VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) -The Vancouver Canucks hired agent and former NHL player Mike Gillis as general manager on Wednesday.
Gillis replaces Dave Nonis, who was fired April 14 after the Canucks missed the playoffs one season after winning the Northwest Division.
Vancouver finished the season with a 39-33-10 record, three points out of eighth place in the Western Conference. The 49-year-old Gillis, who signed a five-year deal, will decide whether to keep coach Alain Vigneault.
The Canucks have leading goaltender Roberto Luongo, but need more talent around him to contend for a Stanley Cup, Gillis said. His job as an agent to such stars as Pavel Bure and Bobby Holik makes him well-suited to make player decisions, he said.
“I’ve been forced to evaluate players very early,” Gillis said at the news conference. “At the most, I’ve represented about 20 players in any given year in the NHL.
“I think this team needs to get faster, I think it needs more grit, I think it needs to be more competitive. They have a solid defense, solid goaltending, but there are a number of areas that need to be addressed.”
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