Price is Right: Canucks need forward-thinking from Boudreau despite uncertain future
In case you’ve been under a rock for the last few days, the future of Bruce Boudreau with the Vancouver Canucks is surprisingly a tad murky, and in a vacuum, that’s merely one issue.
But like so many things, there are consequences to this particular storyline.
The Canucks are on the road to mathematical elimination, and now with injuries popping up, the slow fade to the season’s end has begun. That situation calls for certain action in an organization that may get uncomfortable for a coach with an uncertain future. We saw this a year ago with Travis Green. But that was mitigated by an AHL that didn’t really exist, so things like call ups weren’t as much a part of the equation.
Jim Rutherford and Patrik Allvin need to take the bull by the horns here. If Boudreau is their guy, then sign him, and give him the marching orders on who they want to see before the year is up. If he’s not their guy, then most definitely tell the coach what they want to see, because any hurt feelings are on their way out the door anyway.
The Canucks need to make roster decisions with the future, even next season, in mind. It may be hard to do so with a coach that is trying to preserve a lofty win percentage on the season, lest he nab one of the 5-8 jobs that may be up for grabs this summer. Boudreau says he wants to coach forever. We won’t take him literally, but we will assume that if he isn’t the guy for the Canucks, that he’ll look for yet another team.
And a .625 win percentage in his two-thirds of a season here would go a long way to convincing someone he’s worth a try. Maybe a team like Edmonton looking for the magical chemistry. Maybe a team like Toronto looking for an inspiration of their own.
And if Boudreau has been able to work wonders with this blue line, then he could undoubtedly do the same in those two cities.
But back here in Vancouver, the Canucks need to be selfish. And if that includes Bruce, then great, but he needs to be on board. If that plan doesn’t include Bruce, all the more reason to push hard on AHL callups, and players in new roles. Vasily Podkolzin should have Bo Horvat, J.T. Miller, or Elias Petersson as his centre till May. Jack Rathbone should get a handful of games at least, and should run the power play if Hughes is out for any length of time.
There are evaluations needed. Rutherford and Allvin need to lay down the law. Bruce, there it is.
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