The Vancouver Canucks finally seemed ready to establish a direction that probably could have taken place four years earlier. After the 2016-17 season, team president Trevor Linden had the following to say:
“Obviously we’ve been forthright in saying we’ve been transitioning as a team to a younger group and that was becoming a bit of a sticking point with some people. So to get alignment with our fans and our media I used the rebuild word today, which everyone can get their head around. If that word makes everyone happier then I’m more than happy to use it.