After an upsetting loss this Sunday for the Vancouver Canucks who lost to the LA Kings in the first-round of the Stanley Cup playoffs, Canucks general manager Mike Gillis went to the media this Tuesday to answer questions and defend his fallen Canucks.
First off, Gillis defended his decision to trade Cody Hodgson for Zack Kassian. Gillis claims that there were clearly issues going on with Cody, and that he had spent the most time focusing on his issues than of any other player’s in the past three years. Gillis also states that they had determined that Cody did not want to be there, and that he does not regret his decision to trade him.
As for the Canucks performance agains’t the Kings, Gillis believes that his team experienced a mental letdown after their emotional 4-3 win in Boston on Jan. 7 agains’t the Bruins, the team that beat them in the final Stanley Cup playoff game 10 1/2 months ago. Gillis believes this game seriously impacted his players because it was almost like playing the Stanley Cup final in the middle of the season, he believes his team hasn’t collectively got their emotions together since.
Gillis also hasn’t guaranteed whether his head coach Alan Vigneault will be returning for a seventh season behind the Canucks bench. Both Gillis and Vigneault have a year remaining on their contracts. Gillis’ biggest decisions, aside from overlooking the past season, and evaluating what needs to be changed, while be deciding on whether to retain Vigneault, and whether to deal off one of his goalies, Roberto Luongo or Cory Schneider.
Luongo has said that he is willing to waive his no-trade clause if he is asked by the Canucks. Gillis has hinted that he’s comfortable having both goalies back next season, but use them to fetch assets to improve the team’s play.
What are your thoughts? Who would you like to see remain on the Canucks roster, and who do you think needs to hit the road?
