Canucks new GM's SHOULD DO LIST

As the Vancouver Canucks have digressed this season I think it's pretty apparent to everyone that there will be a new President and GM in town for the beginning of this year.

In fact it might be within the next few weeks to give the new GM time to prepare for the NHL draft. You can assume their head scout, Brackett, will also be fired given the massive number of misses beyond the 1st round.

Their drafting has been absolutely atrocious. And that has to change. You would think Eric Crawford will be asked to return as would Ron Delorme.

In fact it's quite possible the new GM will be one of those two as it was a pretty obvious mistake. Delorme would be the correct person but either or would be fine.

I would promote Stan Smyl to President of the organization. No nonsense guy tons of experience and has earned the position.

But who knows? If Steve Yzerman is available you obviously offer him the job.

The coach? Alain Vignault. No one develops kids like Vignault.

The priority for the team has to be getting Nikita Tryamkin back in the fold. And for that matter Andrey Pedan.

It's not good enough to say, "Well... These guys can't pass the puck." No enough with that garbage. You need size enough to be able to stand in and pass the puck. The current D group is way too small. They're so easily pressured off the puck.

Pedan is the enforcer desperately needed. He can play F and D. The new GM has to beg and plead on his knees in Russia for Tryamkin to come back to Vancouver.

Priority ONE is Tryamkin. The new GM must be told "Come back with Nikita or don't come back at all." Throw the cash at him. Bring him in.

Trade Chris Tanev (something I said 4 years ago - he's too small.
Trade Troy Stecher (love his heart - he's too small and might garner a 1st round pick).
Cut Bulldog Biega (God love him, he's too small).
Cut Derek Pouliot. (A nice kid, but as I said when they traded for Pedan for him it was a MASSIVE MISTAKE). Pedan was the fastest skater on the team and hardest shot and best fighter. Pouliot can't do anything and I feel badly for him.

TRADE - Quinton Hughes. Whomever gets his brother Jack Hughes at the Number 1 spot might be in the mood for trading - get D in exchange - young D that can play - try to get a player, a prospect and a Number 1 pick for Q. Hughes before it becomes obvious he can't play at this level.

Tryamkin, Pedan, Schenn, Hutton, Edler, Sautner and Brisebois and pick up something in the off-season for the D and whomever you get for Hughes.

The next big thing for the new GM is to fix the forward lines.
A priority NUMBER ONE is a Number 1 Center - a stop gap until you can draft or groom someone. I like Elias Pettersson he's undersized and might be better on the wing. But either/or you can't make him the Number 1 center again or you'll kill his career. If you can get a Jason Spezza as a stopgap (something I said last summer) then you do it. They're not going to be playoff bound anyways. Just take the pressure off Pettersson and Horvat.

ALSO - very important for the team to start grooming Jake Virtanen at the CENTER position. He might be the C they need at the Number 1 slot. Either way they have to start turning over rocks until they find something.

Cutting or burying or trading - Eriksson, Roussel, Beagle - that's so important to make room for kids. That's going to take a magician to get rid of them but that's what a GM is hired for - to clean up the mess made by Benning and Co.

DRAFTING - priority - D men.

And drafting athletes. The "small guys can play in the NHL" garbage is over.
It's dead.

Bigger teams are killing them every year past game 50.

Size and speed must be addressed.

If you can't skate - don't draft them. Speed speed speed!! And size !!

It's Vancouver. It's not Toronto.

You travel - more than any other sport franchise in the history of the planet. You MUST have a big team in order to survive.

Drafting "small, skilled guys" won't work in Vancouver. Teams get too jacked to play Vancouver and Vancouver travels too much with little practice time. Can't do it with small guys.

COACHING - Get Alain Vignault. If he doesn't want to come back (who could blame him?) then get someone with an offensive feel. Joel Quennville (if he'll come). If that won't work don't bring anyone in with the Willy Desjardin / Travis Green - Rookies and young kids have to "earn it" mentality. In this game it's the young kids who are the best players - get a coach who realizes it.

In short - there's a HELL of a lot of work to do.