Vancouver Canucks head coach Alain Vigneault could be dismissed as early as this week, according to Darren Dreger of TSN on Tuesday afternoon.
Dreger stated in a radio spot on TSN 1050 in Toronto that he believes the Canucks have already made the decision to fire Vigneault. In his opinion, the announcement could come on Thursday or Friday of this week. This perspective is shared by Bob McKenzie, Dreger's colleague at TSN.
McKenzie stated in a radio spot with Team 1040 that he believes Vigneault will be out as head coach, via CanucksArmy.com:
"All things being equal I can't imagine the Vancouver Canucks come back with the same coach they had, and I can't imagine it dragging on much longer than it has."
As Thomas Drance points out at Canucks Army, Vigneault has yet to give an end of the season press conference. Whether this is an indication of what the organization is going to do remains to be seen. However, it is an interesting dynamic to the situation.
At the same time, it's unclear whether Dreger and McKenzie's opinions are based in fact, educated prognostication or a mixture of both. Obviously, they're two of the most well connected members of the media. In a general sense, their reports are basically press releases.
Vancouver general manager Mike Gillis stated the team is moving in a new direction. Many believe that shift will begin with the dismissal of Vigneault. If Dreger is correct, that new course of action will begin by the end of this week.
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