At the Summer Summit on Thursday night, Trevor Linden reminded us that a year ago at this time, he was on the hot seat for his nice-guy reputation as fans wondered whether he'd be able to make the hard decisions.
"Now I make the hard decisions, and you grill me for that," he pointed out.
It's funny—with former media relations head T.C. Carling now much higher on the food chain as vice president of hockey operations and another former media relations head, Chris Brumwell, now working as vice president of communications and community partnerships, as well as the current media relations staff, you'd think that'd be more than enough P.R. brains on the Canucks staff to sort out the team's messaging and keep everybody on point.
Last season, "Change is Coming" was met with skepticism by fans in Vancouver and around the league. Even though the team dramatically exceeded expectations by making the playoffs and getting the bounce-back seasons that had been promised out of core players like the Sedins, Alex Burrows and Alex Edler, the Canucks are still widely regarded as one of the weakest links in the Western Conference.
Even Sharks fans think they'll be a cut above next year:
I don't think it'll be as bad as all that. Last summer, nobody was expecting teams like the Kings, the Avalanche and the Sharks to all nosedive and miss the playoffs. This year will inevitably hold more surprises.
The Blackhawks were lucky to finally get that Patrick Sharp deal completed, and they got a serviceable defenseman that they desperately needed in return in Trevor Daley. However, they lost an important member of their core in Sharp, as well as a fantastic defensive prospect in Stephen Johns. In return, they got a loose cannon in Ryan Garbutt, a bottom-six winger who has been suspended three times in the last two seasons.
I bring this up because I can foresee the Blackhawks suffering from a pretty significant Stanley Cup hangover this year. Remember when they were almost knocked out of a playoff spot earlier this spring?
My guess is that St. Louis is going to take a step backwards this year as well as they tinker with pieces of their puzzle but refuse to blow it up or make big changes. And I don't think the Sharks will get much better until the Thornton/Marleau tenure is over.
The Oilers will be better, of course, but I'm not sure they're ready to jump right into the playoff picture. And just as the Flames surprised by taking such a big leap last season, I can imagine them sliding backwards this year—sort of like what happened to Colorado one year previously.
We're still a good distance away from seeing what teams will really look like when they step on the ice for opening night. Just like last year, I think the Canucks have as good a chance of being in the playoff mix as many of the others.
But somehow, this message is not getting through—to the die-hard fans, or to the influencers in other markets. Are the Canucks now like Lululemon? Constantly making headlines through controversy while continuing to sell product and earn profits hand over fist??
Of course, Lululemon eventually did muzzle founder Chip Wilson, who has now sold most of his stock and no longer has control of the company.
We don't like it when we feel like Trevor Linden, Jim Benning and Willie Desjardins withhold information from us or avoid getting down to the nitty gritty when they tell us everybody is "a good player who plays hard," but it's even more nerve-wracking when they share truth bombs from behind the scenes.
I think they need to stop trying to justify trades or the lack thereof. Don't tell us that you could have traded Ryan Miller. Or that there was no market for Eddie Lack...or Zack Kassian...or especially Chris Higgins, who is still a member of your team!
If you missed the Higgins incident, Botchford has the scoop here:
Here's how it went down:
It was not an easy night for Linden or Benning.
“When you’re sitting in this chair, it’s not as easy as you think,” Linden said.
What he did do, when it was over, was call over the biggest critics of the night for a 10-minute session.
It was a nice gesture, but may have been ill-advised.
In it, Linden revealed several tidbits, including his pitch that the Canucks have been trying to trade Chris Higgins but have found they cannot move his contract.
In short order, the comments were all over social media, and then on the radio. The Higgins trade horse is officially out of the barn.
Maybe they’re hoping something will change in August — unlikely — or people will forget to ask Higgins when he comes back to town in two months. Again, unlikely.
Either way, it’s probably one of the missteps on a night Benning and Linden handled their critics pretty well overall, all things considered.
Now, the Canucks are going to have to tune in to Tanbir’s next podcast.
Apparently one of the other season-ticket holders was also privy to that conversation. Here's what he shared—more food for thought.
I'm okay with where the team is at with its player personnel moves. The braintrust has cleared some roster space and cap space, so we should have room to execute the plan—playing the kids in a winning environment.
That being said, I hope the management group spends more time this summer on media training. Let's sharpen up those messages in such a way that our management group can command some respect—from the fan base in Vancouver and around the rest of the league.
Vancouver Canucks Blogger • 
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