Was Aquilini Talking to Gretzky About Lombardi?

[dbr]

If all of this is true, by a wide margin the most unsettling aspect of all of it is the meddling owner.

[Lancer]

One of the things I liked about the current situation was the apparent hands-off approach by ownership. I guess I was wrong. As passionate as Aquilini may be as a fan, how can he argue with the results thus far under Gillis and AV? Unless he has serious disagreement with the type of team Gillis is building (the same model Aquilini evidently endorsed when he hired Gillis), I don't see Gillis going anywhere. That said, if Aquilini all of a sudden considers himself a hockey guy and that the Los Angeles/Boston model of "goon it up, beat the piss out of the opposition, clog up the ice and ride your superstar goalie" is the way of the future then I guess Gillis will hang. The question is, who would/could replace him and would the club be any better for it?

As for meddling, I almost wonder if Gillis' approach this season was to look beyond this year's playoffs. Not that he threw the towel in on this year's chances of going all the way, but perhaps he was hedging his bets. With the MAG, Kassian and Schneids stories, it looks to me like a GM who is looking ahead to the summer regardless of what happens.

Thing is, for Vigneault as a guy who focuses on the 'winning now' I'm sure it can grate on him having to deal with a committee when it comes to personnel decisions. Maybe he was in the 'play Lou' camp and feels he should have had a freer hand in who plays. I think Gillis wants Vigneault to return and will be willing to go to bat for him in Aquilini's office.

The question is whether Vigneault can be happy with the way things are run now or whether the pastures are greener in Montreal. If the traffic here can be believed, I think the ball's in Vigneault's court. If he doesn't want to come back, cue the suspense this summer to see who's available. Not saying no other worthy coaches will be fired (I think I'd prefer MacLellan, but Q would be a good fit as well), but it's a huge risk letting the club's winningest coach go without being reasonably certain that an able replacement is out there and attainable. Not sure if the club needs to go there.

[the Dogsalmon]

couldnt really give two squirts of piss about AV or GMMG...15 minutes after either of them are replaced we will be onto another thread...and both are VERY replaceable...

[ESQ]

Remember when Gillis was first hired, everyone expected him to fire AV and get "his own guy."

Instead, Gillis spent weeks meeting with AV, making sure they were on the same page, and the result has been the best GM-Coach tandem this organization has ever seen.

In six years under Aquilini, he's seen his team value grow from $192 million in 2006 to $300 million in 2011, good for 7th most valuable in the league.

I'm pretty sure given their history that AV has always known Gillis' approach. People were terrified of the meddling owner after Nonis got canned, but after all that has happened I don't believe that was because of not doing the Richards trade. Nonis was always a master of planting stories in the media to make him look blameless for doing a shitty job.

Now bear in mind, its been 4 years since the Richards trade and the "meddling owner" boogeyman hasn't reared its head since...

[ODB]

couldnt really give two squirts of piss about AV or GMMG...15 minutes after either of them are replaced we will be onto another thread...and both are VERY replaceable...

I completely agree!

GMMG really stuck his foot in his mouth when he decided to discuss Hodgson. He should have toed the same line, we do not discuss yadda yadda yadda. Instead he decided to throw Hodgson under the bus. And he didn't stop there. He decided to ramble on about the Canucks inflating Hodgson's value by giving him sweet minutes. Otherwise know as, Gillis is smart and he fucked Regehr giving him a player with bloated offensive numbers. WTF was the point in saying that? If I'm a rival GM those words ring in my head for a long long time. Call it frustration at the end but looking back at the last calendar years worth of work for Gillis and he’d seriously get a D in my opinion. I don’t think I’d fire him but he’d be put on notice to get his shit together!

[Fred]

couldnt really give two squirts of piss about AV or GMMG...15 minutes after either of them are replaced we will be onto another thread...and both are VERY replaceable...

I completely agree!

GMMG really stuck his foot in his mouth when he decided to discuss Hodgson. He should have toed the same line, we do not discuss yadda yadda yadda. Instead he decided to throw Hodgson under the bus. And he didn't stop there. He decided to ramble on about the Canucks inflating Hodgson's value by giving him sweet minutes. Otherwise know as, Gillis is smart and he fucked Regehr giving him a player with bloated offensive numbers. WTF was the point in saying that? If I'm a rival GM those words ring in my head for a long long time. Call it frustration at the end but looking back at the last calendar years worth of work for Gillis and he’d seriously get a D in my opinion. I don’t think I’d fire him but he’d be put on notice to get his shit together!

In this politically correct world I frankly find it refreshing for some one...any one just say what they're thinking. If Hodgson agent, father have acted like ass holes for a an extended period then it's long over due. Good on MG for telling it like it is. Hodgson MUST have known what was going on and could if he manned up taken them to task. He chose not to and deserves what he gets. I know in my own business if some one gave me the finger for 3 years I'd tell him where to push it

[dbr]

Now bear in mind, its been 4 years since the Richards trade and the "meddling owner" boogeyman hasn't reared its head since...

I guess that (and an early playoff exit) is what it takes for the new car smell to wear off.

[Strangelove]

I wonder what Bobby Clarke could do with the Canucks

You raise an interesting question VR.

One thing is certain, ole Clarkie wouldn't allow any ownership meddling!

[Strangelove]

Interesting piece from the Vancouver Sun blog:

http://blogs.vancouversun.com/2012/05/07/a-review-of-canucks-general-manager-mike-gillis/

Today is a big day in the career of Mike Gillis; he will finally meet with Canuck ownership to review this past season. And for the reigning NHL Executive of the Year, they will be discussing much more than that as Gillis is entering the final year of his five-year contract. So clearly in the coming weeks, the team will need to offer him a contract extension or simply cut him loose. So what should happen? Does Mike Gillis get to retain his job (does he even want to)?

We present for your digestion the highs and lows of the Mike Gillis era:

......

... In the end, the cynics would say that Gillis has done the most by doing nothing. The core of this team (the Sedins, Luongo, Schneider, Alex Burrows, Ryan Kesler, Mason Raymond, Kevin Bieksa, Alex Edler, Sami Salo, Jannik Hansen) were players he inherited. Even head coach Alain Vigneault was a Dave Nonis hire. None of Gillis’ bold moves have had any measurable impact. In essence, he’s taken Dave Nonis’ car for a drive.

Others would say that Gillis has brilliantly managed the salary cap constraints, retaining all the core players at a significant discount to market – perhaps the most important accomplishment in today’s NHL. Further, his team’s success speaks for itself – his squads have won back-to-back President’s Trophies and were one win away from the ultimate prize last season.

In the end, when the Aquilinis assumed ownership, they vowed that regular season success was not enough. The team had posted plenty of that in the preceding years. The goal was the Stanley Cup. And that’s where we have to wonder somewhat about Gillis’ efforts this season. The moves made spoke more of a team that was restocking its shelves (the trading away of Cup winning veteran Samuelsson for the young, but one-dimensional Booth and the acquisitions of prospects Zack Kassian and Marc-Andre Gragnani for an emerging player, Hodgson, that could have clearly contributed now). Maybe the Aquilinis are happy with regular season success, capacity crowds and a handful of playoff dates every season, but they promised more than that.

[Fred]

For those truly interested in what moves MG has made here's a site that lists every thing ( from what I can see any way ) that MG has done. It's long so be warned

http://hfboards.hockeysfuture.com/showt ... p?t=577075

[black ace]

I found it interesting the Gretzky rumors came out after the playoffs because I went to game 81 of the reg season and my buddy went to grab a couple of beers and came back with a picture of Gretzky he took with his phone. Just found it a little odd.

There was defiantly smoke to the rumors.....