On Wednesday’s episode of Canucks Conversation, David Quadrelli and Harman Dayal reacted to Jim Rutherford’s recent comments about the Canucks’ direction and why, for once, the messaging from management actually feels aligned with a real plan.

Quads explained why Rutherford’s honesty stood out so strongly compared to what fans have heard in the past.

“The big thing for me is this is the most clarity we’ve gotten from a Canucks management regime since probably Gillis,” Quads said. “When have you ever heard them say, ‘Yeah, we need to stay the course, it’s okay that we’re losing?’ In all those bad seasons we’ve all been through over the last ten or so years, there has been a massive emphasis from the top of the organization on, ‘Pull it together down the stretch run; we can’t tank too badly because we need to sell hope for next season’. That’s been an organizational philosophy from the top on down.”

That’s why Rutherford’s message landed differently.

“What Rutherford is saying is they’re going for that high draft pick,” Quads said. “They know they’re going to lose games — it’s going to be part of the process — and we can’t take shortcuts out of it. That is maybe the most promising thing I’ve ever heard from anyone in the Canucks organization.”

“It’s not entirely shocking that Rutherford came out and basically admitted they wanted a high draft pick,” Harm added. “We’ve known for a while, and once the Quinn Hughes trade was made, they viewed the possibility of a top-three pick as an important accelerant for that two-to-three-year timeline Rutherford continually refers to.”

What made it notable, Harm said, was the willingness to say it out loud.

“It’s funny though — how often do we see an exec not only in Vancouver but around the NHL admit, ‘Yeah, we want as high of a draft pick as possible’?” he said. “That’s pretty rare.”

“Even teams that are bad — I think back to the Nashville Predators last year, when they went out and made all those splashy free-agent signings but were off to a miserable start. I did an interview with Barry Trotz, the Predators GM, and he insisted that they weren’t tanking and they wanted to stay competitive.”

To Harm, that resistance often leads teams into half-measures that delay real progress.

“I’m glad the Canucks are taking a path, at least in terms of their public messaging, where they’re not going to take shortcuts,” he said. “They’re happy to get a high draft pick this year, as opposed to what happened with Trotz where there was this sense of resistance to finishing low in the standings.”

Quads stressed that he wasn’t about to turn optimism into blind faith. Clear messaging only matters if the actions follow.

“I’m not building a Jim Rutherford statue just because he came out and said these things,” he added. “But these are great things to say, and if they follow through on what’s being said, it should be okay. This is the path we’ve been dying to see them go down, so let’s see it in action and watch how the plan plays out.”

He closed by returning to what makes these comments stand out.

“I just want to reiterate — the emphasis for years in this organization has been to finish the year strong, sell hope, sell season tickets,” Quads said. “That doesn’t seem to be the case this year, and that’s a big deal.”

For the first time in a long time, the Canucks appear willing to accept losing as part of a larger vision. Whether they remain committed to that vision will ultimately determine how meaningful Rutherford’s words prove to be.

You can watch the full segment below!