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Report: Canucks fire assistant GM Chris Gear and analytics director Jonathan Wall – Vancouver Is Awesome

Published

3 years ago

December 10, 2021

The Vancouver Canucks are not done making changes to their front office.

Less than a week after letting GM Jim Benning and assistant GM John Weisbrod go — and just one day after hiring new president of hockey operations Jim Rutherford — the Canucks have made further changes.

As first reported by The Athletic’s Thomas Drance, the Canucks have “dismissed” assistant GM Chris Gear and executive director of hockey operations Jonathan Wall.

Gear had only just recently been promoted to assistant GM in 2020 after nine years of working as legal counsel for Canucks Sports and Entertainment. He was well-regarded for both his work on the legal side of things but also in hockey operations, as he structured contracts and managed the salary cap.

Wall had been with the team for over 20 years, starting with tasks like watching video — literal video on VHS tapes — and manually tracking scoring chances. Over the course of two decades, his role grew until he was managing the Canucks’ analytics team as the director of hockey operations.

Beyond just analytics, Wall was heavily involved in many other areas of hockey operations, including working with Gear to keep the Canucks under the salary cap given the contracts signed by Benning.

Both Gear and Wall had done yeoman’s work in recent years with a skeleton crew in hockey operations, filling in gaps beyond their stated responsibilities.

The two dismissals are surprising, particularly the timing. Gear and Wall had both worked under multiple management groups and could have been expected to continue under Rutherford. The team’s analytics team, for instance, likely needs to be expanded to match other top teams in the NHL rather than contracted.

More intriguingly, Rutherford isn’t even in Vancouver yet. He isn’t expected to arrive until Sunday, so it’s surprising to see two significant changes made before he arrives and speaks to the existing management team and staff.

Of course, a new president of hockey operations could be expected to bring in his own people for two significant roles — capologist and director of analytics. Still, the Canucks just lost two of their most respected employees in hockey operations.

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Sports

Red Wings sign Moritz Seider to 7-year deal worth nearly $60M

Published

1 hour ago

September 19, 2024

Anne Joseph

DETROIT (AP) — The Detroit Red Wings made another investment this week in a young standout, signing Moritz Seider to a seven-year contract worth nearly $60 million.

The Red Wings announced the move with the 23-year-old German defenseman on Thursday, three days after keeping 22-year-old forward Lucas Raymond with a $64.6 million, eight-year deal.

Detroit drafted Seider with the No. 6 pick overall eight years ago and he has proven to be a great pick. He has 134 career points, the most by a defenseman drafted in 2019.

He was the NHL’s only player to have at least 200 hits and block 200-plus shots last season, when he scored a career-high nine goals and had 42 points for the second straight year.

Seider won the Calder Trophy as the league’s top rookie in 2022 after he had a career-high 50 points.

Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman is banking on Seider, whose contract will count $8.55 million annually against the cap, and Raymond to turn a rebuilding team into a winner.

Detroit has failed to make the playoffs in eight straight seasons, the longest postseason drought in franchise history.

The Red Wings, who won four Stanley Cups from 1997 to 2008, have been reeling since their run of 25 straight postseasons ended in 2016.

Detroit was 41-32-9 last season and finished with a winning record for the first time since its last playoff appearance.

Yzerman re-signed Patrick Kane last summer and signed some free agents, including Vladimir Tarasenko to a two-year contract worth $9.5 million after he helped the Florida Panthers hoist the Cup.

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Vancouver Canucks star goalie Thatcher Demko working through rare muscle injury

Published

2 hours ago

September 19, 2024

Anne Joseph

PENTICTON, B.C. – Vancouver Canucks goalie Thatcher Demko says he’s been working his way back from a rare lower-body muscle injury since being sidelined in last season’s playoffs.

The 28-year-old all star says the rehabilitation process has been frustrating, but he has made good progress in recent weeks and is confident he’ll be able to return to playing.

He says he and his medical team have spent the last few months talking to specialists around the world, and have not found a single other hockey player who has dealt with the same injury.

Demko missed several weeks of the last season with a knee ailment and played just one game in Vancouver’s playoff run last spring before going down with the current injury.

He was not on the ice with his teammates as the Canucks started training camp in Penticton, B.C., on Thursday, but skated on his own before the sessions began.

Demko posted a 35-14-2 record with a .918 percentage, a 2.45 goals-against average and five shutouts for Vancouver last season.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.

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Sports

Arch Manning to get first start for No. 1 Texas as Ewers continues recovery from abdomen strain

Published

3 hours ago

September 19, 2024

Anne Joseph

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — No. 1 Texas will start Arch Manning at quarterback Saturday against Louisiana-Monroe while regular starter Quinn Ewers continues to recover from a strained muscle in his abdomen, coach Steve Sarkisian said Thursday.

It will be the first career start for Manning, a second year freshman. He relieved Ewers in the second quarter last week against UTSA, and passed for four touchdowns and ran for another in a 56-7 Texas victory.

Manning is the son of Cooper Manning, the grandson of former NFL quarterback Archie Manning, and the nephew of Super Bowl-winning QBs Peyton and Eli Manning.

Ewers missed several games over the previous two seasons with shoulder and sternum injuries.

The Longhorns are No. 1 for the first time since 2008 and Saturday’s matchup with the Warhawks is Texas’ last game before the program starts its first SEC schedule against Mississippi State on Sept. 28.

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