Gillis is a "man of his word"

[bossram]

The Burke/Nonis era may have discovered some of our core players, they never had the ability to put the right pieces around them to become contenders. Consider such acquisitions like Smolinski, Isbister, Ritchie, Weinrich, Carney, etc to Gillis pickups like Higgins, Lapierre, Torres, Ehrhoff, Hamhuis, that were all essential to the 2010-11 run.

[pwnstar]

I agree but I think your forgetting how hard it is to resign players. Some would say its even harder because there not his picks and he wasn't part of their first contract

especially making players sign for less then market value. Sedins Kesler Burrows

[Noheart]

I think it's hard to gage considering how different the era of each GM was.

Burke made the biggest trade in Canucks history when he moved in the draft to land both Sedins.

Gillis has done more for the culture and environment then any other GM.

This made it easy to resign the core.

They both deserve a lot of credit.

[eretz canucks]

Burke gave away RJ umberger- for martin rucinsky, drafted nathan smith and thatcher bell in the first round. Nonis drafted patrick white.

Gillis traded white and rahimi for erhoff, huge steal, underrated trade.

1st round picks- hodgson, schroeder, Jensen, Gaunce all will make the NHL, not bad compared to some of the first round picks of Nonis and Burke.

[VanNuck]

Who is the best GM the Canucks have ever had??

-add your answer to the poll

-add your reasons why below

Gillis is a man of his word. The best GM Vancouver has ever had. I remember listening to his first interviews, http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=235503

"I don't think this team is close at this particular point," he said. "I think there is a good foundation here.

-has kept the foundation and core together, not an easy task in a salary cap world. Sedins, Kesler, Bieska, Edler, Burrows, Hansen, Schneider are all canuck prospects that might just retire as canucks

"I'm hoping to bring a different perspective in terms of player relations," he said.

-one of the best locker-room/player facilities in all of North America

-annual team family road trips, team family private box, team Chefs and nutritionalist

"I'm hoping to bring different ideas to the draft table and to player development

-spent more money on scouting then any other team in the NHL

-found players like Tanev, Higgins and Lapierre

"I don't plan on targeting ex-clients," said Gillis. "I plan on targeting the best players available."

Went after Backes, Doan, Webber, Schultz, almost had them, atleast hes shown that he tried hard to get them, he's made the Canucks a world class organizational that players are interested and willing to come too, i.e. Sundin, Demitra,

"At the end of the day I am going to be evaluated on results," he said. "I feel acute pressure already to try and get this team to a point where it is competing for the Stanley Cup."

"If these get addressed well, this team won't be far off. A couple of very good decisions, or a couple of really bold decisions, might put this team in a position to win almost immediately."

- he has lived up to his word the Canucks are Stanley Cup favorites every year since Gillis came around

Dont get me wrong, Gillis hasn't been perfect. Hes made 2 detrimental mistakes, looking back in retrospect, the Ballard trade and releasing Willi Mitchell

[Kryten]

Ok, who's the wiseguy who voted for Neal.

[-AJ-]

I'd say Gillis is at #2 for now. Quinn rebuilt the team from bottom up, Gillis already had a good base to work off of.

[MashedBananas]

Well, at the end of the day, I'm going to have to say Pat Quinn.

Quinn emphasized character and work ethic, and under him, the team was widely respected and not just in Vancouver. They were personable guys there, from Linden to Courtnall - probably Bure was the only aloof personality and yet the best player. Quinn knew how to command loyalty and respect throughout the locker room, and providing a player was on good terms with him, he would stand up for them. As a result, the Canucks were a good family to be a part of, they enjoyed each others' company and went out to put everything on the ice.

For all the character he possessed, he failed on minor technical areas that would have put the team over the top. His scouting staff could have been better. One trade he did make that potentially cost them the Cup was dealing Doug Lidster to the Rangers the year before facing off against them. He also blundered with handling Petr Nedved, but at least by trading him, he garnered redemption.

Quinn wasn't the perfect GM. But he was a real family man. He got fired not for a lack of production, but because he couldn't get along with the new owner. His firing was what led to the collapse of a once-thriving home.

[Primus099]

gotta give it to Burke just because of the moves he made to get the Sedins, this team would be nothing without them

[UFCanuck]

Ehrhoff was a major trade where we gave up nothing to acquire him. Ehrhoff was a huge key to us having the two of the best years in franchise history.

[-Vintage Canuck-]

Pat Quinn.

[Christophe]

Burke by a landslide.

He's the sole reason we have the Sedins.

[S.Mouse!]

Why isn't there an option for Mark Messier on the poll?

He made a ton of big trades while he was running the team...

[hudson bay rules]

Burke

Quinn

GMMG

[uber_pwnzor]

Guys! Resigned doesn't mean the same thing as re-signed!

I mean, gosh! "He resigned the Sedins!" THAT WOULD MAKE WHOEVER "HE" IS THE WORST GM IN THE WORLD!!!!!

[tigerwilliams for pm]

What Quinn brought us was huge. I will never forget the way he turned us around. Burke made some significant changes. but he also hurt this team as well. & as far as Nonis is concerned he's Burkes Howdie Doodie . I trust in Gillis I beleve he will take us there.

[JelloIce]

Rather than seeing only the things each GM brought, you really have to look at the whole picture. The goal of a GM is moving the team closer to the Stanley Cup, so you cannot only look at the gain a GM brought without considering the net gain. In my eyes, the Burke/Nonis era in lieu of all the positives they brought also brought enough negatives to only move us forward barely inches. You also have to consider what each GM starts with and has to work with. When you're in a rebuilding phase and you've nabbed excellent prospects, that's +points for you. But when you're in a contending phase, you're not focused on nabbing excellent prospects or continuing to nurture superstars. You need that cup in the window you can get it. In such a time, re-signing the necessary players and adding pieces has a lot more weight than development.

As such, I'm stuck between Quinn and Gillis. Gillis simply doesn't win out over Quinn because the cup isn't here yet.

There's a lot of balance necessary in such a job. Some of you desperately need to stop tunnel visioning and using only the facts that are convenient for you.

Guys! Resigned doesn't mean the same thing as re-signed!

I mean, gosh! "He resigned the Sedins!" THAT WOULD MAKE WHOEVER "HE" IS THE WORST GM IN THE WORLD!!!!!

[Slegr]

Gillis turned out a very pleasant surprise. I like the winning atmosphere he has created and the innovative ideas he has brought to the organization. He has made some very strategic moves since coming aboard.

He also put his neck out there and survived. That CoHo deal could have proved deadly, and took incredible balls to make. Kassian was a nobody with potential last season. Now, while it's early, he's blossoming into something the Canucks desperately needed, a true power forward with attitude, and someone who has natural chemistry with the Sedins to boot.

Quinn is a 90s legend, and Gillis is right for the times. I think one strong edge Gillis has over Quinn is the long-range vision - Gillis has taken and applied the Detroit model, keeping the Canucks' winning atmosphere sustainable year-after-year. Quinn invested too heavily at times on all-or-nothing approaches, particularly at the trade deadline.

[NUCKS4CUP 28]

Gillis has been good, no doubt, but I still voted Burke. Remember, he stole the show at the Draft to get both Sedins here. Then Nonis would be my 2nd choice. He clearly and blatantly ripped off Florida for Luongo, which could go down as one of the most embarrassing and lop sided trades in history.

[etsen3]

Pretty tough call. Quinn and Burke made some big moves for some big players. Gillis hasn't done that, but he has been very solid. He's made smart moves (for the most part), and has done a great job of keeping our core players around, and has made some good aquisitions.