Cox: Canucks inquired about compensation for former assistant Mike Sullivan; were ‘quickly told no’
8 years ago
Photo Credit: Anne-Marie Sorvin/USA TODAY Sports
The Vancouver Canucks have already been big winners during the NHL’s short-lived executive and coaching compensation regime, which will be done away with as of January 1. It was suggested on Saturday by Sportsnet’s Damien Cox that the Canucks sought to press their advantage this weekend, in the wake of the PIttsburgh Penguins’ decision to hire former John Tortorella lieutenant, Canucks assistant and interim head coach Mike Sullivan to replace Mike Johnston as their bench boss.
“Quick other note on Mike Sullivan, by the way, the Vancouver Canucks may have inquired as to whether they could get compensation for him,” Cox said during a Headlines segment on Hockey Night in Canada. “They were quickly told no.”
That’s fascinating and hilarious, so let’s unpack this a bit.
First of all we should note that Cox is hedging a little bit in his reporting here, which is reflected in the headline of this article. The Canucks “may have” inquired about compensation, he says, which implies a level of uncertainty, though obviously he was comfortable enough to suggest that the inquiry took place on national television. I don’t think we can interpret what Cox is saying as hard, confirmed reporting, but it’s at worst well-informed speculation.
And speaking of well-informed speculation, we don’t really know how long Sullivan’s deal with the Canucks was and it’s pretty rare that we have any details about an assistant coach’s contract length. If the Canucks thought they had any argument for draft pick compensation though, then we have to assume that his 2013 deal with the team was still active.
It’s perhaps notable that Sullivan was hired at the exact same time as current Canucks assistant Glen Gulutzan and we’ve never heard anything about Gulutzan’s deal being extended. Not that we should read too much into that though since, once again, we’re rarely privy to contract details for NHL assistants.
So really we can’t engage in much more than some guesswork here, just because we don’t know anything about Sullivan’s contract status, but it at least seems plausible that Sullivan’s deal with the Canucks was for three seasons (or more).
If the former Canucks bench boss – you’ll recall Sullivan served as the club’s head coach during Tortorella’s suspension-related absence during the 2013-14 season – remains under contract with the club, then why not try to get a pick for him? What’s perhaps tougher to figure out is why the league would shut it down, seeing as how the compensation rule is reportedly still active for three more weeks.
The first thing to know is that the NHL hated the short-lived executive compensation regime, and even reportedly suggested to the Canucks that they shouldn’t expect a draft pick from the Blue Jackets were they to hire Tortorella. From Jason Botchford a few months back:
It was no sure thing the Canucks were getting a second-round pick out of the Columbus Blue Jackets for signing John Tortorella.Initially, Columbus balked at the concept of surrendering a draft pick, arguing the rule that allows for it is either going to be overhauled in January or dissolved.The NHL at first suggested to the Canucks that they not stand in the way of Tortorella getting back into the league as a head coach.But eventually the NHL backed out, and told the two sides to work it out on their own.The Canucks negotiated their way to the second round pick, and it could have been anything, by paying a good chunk of Tortorella’s remaining deal. How much is unclear, but half would seem a good bet.It was not a breezy negotiation. But the Canucks were adamant about the second round pick.
Now there is one legitimate difference between Tortorella and Sullivan’s respective situations, in that Sullivan was already working for the Penguins organization as the head coach of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the American League. Perhaps that changes things from the league’s perspective, and fair enough. It’s not as if the NHL was well disposed towards this rule anyway.
And certainly there’s been no coach hired under similar circumstances since executive and coaching compensation was instituted (and then rescinded shortly thereafter). It’s not like we have any precedent to examine.
Assuming Cox’s information is correct, you understand why the Canucks would try to squeeze one last draft pick out this strange, wild west era. It would’ve been a second-round pick too, which is a valuable chip.
I don’t know that it’s a surprise that the NHL shut it down though and it’s certainly not an injustice. Based on the fact that Sullivan was already working within the Penguins organization, it would seem insane for them to pay the Canucks compensation.
I’d never begrudge an organization for acting in their own rational self interest, but if it’s true that the Canucks looked at the current rule and thought that they might be due a draft pick because the Penguins promoted an internal employee whom they fired nearly two years ago, well that’s a pretty compelling argument against the compensation rule itself.
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