The Vancouver Canucks named Travis Green as their new head coach this week, but he will begin next fall without one of the better defenders of the 2016-17 season. Nikita Tryamkin departed after finishing his two-year contract with the Canucks and signed with Avtomobilist in the Russian-based KHL.
The decision to let Tryamkin go — and I insist that it was the Canucks’ decision — is perhaps the most glaring example yet of the front office’s disconnect with what this team and its fans need. Indeed, the reaction among Canucks fans to Tryamkin’s departure demonstrated just what an impact the young player had made in his first full season with the team.