(Article)Ed Willes: No matter how next season turns out, newly hands-on Canucks’ owner will be responsible

[mpt]

Willes is a goof, end of story.

If New Jersey offered us Schneider for Luongo and Horvat, I'd hang up the phone

[Papayas]

the sad thing is that idiots will read this article and then a few weeks later it will become the facts in vancouver.

[wallstreetamigo]

People need to settle down with the assumption, based on a garbage source, that Gillis intended to buyout Luongo.

The Luongo buyout talk was peddled by idiots - nothing Gillis ever said indicated that he had any intention of entertaining that option - and Luongo's value as a player as well as his reasonable cap hit make his a serviceable contract. Not an ideal term, and certainly not an ideal development with the retroactive hypocrisy that the NHL pulled in the backdiving punishment for contracts they approved at the time, but nevertheless serviceable (and certainly not the only deal of it's kind - Richards, Carter, Zetteburg, Franzen - very similar contracts, to name a few.)

My opinion/belief is that it was more possible to move Luongo than it appears, but that taking a cap dump in return or a lesser return wasn't as attractive in the end as landing a top 10 pick...

[ice orca]

Rome had his Hack off the other day and Willis is still trying to get in.

[Boudrias]

You've clearly decided to take some unsubstantiated rumours and run with them, so, if you're going to swallow that pulp the Province peddles, you may as well include in your list of assumptions the rest of the related rumours, starting with the one that suggests it was FA who pushed for a lifetime contract for Luongo, when Gillis is rumoured to have prefered a term closer to half the length of what was signed.

Kinda puts a different spin on your version of the "I am not paying 30 mil dollars extra for your error" story, doesn't it?

Fact is.... there aren't any verified facts involved in these rumours.

Nice story though.

[Ghostsof1915]

I miss the days when reporters knew how to write, and stuck to facts. Not innuendo, and speculation.

[Hunter.S-Kerouac]

If it is true that Aquaman Pushed Torts it makes sence as an owner. If your considering blowing up the core first bring in someone to crack the whip if that wont get them over the hump then for sure by all means anyone is fair game Sedins Kes Bieksa Edler could all be traded. No sense sticking with the same crew that can't get it done but first you gotta ride em hard and AV wasn't doing that.

[aGENT]

PGDR

(FWIW, that stands for: "Province Garbage Didn't Read".)

[Blue & Green]

You've clearly decided to take some unsubstantiated rumours and run with them, so, if you're going to swallow that pulp the Province peddles, you may as well include in your list of assumptions the rest of the related rumours, starting with the one that suggests it was FA who pushed for a lifetime contract for Luongo, when Gillis is rumoured to have prefered a term closer to half the length of what was signed.

Kinda puts a different spin on your version of the "I am not paying 30 mil dollars extra for your error" story, doesn't it?

Fact is.... there aren't any verified facts involved in these rumours.

Nice story though.

[TOMapleLaughs]

Every province article has the same format. It involves blabbering about a Canucks-related topic, making series of known statement after known statement, and then wrapping up that blabbering with a not-so-witty comment or question.

That sucks.

All the writers there do it. It seems to be a requirement for working there. The style is just so annoying. But i don't picture them changing it, as the content is purposely annoying even moreso. Oh well. At least there's the gongshow GMing going on in TO to follow as well as the Cody Hodgson debacle in Buffalo. Not that it's as seemingly everlasting as the Luongo saga here.

[Guest Pinchin]

Given the source, Mr. Editorial himself Ed Willes, this means as much to me as Elvis' face on a grill cheese sandwich. Ed Willes is the biggest HACK in our local media, there is this thing called journalistic integrity, he has none. I guess it's a little harder for Vancouver as the either biggest small market or smallest big market in Canada to attract the best sports journalists but WTH, Ed Willes is just fodder for the tin foil hat wearing crew.

Basically what I'm saying is, I dislike Ed Willes and I have no respect for much of what he says and writes.

[D-Money]

Pure conjecture, with absolutely no indication of proof, unbiased reporting, or journalistic integrity of any kind.

Willes is terrible.

[aqua59]

I find it funny that Willes suggests that an owner telling his manager, I am not paying 30 mil dollars extra for your error (ie buyout) is something that means the owner is 'meddling' or bad. lol

this guy has clearly never made real money, is a shill and never will. billionaires don't get rich and stay that way by throwing away 30 ml for their manager's errors.

this lou debacle is solely on Gillis no one else. Acquilini simply did what any good business man does, protects his investments and doesn't piss money down the drain.

Moreover, the decision to hire Torts was the right one. Look how players are responding, Higgins, Kesler etc saying they are excited, they are already buying in,

I have watched his interviews, I am impressed by his honesty, his desire to win, his passion for the game. This team didn't need another 'technician'. It needed emotion.

Gillis analyzes till he's blue in the face then makes bad decisions. Acquilini gets what it takes to win in business, not just talent, but passion.

Torts is here to wake that up in our players, Stevens would have been more of AV 2.0.

Personally, I think Gillis is lucky to have his job.

[7thMan]

Does Willes really have any sources to back up the claims that Gillis wanted John Stevens to coach and Gillis would have bought out Luongo, if not for Aquilini's intervention?

[apollo]

Aquilini should not be in charge of this team. He should simply be an owner.

If he wanted to make different decisions he should have got a new GM. Not make them himself

[aqua59]

Does Willes really have any sources to back up the claims that Gillis wanted John Stevens to coach and Gillis would have bought out Luongo, if not for Aquilini's intervention?

[AFrame14]

I find it funny that Willes suggests that an owner telling his manager, I am not paying 30 mil dollars extra for your error (ie buyout) is something that means the owner is 'meddling' or bad. lol

this guy has clearly never made real money, is a shill and never will. billionaires don't get rich and stay that way by throwing away 30 ml for their manager's errors.

this lou debacle is solely on Gillis no one else. Acquilini simply did what any good business man does, protects his investments and doesn't piss money down the drain.

Moreover, the decision to hire Torts was the right one. Look how players are responding, Higgins, Kesler etc saying they are excited, they are already buying in,

I have watched his interviews, I am impressed by his honesty, his desire to win, his passion for the game. This team didn't need another 'technician'. It needed emotion.

Gillis analyzes till he's blue in the face then makes bad decisions. Acquilini gets what it takes to win in business, not just talent, but passion.

Torts is here to wake that up in our players, Stevens would have been more of AV 2.0.

Personally, I think Gillis is lucky to have his job.

[oldnews]

Let me preface this by saying I am not sure if I am reading your post wrong or not. It seems like you are suggesting that Gillis never even considered the option to buy out Luongo.

I would agree that I don't think buying out Luongo was a preferred option but I am certain the possibility was at least entertained and discussed by Gillis and the ownership. To not consider it objectively like any other option (eg. trading Luongo and taking a big cap dump back, waiving him, trading Schneider instead, etc.) would basically be neglecting to do your job as a GM. All possible avenues have to be explored for the best case scenario. So I am sure it was an option on the table for them.

I doubt they would have bought out Luongo though. Gillis wouldn't even trade him for a too-small return, why would he buy him out and give him away for nothing?

[oldnews]

the sad thing is that idiots will read this article and then a few weeks later it will become the facts in vancouver.

[elvis15]

Very interesting he flat out says Torts hiring was Aqualini's decision. I know we heard rumors but they were always implied just that rumors.. Willies pretty much lays it out on the line as if this is public knowledge, really not sure what to believe here. I personally think anytime ownership wants to get this involved where as they are making the GM's decisions if that be true a gross mistake. Just never seems to work out that way.