason work to be done by the team's management team, work that team President Jim Rutherford characterized as "major surgery."

The thing is, can Rutherford be trusted to do the job?

Other than handing out questionable contracts to the likes of Brock Boeser and JT Miller and the Horvat deal, Rutherford hasn't done a ton to change this team's makeup. Now there are reports that Rutherford himself may want out of his position.

From Steve Simmons of The Toronto Sun:

"More than one hockey person I’ve run into this weekend believes Jim Rutherford wants out as president of the Vancouver Canucks. That’s the kind of mess this situation is in. There was a lot of sympathy for Bruce Boudreau when he was unceremoniously dumped as coach. But a prominent league scout told me this: “The Canucks have some players. What they don’t have is a team.”

- Steve Simmons

Now, normally I wouldn't put much stock in what Simmons has to say, but I think he may be on to something here.

The fact of the matter is that Rutherford was an awkward fit for the Canucks from the beginning. The belief is that Rutherford was hand picked by NHL commissioner Gary Bettman himself when Canucks owner Francesco Aquilini approached the NHL wanting to make changes to his previous management team. Bettman recommended Rutherford who had been out of work since leaving the Pittsburgh Penguins. Again, that's the belief but no one will confirm these reports. Stay tuned.