Canucks have misunderstood the assignment

Canucks President of Hockey Operations Jim Rutherford claims the team is retooling rather than rebuilding but in a year when a potentially generational player in Connor Bedard in up for grabs in the NHL draft, Vancouver's strategy is confusing to fans.

Video Transcript

JULIAN MCKENZIE: Rutherford says the Canucks will look at buyouts this summer if they can't move certain contracts. I don't-- I-- hopefully, I am not missing any--

OMAR: There's one--

JULIAN MCKENZIE: --major details.

OMAR: There was one quote, and I-- and I was going to quote tweet it, but I didn't know if it was taken out-- like, if it was taken heavily out of context.

JULIAN MCKENZIE: Yes.

OMAR: This is from Thomas Drance, I thought we were tanking. We're pretty close to the bottom. What does that mean?

SAM CHANG: Did you-- did you get the second follow up sentence? It was, but I would never, running a team, go and tell the coach or players not to play hard.

OMAR: No, duh! No, duh! No, oh my god. Frickin' revolutionary stuff. You can't do that. That's called frickin' tampering.

JULIAN MCKENZIE: Oh. Jim, brother-- you know what's funny too? Like, I can't say a thing about Jim Benning's legacy before this--

OMAR: --this is the easiest year for any team that is not good. Easiest-- easiest year ever. We're not going to be good? Cool. We'll trade you and trade you and trade you. You're injured, peace. Here's your contract. Here's your contract. Gone. Bruce, stay for the year. Have fun. I'm not going to rip you every opportunity I get. This is the easiest year ever. You have a generational player who was born in your city.

JULIAN MCKENZIE: Mm-hmm.

OMAR: I don't understand. I tried to-- it's so frustrating. I'm not even a Canucks fan. The man is from Vancouver and you're trying to win. Why? Why? You're trading Horvat for players? Why? I have never seen such negative take awareness in my entire life. This is-- this is, like, absolute zero take awareness. And you know what? I will hysterically laugh if the Canucks end up with Bedard. But my goodness, man. My-- I have never seen a team misunderstand an assignment so much. The Canucks were asked to solve for pi, and they made one.

[LAUGHTER]

They said here. Here is a strawberry pie. Here's some whip cream on top.

JULIAN MCKENZIE: Yo!

OMAR: I have never like-- I don't-- I don't understand. I don't understand the frickin' organization.

JULIAN MCKENZIE: That might be one of the most brilliant lines I've ever heard anyone say--

SAM CHANG: --best things Omar's ever said.

JULIAN MCKENZIE: That is one of the greatest things I've ever heard. They were asked to solve for pi, and they made one. That is brilliant.

SAM CHANG: I got to tell you a few of my favorites today was--

JULIAN MCKENZIE: Yes, please go ahead.

SAM CHANG: Rutherford said, "The cap is going to keep going up and up. The cap is going to be $90 or $95 million. That contract isn't going to affect what the Canucks do down the road." And then in the same press conference, same press conference, he says, all the core players aren't going to end up being here. We haven't had the opportunity to take those steps because we're stuck with contracts we can't move. Until we do or until they expire, it's going to be hard to make those changes.

OMAR: Listen, OK--

SAM CHANG: He said those things in the same press conference.