Peter Chiarelli might be joining Canucks front office, starts mass panic

On the eve of the 2019 NHL Draft hosted by your very own Vancouver Canucks, it has been reported that former GM of the Edmonton Oilers Peter Chiarelli is possibly joining the Canucks management team in some capacity.

The best idea is just to breathe and be calm about this.

No matter what side of the Benning fence Canucks fans lie on, every single one can agree that Chiarelli was not a good General Manager during his time in Edmonton. Countless articles highlighting his infamous trades that involved sending out future Hart Trophy winners and mismanaging the Oilers into the dark abyss while still employing the greatest player in decades.

It’s not to say that the Canucks front office will start selling off Pettersson in a couple years for old Ryan Ellis or something, but just having his voice in the room might be troubling.

There’s no point speculating the exact chemistry and personality food chain within the Canucks management team, but possibly adding the GM that screwed up literally the easiest management position in all of professional sports might not be the best contributor.

He might not end up in Vancouver, but one little spark of source material is enough to start the downward panic into worrying about never seeing the playoffs again. There are always bad hires within the NHL, but when Chiarelli was fired by the Oilers, it was assumed that he would never find a job in this league again, but the Canucks might just be welcoming him in with open arms.

Actions speak louder than words and this small hire might not lead to any direct action that Chiarelli is to blame for, so there should be a somewhat smooth grace period for the ex-Oilers GM.

There are no current obvious vacancies in the Canucks front office, so the hypothetical position for Chiarelli might just be in an advisory role, which there is no limit on.