Patrik Allvin, Jim Rutherford, and Rick Tocchet have not been a part of the Vancouver Canucks organization for a long time, but they aren’t spring chickens when it comes to being NHL team employees.

The shelf life of a general manager or head coach can range from a few months to upwards of 25 years. The average is probably somewhere around four to seven years depending on the position, but the Canucks are setting themselves up for a full reset and a fresh start from a management and coaching perspective.

Announcing Quinn Hughes as the captain is a good way to turn the page and breathe new life into the organization’s optics.

“[This is a] significant milestone for the team, signifying the change of the leadership and the identity of the team,” said general manager Patrik Allvin in his statement to open up Monday’s media availability.

I know it’s just a single letter on a jersey, but the organization putting their chips on Hughes is a much bigger deal than a letter on a jersey. With the captaincy announcement, this team is entering a new era of Canucks hockey and has selected Hughes to be the leading man on this voyage.

Hughes will make a great captain. He’s grown up in the hockey world, and after averaging 25:40 of ice time per game last season, he will also be the man playing the most for this Canucks team. On top of his playing time, Hughes is locked down for four more seasons on his current contract.

Waiting for the opening night of the NHL season could have been an option for the Canucks. They open the season at home against the Edmonton Oilers before heading onto the road, but Allvin spoke about why the Canucks decided to make Monday their announcement day for the club’s new leader.

“We wanted to do this to have a fresh start at training camp with a new leadership group, building off the momentum from last year when Rick Tocchet came in,” said Allvin. “That’s the decision for us making this announcement here.”

Allvin mentioned a fresh start and turning the page multiple times in his media availability, and he’s absolutely correct. There have been too many distractions outside of hockey for this club over the past few years, and Hughes seems to have a calm, fair, and concise answer whenever he has to speak about an off-ice situation — whether it be Pride jerseys, Tanner Pearson’s health, trading Bo Horvat, or any of the other off-ice stories that have arisen in Hughes’ time as a Canuck.

Having an older veteran like J.T. Miller or an offensive leader like Elias Pettersson would have each had their merits, but while Hughes is not only the best choice, he’s also the safest. Hughes doesn’t trip over his emotions in media availabilities but still somehow lets his feelings be shown when he is required to bear some of the weight for his team.

Hughes is going to lead by example but will also continue to grow his voice in the room. In the past, Hughes has mentioned his evolution from age 19 to 21, to 25, and onward, and becoming the captain is just another step in his hockey career.

As harsh as it sounds, giving Hughes the captaincy before training camp helps wash the taste of Bo Horvat away. This is now Hughes’s team, and he will be the player who is setting a high standard for their work in training camp, preseason, regular season, hopefully playoffs, as well as the offseason.

Every Canucks player now knows who to look up to, and that’s a good thing to have ahead of training camp.

This was masterful timing to eliminate a distraction ahead of training camp, and we applaud the announcement.