In this edition of Vancouver Canucks News and Rumours, general manager Patrik Allvin and president Jim Rutherford held their end-of-season media availability on Monday morning, and several things were brought up. Among the topics were Elias Pettersson’s struggles, Quinn Hughes and Rick Tocchet‘s future with the team, the status of Tom Willander’s entry-level contract, whether Brock Boeser will enter free agency and more. Let’s dive in.
Canucks Will Try to Extend Hughes; Rutherford Hints At Bringing Jack & Luke to Vancouver
The big topic that has been on everyone’s mind, probably since the New Jersey Devils drafted both Jack and Luke Hughes, was whether Quinn would join his brothers in New Jersey the minute he became an unrestricted free agent (UFA). Well, that day is coming soon. He still has two more years on his current (very budget-friendly) contract, but he’s eligible for a long-term extension on July 1, 2026. While Rutherford said the Canucks will have the cap space to give him a lucrative offer to remain in Vancouver, he also said it might not just be about the money, but who is on the team.
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“The one thing that we will be sure of is that we will have enough cap space to offer him the kind of contract that he deserves. That’s the one thing we can prepare for. And it may not boil down to money with him. He’s said before he wants to play with his brothers, and that would be partly out of our control, in our control, if we brought his brothers here. So there’s many moving parts here. [I] agree 100% this franchise cannot afford to lose a guy like Quinn Hughes, and we will do everything we can to keep him here. But at the end of the day, it’ll be it’ll be his decision.”
Yes, you read that right, Rutherford hinted at trying to acquire Jack and Luke Hughes from the Devils in order to keep his captain around long-term. That would be a heck of a blockbuster, and something that probably shouldn’t have been brought up due to the possibility of tampering, which Rutherford quickly realized: “Well, we got to be careful with tampering here, so we’ll just leave it at that. I probably crossed the line anyways.”
In the end, Hughes is a huge part of the Canucks and will be for the next two years. Hopefully, it’s many, many years beyond that, too, because there is zero chance that they would be able to replace him.
Canucks Will Not Exercise Option on Rick Tocchet’s Contract
One of the first questions asked was about Tocchet and whether he would be around next season as head coach. Rutherford said that they would not be exercising the team option on his contract, but are currently negotiating a long-term deal with him. “I would suspect sometime this week, he [Tocchet] will have a decision… We’re hoping that he takes that contract and stays.”
Rutherford also praised Tocchet and the coaching staff’s work throughout the season, despite all the drama early on with J.T. Miller and Elias Pettersson. He said that Tocchet coached the same way as last season, the only difference was, everything went right, compared to this season, when arguably everything went wrong, especially with their stars’ level of play and the amount of injuries suffered by the team.
Allvin & Rutherford Believe in Pettersson, But Won’t Rule Out a Trade Before July 1
Pettersson and his decline from a legit top-line centre and 100-point man to a borderline bottom-six player, notably since signing his $11.6 million average annual value (AAV) extension, has been a topic of conversation for far too long. It dominated Tocchet’s presser, and again during Rutherford and Allvin’s. And it will until he is traded or steps up and changes the narrative himself. Like Tocchet, they believe he can get back to that level – hopefully for the fans’ sake next season – but it’s up to him to make changes in his preparation and practice habits for that to happen.
“He’s going to have to buy into being a complete player,” said Rutherford. “He’s going to have to buy into working hard. I can give you some good news, it’s a small step, but he has been in here working every day now for the last few days…so that’s a good sign. But he’s going to have to do that all summer.”
“We still believe Elias is more than capable of coming back, as he has shown in the past year in Vancouver. I think this is about to taking his game to the next level. It’s encouraging to see his determination and work ethic,” said Allvin.
Having said all that, Allvin didn’t rule out trading him before July 1 when his no-movement clause kicks in, saying, “I will keep all my options open.”
Other News & Notes
- It’s looking more and more like Willander will be returning to the NCAA for the 2025-26 season. Allvin said when he spoke to his advisor, Todd Diamond, last week, he told him that Willander would be returning to school. Reports afterward from insider Rick Dhaliwal didn’t rule that out as he quoted Diamond: “Our intent was/is to turn pro, but if we don’t agree on a contract that Tom and his family are comfortable with, returning to BU and other situations become possible over the next few seasons.” One thing I will say is, I am not a fan of the last part, which kind of hints he could consider becoming a free agent and signing with another team a la Adam Fox and Justin Schultz.
- The Canucks plan on letting Boeser enter free agency. They would be open to circling back if he doesn’t get the kind of offer he wants on July 1, though. However, the chances of that happening are slim to none, as I’m sure at least one team will give him more than what he wants, salary and term-wise. Basically, fans should prepare themselves to see Boeser in new threads next season.
- A practice facility is not in the Canucks’ immediate future. Rutherford said that it might be a long way down the road, as a new building would likely have to be built.
- Allvin and Rutherford will be looking to upgrade the center ice position in the offseason, but Allvin pushed back on the notion that Pettersson couldn’t return to being a top-line centre. He also talked about Filip Chytil potentially taking on a big role next season as well.
- Those upgrades likely won’t come via free agency, though, as Rutherford said the trade market is where those premium top-six centres live.
