from Ed Willes of the Vancouver Province,

At the conclusion of last season, Linden also presented ownership with his take on four different rebuilds — the Winnipeg Jets being the most notable — and said these are the models the Canucks should follow. He then estimated four years was a realistic time line for the team to become competitive.

For this he was fired, suggesting ownership wasn’t in complete agreement with Linden’s plan.

But here’s the thing. Seven months after the fact, the Canucks seem to be following the same template Linden laid out. During last Wednesday’s game with Carolina, Canucks owner Francesco Aquilini tweeted out: “Sure would be great to make playoffs, but not at the expense of our long-term plan. We want to build a team that challenges for the Cup year-after-year. Like we had in 2008, 9/10/11. That’s the path we’re on.”

General manager Jim Benning has also restated the purpose, saying the Canucks’ future won’t be mortgaged to chase a playoff spot this season. It’s the same thing Linden had been saying for a while.

So what changed?

In two words, Elias Pettersson.

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