Entries with the tag: mike+gillis

Directly or Peripherally Vancouver-related

by Alanah McGinley on 07/31/08 at 03:10 PM
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Odds & Ends. (Updated below with the theory of Sundin-to-Colorado)

• Agent J.P. Barry does, in fact, talk about more than just Mats Sundin.  Yesterday on Team 1040 he commented that Daniel and Henrik Sedin would never, ever move their careers in different directions.  There is a zero-percent chance that will ever happen. 
  
  
  Normally I’d think this was simple-stupid-obvious and just ignore the remarks.  But since it was J.P. Barry himself who seemed to have started the speculation in the first place when he said he “wouldn’t be surprised” if one or both the Sedins were going to be dealt away by the Canucks this past June, I thought it deserved mentioning.

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A Canucks State of Mind

by Alanah McGinley on 07/23/08 at 02:38 PM
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Vancouver is hosting their annual State of the Franchise event tonight—a joyous occasion in that it’s one of the few Canucks gatherings that doesn’t appear to make money off anyone. (Though I suppose this week’s money train has already been taken care of.) Anyway, the event itself will be broadcast online at the Canucks TV portal, starting at 6:30pm PT.

Meanwhile, here are some opinions on the state of this franchise from a few C&B readers in the last week…

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Save the GMs!

by Alanah McGinley on 07/09/08 at 04:04 PM
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While $2.5 million should be no laughing matter, I couldn’t help being amused by the series of events involving Steve Bernier yesterday. Nor could Adam Proteau at The Hockey News apparently, who would’ve enjoyed watching it go even further:

The only way this soap opera could be more entertaining would be if the Lightning’s braintrust discovered a hidden clause in the NHL’s collective bargaining agreement that allowed them to somehow supersede Vancouver’s ability to match and bring Bernier to Tampa Bay – a move that, by my calculations, would give the Bolts approximately 89 forwards heading into training camp.

Lordy. Is there any saving the NHL’s GMs from themselves? 

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Steve Bernier Given Offer Sheet by the Blues

by Alanah McGinley on 07/08/08 at 05:57 PM
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From the St. Louis Blues, this:

St. Louis Blues President John Davidson announced today that the club has signed Group II free agent forward Steve Bernier to an offer sheet worth $2.5 million for next season. The Canucks will have seven days to match the offer or receive St. Louis’ 2nd round draft choice in 2009.

“Steve is a good young player who would play a big part in our youth movement,” said Davidson. “Our coaches and scouting staff are extremely positive about him.”

No doubt Davidson is simply doing the best thing for his club, but it still smells like payback.

Bet on Mike Gillis to match the offer, but regardless, I’d say the #$*!@ is about to hit the fan, no matter what.

Update 3:56pm PT: Canucks have matched the offer. Not a surprise. [TSN]

Update 4:25pm PT: Mike sent me a link to this story from July 5th, right after Bernier was traded from the Sabres.  Here’s the money quote (gotta love agents!) --

There were rumours Bernier would sign an offer sheet, but Lupien said that was never in the plans.

“I don’t work like that,” said Lupien, who also represents Roberto Luongo and could have gone the offer-sheet route after Luongo accepted his qualifying offer from the Canucks. “I’ve always asked teams to be honest with my client and I’m sure he (Gillis) is going to be honest with players after being a former player himself.”

Concerns About Bernier. And Everything Else.

by Alanah McGinley on 07/05/08 at 04:17 PM
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Chuqui at Two For Elbowing—who certainly knows far more about Steve Bernier’s history than I do—wrote a great post yesterday wondering about the sequence of events leading up to his trade to Vancouver:

Even recently, Bernier was being touted as a key cog in the Buffalo future.

And now he’s off to Vancouver for a 2nd and a third draft pick?

Alarm bells are going off here. When a player starts becoming the pass-around pack, unless it’s Mike Sillinger, you have to wonder why; especially when teams say nice things about them and then trade them.

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Can Mike Gillis Save the Canucks?

by Alanah McGinley on 07/04/08 at 01:56 PM
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From Ben Kuzma in The Province:

Unrestricted free agent centre Brendan Morrison will not re-sign with the Vancouver Canucks, The Province has learned.

At one point, seven teams expressed interest in Morrison and a source indicated that the 32-year-old Pitt Meadows native is expected to sign a multi-year deal elsewhere and reject a one-year, $1.9-million US offer from the Canucks.

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Bye, Naslund

by Alanah McGinley on 07/03/08 at 05:06 PM
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Markus Naslund signed a two-year deal with the New York Rangers today—New York being pretty much as far as one can get from Vancouver without actually swimming in the sea or hanging out in Miami.  And I don’t blame him one bit.

To quote the Yankee Canuck—“Well it’s official: I want Mike Gillis’s head on a spit.”

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Vancouver’s Backup Plan

by Alanah McGinley on 07/02/08 at 03:15 PM
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Canucks Free Agency Thrills, in summary --

Negatives:

• The Canucks lay their bets on Backes. That didn’t work out so well.
• Canucks throw $20,000,000 at Mats Sundin. But even that isn’t enough money to play for Vancouver these days

Positives:

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A $21 Million Shopping Trip Should Be More Fun Than This

by Alanah McGinley on 06/28/08 at 01:42 PM
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It’s difficult to gauge the exact dollar amount available in the Vancouver Canucks’ bank come July 1st.  I’ve read estimates from less-than-$20-M to $21.6 M.  My own addition comes out to $21.1 M, only very slightly off the calculations by nhlnumbers.com.

Whatever the exact amount (and incidentally, I’m less-inclined than before to make fun of hiring a “capologist”) it’s a healthy amount of free agent spending money.

But for those Canucks fans out there still dreaming of Marian Hossa, I daresay it’s not going to be nearly enough.

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Canucks News Today

by Alanah McGinley on 06/23/08 at 12:41 PM
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• Ed Willes at the Province points out why Mike Gillis is having trouble fitting into the Old Boys Club of the NHL.
• Despite the problems Willes points out above, Tony Gallagher at the Province remains unfazed, and is still the acting PR voice for Gillis in the Vancouver press.
• Sportsnet television is broadcasting their much-hyped Trevor Linden feature tonight. Air time is 9pm PT.
• Ron Delorme, part of the Canucks organization for some 26 years, has tattoos of all the Canucks logos on his butt. (Seriously.) Anyway, Iain MacIntyre at the Vancouver Sun talks with the Canucks scouting director of the last nine years. All indications are that he’s on his way out.

Update 10:40am PT: Given the Delorme story, below is a bit of support for his drafting record, and from an unlikely source: a Detroit Red Wings fan.

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Spinning Those Sedin Rumors

by Alanah McGinley on 06/19/08 at 06:04 PM
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In today’s Province, this news:

Amid rampant rumours the Canucks are actively shopping the Sedin twins, their agent J. P. Barry said he “wouldn’t be surprised” if one or both were dealt during the NHL draft weekend.  Speculation has one or both the twins being traded Friday.

Canucks GM Mike Gillis admitted he has fielded several inquiries from other teams regarding forwards Daniel and Henrik Sedin but said he hasn’t seen a legitimate offer.  Gillis said the twins are still in his long-term plans.

“We are not actively trying to trade the Sedins in any form,” Gillis said.  “A lot of teams have been calling but we are trying to sign them long-term.”

I’m curious about the source of this “speculation.” Something credible or just message board talk? 

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Vancouver Quotes, Innuendo and Lies

by Alanah McGinley on 06/18/08 at 11:03 AM
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1. Markus Naslund: Money Doesn’t Matter (mostly)

On his decision to play at least one more season in the NHL:

“It was not a hard decision to make with a little distance to everything. I feel very motivated to continue playing in NHL.”

and more…

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Judgement Day… Draft Day… Same Thing in Vancouver

by Alanah McGinley on 06/16/08 at 10:42 PM
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An FYI from Mike Gillis: Roberto Luongo won’t be traded this Friday. (Did anyone seriously think he would be??)

Anyway, a very good article from Iain MacIntyre at the Vancouver Sun, on the goings-on preparing for Draft day:

Gillis said he has been fielding offers for the 10th over-all pick, and expects many more will arrive before the first round Friday night. The final six rounds are Saturday. Gillis holds five picks, none in the third or fourth rounds due to deals the Canucks made in 2007 and 2005.

This is Gillis’s first draft. This will be the first of many judgement days on his leadership.

Indeed. Read the whole thing here (or listen to the audio of MacIntyre’s interview with Gillis).

WWHAD?

by Alanah McGinley on 06/16/08 at 03:04 PM
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The other day we had a discussion around here about the possibility of the Vancouver Canucks ditching their #10 draft pick in favor of picking up an established offensive player.

Today, Jeff Sargeant at BC Sports Beat has something to say on the topic:

Now managing a club that has one of the worst draft histories in the league, Gillis has options many of his 29 adversaries could dream of.  The team has a large amount of salary cap dollars to play with since the likes of Markus Naslund, Brendan Morrison, Aaron Miller, and Brad Isbister are set to become unrestricted free agents July 1st.

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Bellowing From the Moose

by Alanah McGinley on 05/23/08 at 09:59 AM
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It’s no secret that the Vancouver Canucks are running through a lot of changes lately—so what’s another one? From Ken Wiebe at the Winnipeg Sun:

Moose general manager Craig Heisinger confirmed the Vancouver Canucks will be supplying prospects for the upcoming season, but what Heisinger said—and more importantly, the way he said it—suggests an extension with the parent club might not be in the cards.

“We’ll be with Vancouver, we have one year left in our agreement and we will fulfil that obligation,” said Heisinger. “I said we will fulfill our obligation for one more year. That’s what we will do. At this time next year, we’ll re-evaluate that situation. It’s a completely new management structure there, so we’ll see how it goes.”

And some editorializing from Wiebe:

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Vigneault Signs an Extension

by Alanah McGinley on 05/22/08 at 12:20 PM
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From the Vancouver Canucks:

Vancouver Canucks General Manager Mike Gillis today announced that Head Coach Alain Vigneault has agreed to terms on an extension that keeps him under contract through the 2009-10 season.

“This is a significant announcement for our hockey club,” said Gillis. “My first priority when taking over the job was to meet with Alain and ensure we shared the same philosophy about building an elite level team for now and for the future. Alain has done a very good job in his two years in Vancouver and I am confident that will continue.”

Not too surprising given the fact Viggy had the authority to sack two of his own assistants last night.  I’m really going to have to spend some time making fun of this situation later. 

Canucks: The Bane of Miami

by Alanah McGinley on 05/21/08 at 12:03 PM
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The Vancouver Canucks certainly have their problems, but they sure know how to screw the Florida Panthers. Or at least Florida seems to think so… From Brian Biggane at the Palm Beach Post:

When new Vancouver GM Mike Gillis hired former Panther captain Scott Mellanby as a consultant last week, the move didn’t make many waves outside of northwest Canada. Truth be told, it marked yet another lost opportunity for the Panthers [...] With his long Panther ties and enduring loyalty to the organization, Mellanby could have been a great fit [...] Remember, this is an organization that was ranked 30th and last by The Hockey News in terms of its organizational wherewithal this past season. It’s not like it can’t use the help..

If they’re this bothered by losing out on the Mellanby “sweepstakes” I can’t imagine they’re much over that whole Luongo thing yet.

Maybe the Panthers should have just ditched Jacques Martin and hired Dave Nonis...?

The Fall Guy

by Alanah McGinley on 05/20/08 at 02:16 PM
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From Dan Murphy at Sportsnet.ca:

When Dave Nonis was fired and replaced by Gillis, I was among the many who thought Vigneault was on very shaky ground. I mean, how many times do you see a coach survive a GM change? It’s common practise for the new GM to bring in “his guy.”

Now I know what you’re thinking. Gillis is simply keeping Vigneault on so he has a fall guy if things don’t start out well this season. Perhaps. [...]

[But if ] I was a betting man (and I’m going to Vegas this weekend so you better believe I am) I would lay odds that we’ll hear news about a Vigneault extension before we hear about a Vigneault dismissal. But that’s just me.

Hmm. Perhaps. But if I was a betting woman (and I don’t go anywhere near Vegas as a rule because I am, and I’m really, really bad at it) I would lay odds that we’ll be hearing more about that “fall guy” plan, not a dismissal or an extension.

Seems like just the right approach for a clever new GM looking to build some personal job security in this business.

Renewing the Vows in Vegas

by Alanah McGinley on 05/16/08 at 11:42 AM
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Will Vigneault be fired in Vegas? The poll (below) indicates that most fans think so. But while I’m not a fan of the coach, I tend to agree (at least in part) with Iain MacIntyre via the National Post, who feels Viggy will get more time.

So, ask yourself: Would the GM include his coach in critical strategy sessions to finalize the Canucks’ entry-draft list, identify free-agent targets and generally plan for next season, then punt him? You know, so Vigneault could take his Jack Adams Trophy and the Canucks’ top-secret plans to another team?

Gillis is unconventional, but not mad.

Chances are the delay in clarifying Vigneault’s status is not due to the possible termination of his contract, but the possible extension of it. Vigneault has a year remaining and obviously would prefer not to be a lame duck, since the most recent one of those - Quenneville - will be pulling shotgun pellets from his rump for weeks.

Firing the Jack Adams-carrying coach is simply much riskier for Gillis than keeping him on another season.

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Busy Days—From Vancouver to Vegas

by Alanah McGinley on 05/15/08 at 11:28 AM
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From Scott Burnside at ESPN,

Busy times in Vancouver as new owner Francesco Aquilini cries to the local papers every time he reads something that rankles him and with new GM Mike Gillis throwing everyone connected to the Dave Nonis regime under the bus. Now, Gillis is starting to rebuild the Canucks in his own image, announcing that he’s hired longtime NHLer Scott Mellanby to be a conduit between the team’s hockey operations and himself. [...]

The Canucks are holding their annual meetings in Las Vegas this week and Gillis is expected to make a final decision on whether to bring back coach Alain Vigneault. Sources have told ESPN.com that Vigneault rubbed some veteran players the wrong way and there is a strong suspicion Gillis will bring in his own coach.

That about sums it up, although I’m not sure how Burnside came up with the idea that Gillis is “throwing everyone connected to the Dave Nonis regime under the bus.” Perhaps he will, but not yet.

As for “sources” suggesting Vigneault rubbed some veteran players the wrong way… well, I don’t think you’d need sources any more complex than a television set and some common sense to have figured that one out.

Update 8:35am PT: A bit more on Mellanby, plus comments from Markus Naslund and Brendan Morrison…

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Gambling with the Canucks

by Alanah McGinley on 05/14/08 at 10:28 AM
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From Ben Kuzma at Canwest (via the Guardian):

The coaching fate of the Vancouver Canucks’ Alain Vigneault will be determined by the end of this week in the most ironic of locations — the gambling heartland of Las Vegas.

With Canucks management and scouts assembling in the Nevada city for their annual meetings, new general manager Mike Gillis said Tuesday that Vigneault has been summoned from his home in Gatineau, Que., to face further scrutiny over the next two days.[...]

In his season-ending address, Vigneault defended his defensive style as one that is common throughout the NHL. Still, the Canucks finished 24th in offence with 213 goals — down nine from the previous season — and their power play was ranked 18th at 17.1-per-cent efficiency. It was 17.2 per cent in 2006-07.

Lay your bets, hockey fans: Will Vigneault keep his job, or does he get offed in Vegas?

Measuring the Vancouver Offense

by Alanah McGinley on 05/13/08 at 11:02 AM
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If you’re the new GM of the Vancouver Canucks and you’ve suggested one of your priorities is to rebuild an offensive-style game, what’s tops on your agenda?

If rethinking the team’s association with Daniel and Henrik Sedin was your first guess, you’re smarter than I am.  From TSN:

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I’m Starting to Like Mike Gillis…

by Alanah McGinley on 05/09/08 at 01:29 PM
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In today’s Vancouver Province, news which warms my cold, blackened, disappointed Canucks-fan heart:

For a week now, Canucks head coach Alain Vigneault has spent his days at GM Place on the hot seat. 

For a couple hours, sometimes more, each day, he’s been brought in to informally defend, dissect and rehash a season most are trying to forget. He’s not done yet.

“It’s still ongoing, it’s going to take even more time,” Canucks GM Mike Gillis said.

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On those ‘Demitra to Vancouver’ Rumors

by Alanah McGinley on 05/05/08 at 12:23 PM
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Some thoughts from Minnesota, à la Michael Russo at the Star Tribune:

Oh, and lastly, this is unconfirmed by me but being told to me by a Vancouver reporter, but apparently Pavol Demitra was in Vancouver over the weekend being given a tour of the area by Canucks captain Markus Naslund.

As I’ve intimated here, the chances of the Wild even attempting to bring Demitra back is slim to none, and there’s a question whether he’d even want to return.

Demitra signing with Vancouver makes sense. His agent — or now, I guess, former agent — is Mike Gillis, the now-GM of the Canucks. Naslund is also now a former client of Gillis. 

Both are unrestricted free agents, and you can bet Gillis may very well take care of his former clients. In fact, maybe Pavel Bure comes out of retirement and returns to Vancouver.

[updated below - Demitra did indeed spend time in Vancouver in recent days.]

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Vancouver Canucks Get Capped

by Alanah McGinley on 04/30/08 at 09:10 PM
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Update May 5th: The Vancouver Sun provides details of the hiring, confirmed by the Canucks.

____________________

At Mike Gillis’s introductory press conference as the new Vancouver Canucks GM, he had mentioned something about creating a new executive position dedicated entirely to a guy using a calculator. 

Tim Wharnsby at the Globe & Mail says it’s done:

New Vancouver Canucks general manager Mike Gillis is on the verge of adding his first executive to the front office in former Phoenix Coyotes assistant GM Laurence Gilman.

Gilman will be the Canucks salary capologist. He received his start in the NHL as a legal advisor with the Winnipeg Jets and moved with the franchise to Phoenix. Before he was fired along with general manager Mike Barnett a year ago, he also ran the Coyotes AHL affiliate in Utah.

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Happy Thoughts from Spector

by Alanah McGinley on 04/28/08 at 01:55 PM
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From Lyle Richardson at The Hockey News, a rundown of the rumors and conundrums surrounding the Canucks this offseason, including:

Behind the bench, coach Alain Vigneault and his staff remain in limbo as Gillis evaluates their future with the club. Vigneault won the Jack Adams Trophy in 2007 as the NHL’s coach of the year, but Gillis could be mulling a change in the Canucks’ style of play from their defensive system to a more offensive style, which could result in replacing Vigneault.

From your mouth to God’s ears, Lyle…

Read the rest of his article for a roundup of other Canucks topics.

Moneypuck

by Alanah McGinley on 04/26/08 at 12:40 PM
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Iain MacIntyre of the Vancouver Sun sat down with Mike Gillis yesterday:

As Gillis talked Friday about management models, it wasn’t Sam Pollack or Bill Torrey or Glen Sather or Brian Burke he cited, but Sandy Alderson.

Alderson is the former U.S. marine who had no baseball management experience when he was named general manager of the Oakland Athletics in 1982. His hiring was ridiculed by many in the baseball establishment, but Alderson revolutionized the game.

He relied on data and detached analysis rather than experience and emotion to choose players and build his team, which became the best in baseball. His successor Billy Beane, a disciple, introduced the concept of “Moneyball,”

An interesting interview, which also gives more insight into how his hiring came about.  You can read it all here, or listen to the audio of their conversation here [mp3].

Canucks GM Mike Gillis Addresses the Media

by Alanah McGinley on 04/23/08 at 02:55 PM
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Statement from the new Canucks GM Mike Gillis this morning:

“I feel privileged to have been given the opportunity to lead the Vancouver Canucks as General Manager.  This is a great hockey market with loyal fans and supporters. Everyone who works in this industry wants to work in a Canadian NHL city, there is nothing else like it.”

About the news conference this morning, Gillis stressed that he won’t be making any decisions about the personnel of the club until he has a chance to do a complete evaluation.  Some highlights of his comments below:

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Report: Canucks Name New GM—Mike Gillis

by Alanah McGinley on 04/22/08 at 08:45 PM
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Update April 23, 11:10am PT: Canucks owner formally named new GM Mike Gillis in this morning’s press conference.  More info here.

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After the first period of the Washington/Philadelphia game tonight on TSN, Bob McKenzie stated the new Canucks General Manager was very-nearly 100% decided as Mike Gillis. He also stated this was likely to be announced by the end of the week.

Now, Global TV’s website reports:

Player agent Mike Gillis will be named general manager of the Vancouver Canucks on Wednesday, Global BC reported today.

Update 5:55pm PT: On TSN, James Duthie has now stated that this GM appointment is “confirmed” (though Bob McKenzie came short of backing this up as a certainty). There is a Vancouver press conference scheduled for Wednesday morning.

Asked by Global TV, Canucks owner Francesco Aquilini “would neither confirm nor deny the hiring.” (Which I figure is pretty much code for: “Yeah. Gillis is the new GM. But don’t steal my thunder. I’ll tell you more tomorrow.")

More updates and links:

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