Canucks: Ownership and management must be clear with fans

It’s been two years since Trevor Linden left the Vancouver Canucks, and Judd Bracket could be next. The higher-ups have to be up front with the fans.

The Vancouver Canucks are inching closer to Stanley Cup contention, but the amount of reported drama inside the organization has to be worrisome for fans.

It’s been almost two full years now since Trevor Linden resigned as president, reportedly due to disagreements with the Aquilini ownership group. Here we are in 2020, and the early signs point towards the departure of the beloved and well-respected amateur scouting director Judd Brackett.

Having played an instrumental role in the draft selections of Quinn Hughes, Elias Pettersson and Brock Boeser, Brackett unquestionably deserves a new contract and more say in the organization. But one NHL scout suggested to Ryan Kennedy of The Hockey News that a “power struggle” has developed.

Linden left the Canucks in the early stages of a rebuild that he never got to finish. Now, are the owners and general manager Jim Benning really about to lose a guy that helped create the young and exciting nucleus?

If Brackett leaves, Benning and the Aquilinis will have a lot of explaining to do.

The Canucks had a difficult time communicating with fans in the post-Alain Vigneault era. Ticket sales went down as Benning tried to “rebuild on the fly” for three years. Vancouver didn’t officially rebuild until Linden used that exact word in April 2017, after Travis Green was hired as the new head coach.

And now with the team on the cusp of playoff contention, they’re seemingly prepared to move on from a valuable part of the front office? What sort of message will that send to the fans?

A lot can change between now and the offseason. Maybe Benning and company will settle their differences with Brackett and work out a new contract. At least, that’s what Canuck nation can only hope for.

Otherwise, this will be another instance of management and ownership sending more mixed messages to a frustrated yet patient fan base that just wants to see a Stanley Cup parade on Robson street.

But the Canucks are going to have a tough time accomplishing that goal if the power struggles continue to get in the way of a championship chase.