from Ed Willes of the Vancouver Province,

Trevor Linden was hired as the Vancouver Canucks’ president on April 9, 2014. Brendan Shanahan was hired as the Toronto Maple Leafs’ president two days later.

As you may be aware, the Canucks and Leafs have taken divergent paths since both men took over their respective franchises. The Leafs are coming off a 105-point season, have just signed John Tavares and appear to be positioned for a long run as an elite NHL team.

The Canucks are coming off 26th-, 28th- and 29th-place finishes and while they’ve assembled some good young pieces, they appear to be two seasons away from competing for a playoff spot … and that’s being generous.

So where did the Leafs go right and where did the Canucks go wrong? How have the Leafs reinvigorated their franchise while the Canucks failed in their stated goal of remaining competitive while rebuilding their core? Obviously, the answers to those questions would fill a book but we’ve been given 1,000 words to enlighten the masses.

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