In a wide media availability Monday, Vancouver Canucks president Jim Rutherford said he was “disappointed” with the job he’s done during his time with the club and admitted he’s spoken to outsiders about the club’s rumored head coaching role for Bruce Boudreau’s future is spinning.
Rutherford and the team’s medical staff spoke after the club announced an investigation into the circumstances surrounding forward Tanner Pearson’s season-ending hand injury.
“I’m disappointed with the job I’ve done up to this point,” Rutherford said.
Rutherford, 73, joined the team in December 2021 and compared the work required to the team “major surgery” after initially believing only “minor surgery” was needed.
“We might have to do some things outside of what I thought we might have to do,” Rutherford said.
Rutherford noted that the team has been hampered by certain contracts that have hindered the team’s progress.
“We did not have the opportunity to take these steps [to move forward]…we’re stuck with contracts we can’t move. Until we move them or until they expire, it’s going to be difficult to take those steps,” Rutherford said.
Rutherford insisted a deal for forward JT Miller is not among them. Miller’s seven-year, $56 million extension with the team is set to begin next season, when the player will be 30.
“The ceiling is going to keep going up and up,” Rutherford said. “The cap will be $90 or $95 million. This contract will not affect what the Canucks do going forward.”
Later, when he was available, Rutherford floated the idea of buying underperforming players in the summer.
As for captain Beau Horvath’s expiring contract, Rutherford said the team has made its most competitive offer to keep him, but he’s not sure if that will be enough or not.
“We’re in a predicament here,” Rutherford said. “He’s had a career and he’s looking for his money.”
With rumors abounding about Rick Tocchet potentially stepping in as head coach, Rutherford wouldn’t deny he talked to outside candidates for the job, but the role was still Boudreau’s.
“All I can say is that Bruce is our coach right now,” Rutherford said, noting that a change may not even be imminent. “But with that [said] I call and talk but I don’t know that we are making a change and I don’t want to make a change.
Asked about the potential tank team, Rutherford was firm.
“I thought we were tanking,” Rutherford said. “We’re pretty close to the bottom.”
Regarding Pearson, Rutherford said he wanted to look into the matter following comments made by defender Quinn Hughes last week.
“When I heard the comments last week, they were comments I had never heard before … I immediately felt they needed to be addressed,” Rutherford said.
To his knowledge, Rutherford said, Pearson has not registered any concerns about his injury and recovery after speaking with those on staff who would know.
“I asked them if Tanner had expressed any concerns about the way they were handling his situation, and I couldn’t find a single person [who said he did]Rutherford said.
Team doctor William Regan noted that privacy concerns meant he could only speak generally about Pearson’s situation, but noted that “complications arise” with any surgery and recovery.
“I will tell you that in this case, the surgeons involved with Tanner Pearson are experienced and internationally renowned,” Regan said.
Regan declined to comment when asked how many total procedures Pearson has undergone and would not comment on a potential prognosis or timeline for Pearson’s recovery, but noted that he and his staff have kept the confidence of the players.
“There’s been no change,” Regan said of player relations. “There was complete confidence in the staff … the entire staff was vetted … there was no loss of confidence.”
Rutherford said he has yet to be contacted by the league or the NHLPA regarding Pearson, but will cooperate fully if they decide to open their own investigation.
Asked if he was concerned Pearson’s situation could hurt the team’s ability to attract free agents, Rutherford said no and noted the team is being as transparent as possible.
“Obviously we’re not happy with what’s going on, but for the most part these injuries have run the course they would have taken … I don’t think it should be assumed that they’re going to happen all the time … people they want the information, but in Canada there are laws, privacy laws… we’re going to have problems if [gave it out]Rutherford said.
A native of Kitchener, Ont., Pearson, 30, suffered the injury during a Nov. 9 loss to the Montreal Canadiens. Pearson was initially expected to return in four to six weeks, but the team announced last Thursday that the player underwent another procedure and will miss the rest of the season.
Pearson was in his 10th NHL season and fifth in Vancouver. In the 14 games he played before the injury, he had a goal and four assists. He was in the second year of a three-year, $9.75 million deal.
Later Thursday after a 5-4 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning, Hughes expressed displeasure with the way the team handled Pearson’s injury.
“I feel bad for him,” Hughes said. “I mean, it wasn’t handled right, and you know, the situation he’s in is not very good, and hopefully he’ll be OK.”
Canucks head coach Bruce Boudreau said he was not aware of the specific issue and could not say whether the team should have handled Pearson’s recovery differently.
“I have no idea, it’s not my decision,” Boudreau said. “I really like Tanner a lot and this is really sad news. Here’s a guy, he’s over 30, and you waste a year? It’s really hard and I’m sorry But I know he’ll come back stronger than ever.
After 43 games, the Canucks are 18-22-3 with 39 points and are sixth in the Pacific Division. They trail the Edmonton Oilers by 12 points for the final wild card spot in the Western Conference.
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