<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">What a difference a week makes. Last Monday, the <a href="https://canucksarmy.com/combinations">Vancouver Canucks</a> still had a head coach. But life moves quickly in the National Hockey League. That was then, and this is now. The news cycle continues to spin at a high rate even if the NHL club is finished for the season. That means many of you have questions about the Canucks. And that’s why we do the weekly mailbag. </span></p>
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<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Let’s jump right in and answer some of those pressing questions.</span></p>
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<p lang="en">As Canucks fans, do you have any advice on preventing our heads from exploding during this difficult time?</p>
<p>&mdash; <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:qtfkf5io3fq3ydnihjadot4y?ref_src=embed"> (@superdave2687.bsky.social)</a> <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:qtfkf5io3fq3ydnihjadot4y/post/3locddzhr4c2x?ref_src=embed">2025-05-03T21:55:41.433Z</a></p></blockquote>
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<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Water. Lots of water. Hydration is important. And sleep. It’s key to get those hours of rest. In fact the more you sleep, the less time you’ll have to worry about the Canucks. Unless, of course, they live in your dreams. Or perhaps your nightmares. </span></p>
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<p lang="en">With the draft lottery on Monday, do you think the idea of trading the first round pick this year gets taken off the table if the Canucks somehow win and move up to fifth?</p>
<p>&mdash; <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:izyxymmebwir2roc2axbacla?ref_src=embed">Key18 🇨🇦 (@key18.bsky.social)</a> <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:izyxymmebwir2roc2axbacla/post/3lobynvryck2t?ref_src=embed">2025-05-03T18:44:21.955Z</a></p></blockquote>
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<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Off the table? No. I think the Canucks would be open to including the fifth overall pick in the right trade. But it would have to be an absolute slam dunk, no-brainer. In this day and age, the fifth overall pick could be plugged into next year’s lineup and could be a key contributor within a few years. So I don’t think winning the lottery changes the conversation entirely. But it certainly adds some layers of complexity to things.</span></p>
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<p lang="en">If coaches are replaced every 2.5 years, does it really matter who they choose?</p>
<p>&mdash; <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:natfcm5eijjineosvgmyi2pi?ref_src=embed"> (@agent86-fan.bsky.social)</a> <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:natfcm5eijjineosvgmyi2pi/post/3lod4jjvy7k2u?ref_src=embed">2025-05-04T05:26:09.991Z</a></p></blockquote>
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<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Yes, it matters. You’re not hiring a guy with the express intent of kicking him to the curb in 24-30 months. The coaching churn is out of control in the National Hockey League these days and shows no sign of slowing down. But the goal is always to find the next head coach that can positively impact the trajectory of the team. So the Canucks need to take their time, follow the process, identify the best possible candidates and then begin to whittle their list down until they have a guy they feel is the right fit for the team at this point in time. And then hope they made the right choice.</span></p>
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<p lang="en">Do you see the Abbotsford management, coaches and players graduating to the big club over the next two years?</p>
<p>&mdash; <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:gmvfvlnf5psvuc7ygpby74qz?ref_src=embed">Liam@guillermosperro (@guillermosperro.bsky.social)</a> <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:gmvfvlnf5psvuc7ygpby74qz/post/3locqqog5ec2b?ref_src=embed">2025-05-04T01:55:24.702Z</a></p></blockquote>
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<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">I certainly hope so. Ryan Johnson already serves both clubs in a senior management capacity. <a href="https://canucksarmy.com/news/jim-rutherford-says-manny-malhotra-on-shortlist-be-vancouver-canucks-next-coach">Manny Malhotra</a> may be the front-runner for the big club’s head coaching job. And we’ve already seen a number of players (16 to be exact) play for both Abbotsford and Vancouver this past season. That said, the Abbotsford playoff run would feel so much more significant if Elias Pettersson and Tom Willander were patrolling the blueline and Jonathan Lekkerimäki was leading the offensive charge. Neither Pettersson nor Willander are on the Abbotsford roster, and Lekkerimäki has been reduced to a bit part in the grand scheme right now following complications from dental surgery that have kept him out of the past three games. However, even prior to that, the 20-year-old seemed to have lost his scoring touch. </span></p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">How long before ownership finally puts a stop to Rutherford constant public talking? He&#39;s tanking any value the team has. If they need to make a trade, no one will have value. Talking about Hughes the way he has is surely pushing him to want to leave more. Time to move on from JR</p>
<p>&mdash; Beakin (@BrandonStormyk) <a href="https://twitter.com/BrandonStormyk/status/1918764831001182296?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 3, 2025</a></p></blockquote>
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<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In this business, we crave honesty and accountability. So you won’t find me harping on the President of Hockey Operations for giving us material for days. Or weeks. However, your first question is a valid one. I do wonder if one of his bosses tells him to scale it back a bit with the soundbites. Ask <a href="https://canucksarmy.com/news/jim-rutherford-pens-end-season-letter-vancouver-canucks-fans">Jim Rutherford</a> a question, and you get an answer. Usually quite an answer. And you can’t fault a guy for that. But this is such an important time for the Canucks to lay the groundwork to get the organization back on track. The guy in charge should probably do the bulk of his work behind closed doors and away from microphones. </span></p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Canucks are missing big, fast, creative, play driving, finishing forwards.  Assuming MacKinnon isn’t available, which of these missing elements would you prioritize in a big-time, top-two center acquisition and which attributes would you delegate to support pieces?</p>
<p>&mdash; CaliCanuck (@CanuckCali) <a href="https://twitter.com/CanuckCali/status/1919078073992917236?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 4, 2025</a></p></blockquote>
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<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">I suppose I’d put play driver at the top of my list and then build out from there. I think you can add size, speed and finishing on the wings. So I’d want my 1C to drive play as much as possible, and I’d like him to have significant creativity as well. In a division that boasts Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Jack Eichel, Anze Kopitar and others, the Canucks need someone that can handle those kinds of matchups. Those aren’t easy assignments. But you need a centre that can thrive in that environment in the regular season and then find a way to take his game to an even higher level come playoff time. If those players were easy to find, every team would have one. Maybe the Canucks do. Or maybe they need to go and find one.</span></p>
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Jeff Paterson's weekly Vancouver Canucks mailbag.

<span style="font-weight: 400;">What a difference a week makes. Last Monday, the <a href="https://canucksarmy.com/combinations">Vancouver Canucks</a> still had a head coach. But life moves quickly in the National Hockey League. That was then, and this is now. The news cycle continues to spin at a high rate even if the NHL club is finished for the season. That means many of you have questions about the Canucks. And that’s why we do the weekly mailbag. </span>
<div class="bam-inline-promotion-block" data-max-length="2" data-placement-id="2111" data-context="web-content-promocard" data-property-id="329"></div>
&nbsp;

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Let’s jump right in and answer some of those pressing questions.</span>

https://bsky.app/profile/superdave2687.bsky.social/post/3locddzhr4c2x

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Water. Lots of water. Hydration is important. And sleep. It’s key to get those hours of rest. In fact the more you sleep, the less time you’ll have to worry about the Canucks. Unless, of course, they live in your dreams. Or perhaps your nightmares. </span>

https://bsky.app/profile/key18.bsky.social/post/3lobynvryck2t

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Off the table? No. I think the Canucks would be open to including the fifth overall pick in the right trade. But it would have to be an absolute slam dunk, no-brainer. In this day and age, the fifth overall pick could be plugged into next year’s lineup and could be a key contributor within a few years. So I don’t think winning the lottery changes the conversation entirely. But it certainly adds some layers of complexity to things.</span>

https://bsky.app/profile/agent86-fan.bsky.social/post/3lod4jjvy7k2u

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Yes, it matters. You’re not hiring a guy with the express intent of kicking him to the curb in 24-30 months. The coaching churn is out of control in the National Hockey League these days and shows no sign of slowing down. But the goal is always to find the next head coach that can positively impact the trajectory of the team. So the Canucks need to take their time, follow the process, identify the best possible candidates and then begin to whittle their list down until they have a guy they feel is the right fit for the team at this point in time. And then hope they made the right choice.</span>

https://bsky.app/profile/guillermosperro.bsky.social/post/3locqqog5ec2b

<span style="font-weight: 400;">I certainly hope so. Ryan Johnson already serves both clubs in a senior management capacity. <a href="https://canucksarmy.com/news/jim-rutherford-says-manny-malhotra-on-shortlist-be-vancouver-canucks-next-coach">Manny Malhotra</a> may be the front-runner for the big club’s head coaching job. And we’ve already seen a number of players (16 to be exact) play for both Abbotsford and Vancouver this past season. That said, the Abbotsford playoff run would feel so much more significant if Elias Pettersson and Tom Willander were patrolling the blueline and Jonathan Lekkerimäki was leading the offensive charge. Neither Pettersson nor Willander are on the Abbotsford roster, and Lekkerimäki has been reduced to a bit part in the grand scheme right now following complications from dental surgery that have kept him out of the past three games. However, even prior to that, the 20-year-old seemed to have lost his scoring touch. </span>

https://twitter.com/BrandonStormyk/status/1918764831001182296

<span style="font-weight: 400;">In this business, we crave honesty and accountability. So you won’t find me harping on the President of Hockey Operations for giving us material for days. Or weeks. However, your first question is a valid one. I do wonder if one of his bosses tells him to scale it back a bit with the soundbites. Ask <a href="https://canucksarmy.com/news/jim-rutherford-pens-end-season-letter-vancouver-canucks-fans">Jim Rutherford</a> a question, and you get an answer. Usually quite an answer. And you can’t fault a guy for that. But this is such an important time for the Canucks to lay the groundwork to get the organization back on track. The guy in charge should probably do the bulk of his work behind closed doors and away from microphones. </span>

https://twitter.com/CanuckCali/status/1919078073992917236

<span style="font-weight: 400;">I suppose I’d put play driver at the top of my list and then build out from there. I think you can add size, speed and finishing on the wings. So I’d want my 1C to drive play as much as possible, and I’d like him to have significant creativity as well. In a division that boasts Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Jack Eichel, Anze Kopitar and others, the Canucks need someone that can handle those kinds of matchups. Those aren’t easy assignments. But you need a centre that can thrive in that environment in the regular season and then find a way to take his game to an even higher level come playoff time. If those players were easy to find, every team would have one. Maybe the Canucks do. Or maybe they need to go and find one.</span>

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