Okay, not really. But it is very funny to read president of hockey operations Jim Rutherford say he doesn't care what people call this next step of, well, this isn't a plan, surely.

“Use whatever word people like, whether it’s somewhat of a rebuild, not a full blown rebuild, but a rebuild-retool, whatever. It’s the position we’ve been in since the J.T. Miller trade.”

In the same discussion, he makes clear that he wants to make Vancouver a younger team. Trading veterans and bringing back younger NHL players, draft picks, and prospects is the goal. So, you know, a rebuild. At least partially.

Why Now?

This is, by any reasonable accounting, a lousy time to try rebuilding your team. We're a quarter way through the season; almost every team can be described as "in the middle somewhere"; and serious injuries leaves an incomplete picture of what the team is.

But boy, fans are angry. Famously, post-Calgary Flames match, one caller was in tears when he described the shared fandom between him and his father. To him, the constant mediocrity has become a betrayal, and he talked about walking away from the team for his mental health.

Speaking personally, I have advised at least one other person in a fan forum to do the same, and for the same reason. Yes, it's "just a game" but ignoring who buys the tickets, who fuels the market, and who cheers in seats, in pubs, and at home is willful blindness.

There are plenty of fans like him making their voices heard, but the raw emotion he showed may have been enough to go viral. That might finally have gotten through the management chain to ownership. There's no evidence anything else has, after all.

"Sticktoitiveness"

I spend most of my time here thinking about what management is thinking. Not just deals they make (or don't) but why they make those deals (or don't). Whether I agree with them is irrelevant. I want to try understanding them.

This ownership group - now essentially just Francisco Aquilini - has been so blindly terrified of missing the playoffs in any year that they've ended up with a team that usually misses the playoffs every year. Plans seem half-hearted, lightly considered, and rapidly abandoned. Watching that happen repeatedly over the past decade while hearing how important it is that the team "stick to our blueprint" is both bewildering and depressing.

Willard: They told me that you had gone totally insane, and that your methods were unsound.
Kurtz: Are my methods unsound?
Willard: I don't see any method at all, sir.

This is a city populated with two million general managers, all convinced they could be in the NHL. Think they haven't seen what doesn't work?

We talked about the amazing sports weekend that was just dished up for Vancouverites, and why that impacts the Canucks. Not only are fans angry and frustrated enough to walk away, they have places to walk to. Fandom can move. Maybe, just maybe, that can frighten Aquilini enough to begin the actual rebuild. Or maybe not.

What Will Be Done

Rutherford just mentioned his veteran unrestricted free agents being up for sale. He mentioned not wanting to ship everyone out, and that "some veterans are playing very well". Bad news, Jim: that's who you'll get the best return for. Again, these aren't players who are loafing about out there, but there is no point in pretending this iteration of the team isn't outmatched.

Still, let's take him at his word for now. While his plans may need evolving, I do think he's been honest with the media in what they are. The Canucks have five players entering UFA status: Teddy Blueger, Evander Kane, David Kämpf, Kiefer Sherwood, and Derek Forbort.

Of those five, one is playing far beyond expectations, one somewhat below them, two have been injured the entire season, and one just arrived from the AHL. Both Kane and Blueger have some trade protection, but that still leaves half the league available as partners.

Sherwood might get a late first or mid second round pick from a team that thinks they can reach the playoffs. The others are the kind of player teams look for at the deadline when they are sure they're in.

I don't know what could come back in these deals that would do anything approaching help for this season. Or, frankly, much in the future. Vancouver has plenty of mid-level prospects who could help the bottom six or bottom pair in the near future. They don't really need more there.

In many cases, salary has to come back in a deal. So fine, maybe a younger guy returns, but where would they fit? Abbotsford needs help, sure, but only because Vancouver has needed so much more.

What Could Be Done

There are other options. They do get trickier, but players with no-move clauses have been moved before. All that needs is their agreement to go, and you might be surprised how many players hear "we don't want you" and decide to leave. We'll talk about them in another article, because this one is plenty long already.

Abby Appies

No one in the bottom six has any trade protection except for Drew O'Connor. He's doing just fine, and is probably a keeper for Vancouver anyway.  We like him, but he's not a hard player to find, so isn't moving the needle for another team.

Linus Karlsson and Max Sasson will be group six free agents, so easy to re-sign if the team wants. They're playing fine, but are fourth-line players in their mid-20s. Arshdeep Bains and Mackenzie MacEachern are heading back to the AHL for the season unless needed. The relatively young Lukas Reichel is a bust at centre, and might get waived to the AHL as well.

Aatu Räty is coming along nicely, and the team probably doesn't want to move him for a paltry return. And they wouldn't get much more than that because Räty is still just a bottom-six forward.

Entres

There aren't a whole lot of players left, here. There are three forwards who can draw more attention, though likely only one that can bring some sort of return.

Filip Chytil is a delight to watch on the ice, but I do hope he just retires. I don't want to hold my breath every time he's on the ice. Tucker Poolman and Micheal Ferland are recent Vancouver Canucks who tried to push themselves through concussions, and I don't want to see that repeated.

Nils Höglander has plenty to like in his game. He's a fireplug on skates, loves the boards, and has some finishing skill. He's a bit reckless out there, but if you need a player to play the hound on the forecheck, he's up for it. The down side is that he has yet to play this season because of - guess what - injury.

Then there's Conor Garland. If the Canucks move the newly-signed Garland before his no-move clause kicks in, I will be truly impressed. Shipping out one of the few play drivers the team has would show a commitment to a rebuild that I just don't expect from them. If they want to win this year, moving Garland would be a terrible mistake. But if they are looking to the future, here's a guy who can get a good return.

HIM

Sigh. Yes, all right, Quinn Hughes would be the pinnacle of bold moves from this management group. Every team should want him, few can afford him - including the New Jersey Devils. I simply cannot picture the Canucks trading Hughes at this point. There is too much to consider in a Quinn Hughes deal that it really needs its own post, so I'm bailing here. We'll talk about it again in three months.