Vancouver Canucks sign president Jim Rutherford to 3-year extension

Jim Rutherford has a simple answer on how he stays motivated to work in hockey well into his 70s.

"What else am I going to do? This is my 42nd year in the National Hockey League," theCanucks' president of hockey operations said to laughs Friday as he spoke to media about his new three-year contract extension.

Rutherford was named president of hockey operations and interim general manager on Dec. 9, 2021, four days after general manager Jim Benning was fired. Patrik Allvin was hired as general manageron Jan. 26, 2022.

The front office has presided over a major turnaround for theCanucks(30-11-4) who entered Friday first overall in the NHL standings, one point ahead of the Boston Bruins.TheCanuckshave quickly evolved fromplayoff outsider to league leader since Rutherford and Allvin have come aboard.

"We've had a good first half [of the season]but it'll be very challenging in the second half," Rutherford said "But I believe our team is going to be up for that challenge."

Rutherford, a 74-year-old native of Beeton, Ont., was general manager for the Pittsburgh Penguins from 2014 to 2021 and led the team to back-to-back championships in 2016 and '17.

He was also Carolina's GM for 20 years, and saw the Hurricanes win the Cup in 2006.

A former NHL goaltender, Rutherford was named the league's general manager of the year in 2016 and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in the builder category in 2019.

Canuckschairman Francesco Aquilini announced Rutherford's extension at a Friday morning press conference.

"We wanted to get this done," Aquilini said. "Jim's record speaks for itself. Three Stanley Cups, the Hall of Fame, definitely his experience and knowledge of the game is second to none in my opinion."

President surprised by turnaround

A year ago, Rutherford had warned the team needed "major surgery"to start winning again. TheCanuckshad made the playoffs just once in eight seasons heading into 2023-24.

The veteran hockey executive admits he's been surprised by the turnaround in theCanucks' fortune after replacing former head coach Bruce Boudreau with Rick Tocchet.

"When I first came here, one of the things I said was I think that we had some players that were better than people think," he said on Friday. "We had a lot of very good players but we didn't have a team. Now we have a team."

Vancouver's surprising improvement in form this season has coincided with Quinn Hughes' surge in offensive output, with the blueliner sitting tied for first for points by a defenceman.

"This is what we say in meetings: this group of players and coaches deserve the best opportunity they can to compete going forward," Rutherford said.

Rutherford and Aquilini also discussed the contract fate of Swedish forward Elias Pettersson.

The star centre has 59 points (24 goals, 35 assists) in 45 games for theCanucksthis season.

"We can wait," said Rutherford about the pressure of signing Pettersson to a contract extension. "We really want him to stay, he's a very special player."

Aquilini agreed, saying that from an ownership perspective they want Pettersson to stay in Vancouver.

TheCanucksplay the second of a five-game homestand on Saturday when they host the Toronto Maple Leafs.