Jim Rutherford admits turning around the beleaguered Vancouver Canucks has been more work than he expected.

B次元官网网址淲hen I came here, I knew it was going to be a big challenge. And I thought B次元官网网址榊ou know, weB次元官网网址檙e going to have to do minor surgery,B次元官网网址橞次元官网网址� the teamB次元官网网址檚 president of hockey operations said in a wide-ranging press conference Monday. B次元官网网址淗ave I changed my position? Well, yeah. We have to do major surgery.B次元官网网址�

Since Rutherford was hired in December 2021, the Canucks have gone from bad to worse.

Vancouver finished last yearB次元官网网址檚 campaign on a high, going 32-15-10 after Bruce Boudreau was hired as head coach and missing the playoffs by five points.

The club was expected to pick up where it left off this season, with players and Boudreau saying they planned to make a post-season run.

But a 0-5-2 start and inconsistent play have seen the Canucks drop to sixth place in the Pacific Division with an 18-22-3 record. As of Monday, Vancouver sat 12 points out of a wild-card spot.

Now management is looking ahead to the future.

B次元官网网址淏etween now and the start of next season, weB次元官网网址檙e going to have to make some changes,B次元官网网址� Rutherford said. B次元官网网址淪ome wonB次元官网网址檛 be very popular. Some will be popular,B次元官网网址� he said, noting that the team needs to create cap space and get younger.

B次元官网网址淏ut weB次元官网网址檙e going to have to really do some things I didnB次元官网网址檛 think we would normally have to do when I first got here on how we make those changes.B次元官网网址�

Rumours have long swirled about Rutherford making a change behind the bench. Multiple reports have said the Canucks are in talks to replace Boudreau with former Tampa Bay Lightning and Arizona Coyotes coach Rick Tocchet.

Rutherford said he has had conversations over the last few months about bringing in a new coach, but has always been clear that Vancouver is not looking to B次元官网网址� and does not want B次元官网网址� to make a change.

B次元官网网址淏ruce is our coach right now,B次元官网网址� he said.

Trouble has followed the Canucks off the ice, too, this season.

MondayB次元官网网址檚 press conference was called to discuss how they team handled forward Tanner PearsonB次元官网网址檚 season-ending hand injury. Defenceman Quinn Hughes said publicly the situation B次元官网网址渨asnB次元官网网址檛 handled properly.B次元官网网址�

Pearson broke his hand in VancouverB次元官网网址檚 loss to the Montreal Canadiens on Nov. 9 and was initially expected to be out up to six weeks, but has since undergone several surgeries. The Canucks announced last week that the 30-year-old winger will not play again this season.

Rutherford said heB次元官网网址檚 done a B次元官网网址渢horough reviewB次元官网网址� of how the injury was handled and did not find anyone who said Pearson was unhappy with the treatment he received.

The team is B次元官网网址渙pen toB次元官网网址� having the NHL PlayersB次元官网网址� Association or the league look into the case, he added.

B次元官网网址淚f there was any wrongdoing, we want to get it right going forward, OK? But based on our (internal investigation) here, weB次元官网网址檙e more than comfortable with the way things have been handled,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淏ut having someone come in and look at it would be fine.B次元官网网址�

Vancouver has also been at the centre of many trade talks, with captain Bo Horvat set to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season.

The 27-year-old centre is poised for a career-best campaign, with 30 goals and 18 assists in 43 appearances.

The club has taken its B次元官网网址渂est shotB次元官网网址� when it comes to extending Horvat, Rutherford said.

B次元官网网址淭he contract that we have on the table right now is, I think, is a fair contract for what heB次元官网网址檚 done up until this year,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淏ut itB次元官网网址檚 certainly under market value for what heB次元官网网址檚 done this year.B次元官网网址�

Any trades Vancouver makes going forward will look for a mix of young players with NHL experience and draft picks in return, he added.

With 39 games left this season, Rutherford was asked whether the Canucks have thought about bottoming out in a bid to improve their chances of securing the No. 1 overall pick in this summerB次元官网网址檚 NHL entry draft.

The team doesnB次元官网网址檛 have much further to fall, the president of hockey ops said.

B次元官网网址淚 thought we were tanking,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e pretty close to the bottom. I would never, running a team, go tell the coach and the players B次元官网网址楧onB次元官网网址檛 play hard for this game.B次元官网网址� They have a job to do to come to work every game and try to win that game.B次元官网网址�

The possibility of snagging teenage phenom Connor Bedard B次元官网网址� the self-proclaimed Canucks fan whoB次元官网网址檚 heavily favoured to go first overall B次元官网网址� is intriguing, though, Rutherford said.

B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檇 all like to get the first pick overall,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淚f thereB次元官网网址檚 ever a year to get it.B次元官网网址�

Rutherford stopped short, however, of saying that the Canucks will be undergoing a rebuild.

B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e not looking toward a rebuild. IB次元官网网址檇 rather call it a retool,B次元官网网址� he said.