At the beginning of the 2023-24 season, Vancouver Canucks president of hockey operations Jim Rutherford said that his team will make the playoffs "if everything goes right."
So far this season, everything has gone right. In fact, everything has gone far more right than anyone could have anticipated, as the Canucks are currently first in the NHL with a 30-11-4 record, they have a sparkling +55 goal differential, and they're sending five players and a head coach to the NHL All-Star Game.
Accordingly, Rutherford will be getting a contract extension as a reward for his part in everything going right. At least, that's according to multiple reports ahead of an 11 a.m. press conference that was announced by the Canucks on Friday morning.
Rutherford put together a much larger management team than had previously been in place, including the first two female executives in franchise history, hiring Emilie Castonguay and Cammi Granato as assistant general managers. That management group headed up by Patrik Allvin has been extremely active in the trade market and free agency to overhaul the supporting cast for the team's stars. Rutherford also played a significant role in the Canucks hiring Rick Tocchet as head coach.
More than that, Rutherford's vast experience as a hockey executive — he's already a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame — has led to a change in culture throughout the organization. The bar has been raised for the Canucks and that's true from the players on up to the management group. Rutherford's role as president sets that standard and he has restored credibility to a front office that had none.
In other words, a contract extension for Rutherford is well deserved.
But it's hard not to be disappointed that the team's "important" press conference wasn't for a bigger announcement, such as a contract extension for Elias Pettersson or a new practice facility for the Canucks or even one of the many goofy options tweeted out by Canucks fans when the topic of the press conference was still a mystery.
Or the biggest announcement of all from Roberto Luongo:
