I have the good fortune of knowing Trevor quite well through business. At this point in time he has "NO interest" in working in hockey as he has too many other business undertakings: motivational speaking and appearances, the fitness chain and real estate development as well as endorsement work. When dealing with him I have to hide my inner fanboy a bit because I agreee with you that he has always been a tremendous leader of the Canucks franchise and has adopted Vancouver as his own. It seems natural for him to continue in some sort of role, except that it isn't what he wants to do at this point.
Where I completely disagree with you is this notion that the team no longer represents our city in a positve way. In fact they are more active in the community than ever before and fielding a team that is more successful than we have ever had.
In terms of treating people like assets rather than humans, that is the business in many ways. When you get old or ineffective you are out of a job. Your example of Willie Mitchell is a poor one. Could Willie still be a Canuck? Sure. He was offered a contract to stay but got a better offer elsewhere. He choose to leave. I think the Canucks do a lot to make the players and their families feel like part of a big family not just an asset. And I think they do a lot to make the fans feel inclusive. I like where the Canucks are now and A lot of that has to do with the leadership of Mike Gillis.