Canucks not good enough: GM

The newly unveiled general manager of the Vancouver Canucks said yesterday he doesn’t feel the franchise is good enough yet to challenge for the Stanley Cup.
Mike Gillis, 49, who was trotted out before Vancouver media yesterday by Canucks owner Francesco Aquilini, said the team has a good foundation in goaltender Roberto Luongo, but needs to get faster, grittier and generally more competitive.
Last week, fired GM Dave Nonis said the team was “very close to being a championship team” and was “well positioned to take a serious step forward.”
However, Gillis, a player agent who moved to Vancouver nine months ago, said a couple of bold decisions could put the team in a place to compete immediately. He didn’t elaborate on what those changes might be.
“Mike is the right person for us,” said Aquilini. “As time goes by, I’m very confident you will see in Mike what we saw in Mike.”
He said Canucks employees would be given a “clean slate moving forward” and feels his experience as a player agent gives him an unique perspective on scouting, player selection and player development.
-jeff.hodson@metronews.ca