Another big name has popped up in connection to Vancouver Canucks front office job
If the recent rumours turn into positions filled for the Vancouver Canucks, Paul Bissonnette might turn into a new fan.
On Wednesday, Shane Doan’s name began to surface in relation to the Canucks’ front office openings. Shortly thereafter, his ex-teammate popped up as a candidate for a job in Vancouver.
Longtime NHLer Ray Whitney has been linked to the Canucks amid their ongoing search for a new general manager by both Bissonnette and CHEK’s Rick Dhaliwal.
“Ray Whitney and Shane Doan are talking with the Canucks,” Bissonnette said on Chiclets Game Notes. “I would love to see those two guys work together.”
Whitney and Doan played together for the Phoenix Coyotes between 2009 and 2012. The two of them led the franchise to its first and only Conference Finals appearance during their time in the desert.
Between the two of them, they’ve played nearly 3,000 NHL games.
But does that mean they’re qualified to take on the Canucks job?
We covered Doan’s post-retirement experience, which includes a role as GM for Canada internationally, along with his current role in the Toronto Maple Leafs organization.
Whitney does have some scouting and managerial experience as well. He’s previously worked as a scout for the Carolina Hurricanes, and he was also an assistant GM for Canada at the Spengler Cup.
Although it’s not an extensive list of experience, Whitney interviewed for the San Jose Sharks GM job in 2022, before they ultimately hired Mike Grier.
However, as Whitney tells it, he’s experienced everything you can as an NHL player.
“There’s one thing that I have that a lot of people don’t. I’ve experienced every part of the game,” Whitney told Brett Hull and Kelly Chase on the Ice Guardians podcast.
“I’ve played in Europe. I’ve won a championship in junior. I’ve played on the best junior team. I’ve been in the minors. I’ve been on the All-Star team in the minors. I’ve been on the worst team ever assembled in the NHL. I’ve been on the best team when I played with you, [Brett Hull], in Detroit. We won the President’s Trophy.”
“I’ve been on the All-Star team in the NHL. I’ve won a Stanley Cup. I’ve been bought out twice. I’ve been put on waivers twice. So, there’s literally nothing I haven’t experienced.”
While his expertise in a management role could be questioned, it’s hard to argue that there isn’t value in having his experience around a young Canucks team in the coming years.
Whitney’s former Phoenix teammate, Bissonnette, spoke glowingly about what he and Doan could bring to the Canucks.
“I just feel like you would want those two guys at your roundtable and bouncing ideas off of,” he said. “Obviously, they’ve been around so long.”
“Part of it, too, is how you treat the players coming in, when you draft a kid, setting them up for success. There’s a lot that goes into running an organization, so you need people like those two involved.”
Whitney also has a tie to Rutherford, having played for him with the Carolina Hurricanes when they won a Stanley Cup in 2006.