Trevor Linden sounds off on Canucks management, Boudreau firing, Horvat trade

Most people only get one go-around with the Vancouver Canucks.

Trevor Linden had three.

First drafted by the team in 1988, Linden spent parts of sixteen seasons in Vancouver across two tenures before returning to the team’s front office in 2014.

And the team’s former captain, assistant captain, and president of hockey operations doesn’t have any shortage of thoughts on how things have played out in the franchise he spent more time in his career with than any other.

In a wide-ranging interview this week on Sportsnet’s Canucks Central show with Dan Riccio and Sat Shah, Linden opened up about his thoughts on how a season from hell for Vancouver has gone, touching on the team’s salary cap constraints, drawn-out firing of former head coach Bruce Boudreau, and of course, the team’s recent trade of former captain Bo Horvat to the New York Islanders.

While Linden’s tenure in Vancouver’s front office ran from 2014 to 2018 as part of the era with Jim Benning as general manager and two head coaches in Willie Desjardins and Travis Green, it’s clear that he’s still got plenty of opinions about the team’s current group of leadership group in president of hockey operations Jim Rutherford, general manager Patrik Allvin, and new head coach Rick Tocchet.

“Obviously the team got themselves into a bit of a spot in the summer when they made the choice to sign J.T. [Miller],” Linden said. ” I don’t think the team did themselves any favours with how that coaching situation played out. It’s hard to recall of a situation in any sport that played out like that. So it’s definitely unfortunate… I don’t think it’s reflected well on the organization.”

Stark words from a man who spent two decades employed by the Canucks in one capacity or another.

Linden, of course, was traded from the Canucks to to the New York Islanders back in 1998, in exchange for Todd Bertuzzi, Bryan McCabe and a third-round pick in the 1998 draft that ended up becoming Jarkko Ruutu, in a situation that has many parallels to Horvat’s recent trade.

While Linden had been infamously replaced by Mark Messier as team captain prior to the 1997-98 season, it was still a shocking deal to see the team part with their longtime leader.

“I think that the distraction is is insurmountable,” Linden added of how Horvat dealt with the rumours of his trade prior to Vancouver finally closing the deal with the Islanders. “The way he’s handled things and the way he’s stood up and he learned that from one of the best, Henrik and Daniel [Sedin]. They were always willing to answer the bells for the media and answer the tough questions and be responsible. And Bo saw that, and certainly led by example in that regard.”

But after nearly four years away from Vancouver, with stints in Washington and Montreal after his time with New York, Linden found his way back to the Canucks by way of a trade in November 2001. He ended up playing six more seasons with Vancouver, before eventually retiring in 2008.

“I never thought I would come back here,” Linden admitted of his return to Vancouver. “I came back in a different spot to guys I came back as an older player to a young team that kind of needed some leadership and direction. It was a great fit, and it was a lot of fun coming back.”

Now, the biggest question is if Horvat will follow in Linden’s footsteps and one day return as a Canuck. Only time will tell.

The full interview is available on Sportsnet as well as major podcast platforms.

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