The Vancouver Canucks announced Wednesday that they have hired former team captain Trevor Linden as their President of Hockey Operations. Linden played 16 seasons with Vancouver. This announcement comes just a day after the Canucks relieved former President and GM Mike Gillis of his duties.

Linden inherits a Vancouver team that has some fragility, coming off a disappointing season and with a prospect pool that is quite bare, Linden will be seeking to right this ship in the offseason. The first task for Linden is to decide the fate of Head Coach John Tortorella. Torts has been touted as part of the problem in Vancouver as he has a reputation as someone that isn’t the easiest to get along with. However Tortorella has four years remaining on his current contract, meaning relieving him of his duties would be very costly to the Canucks organization. Linden will need to determine if Torts can lead this team moving forward.

Thankfully for Linden he has a strong base of players to build from. The Sedins are still remarkable players, Alex Burrows had a poor season but he is an effective player, the defense is strong and reliable, and Eddie Lack is inexperienced but has the potential to be a legitimate number one goaltender in this league. Those are strong building blocks heading into a very important offseason.

Linden will also need to hire a new GM to run the team. The names out there are Jay Feaster (who has a history with John Tortorella from their Stanley Cup winning Tampa Bay team), George Mcphee (should he be relieved of his duties in Washington), and Bob Nicholson who recently stepped down as the head of Hockey Canada. Bringing in an experienced GM should be the route Linden takes, as it will provide valuable insight and knowledge as Linden learns the job.

Vancouver is hoping that with the connection Linden has to the Vancouver community he can help reinvigorate a fan base that has grown more and more apathetic to the Canucks. Linden comes into this job with a lack of experience, but a passion to learn and a passion for the Canucks organization. That doesn’t always work (Edmonton) but there are success stories (Colorado). Linden hopes to be on the Colorado side of things when next season gets underway.

"I came to Vancouver 26 years ago. I've never left," Linden said. "I love this city. It is my home and the Canucks have always been a big part of my family."

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About the author
Shaun Maddex
VAVEL NHL Editor and Writer who grew up playing hockey in Canada.