According to Darren Dreger of TSN via Twitter, the list of candidates is long and full of recognizable names that have coached at the game’s highest level before.  Some of them have a Stanley Cup or two on their resumes, while others are hoping this will be their big break and finally get their long awaited shot at coaching in the NHL.

The list includes former Dallas Stars bench boss Dave Tippett, who was also rumored to be in the running for the Colorado Avlanche job before Patrick Roy was given the gig.  Former Buffalo Sabres coach Lindy Ruff has also been mentioned as a possibility in Vancouver along with former head coaches Tom Renney, Guy Boucher, Jacques Martin and Paul Maurice.  Scott Arniel and Dallas Eakins are those mentioned who are waiting for their first chance in the big leagues and given Arniel’s ties to the Vancouver organization as head coach of the AHL affiliate Chicago Wolves, he will almost certainly be considered.  Whether or not he gets the job could come down to the Canucks’ brass wanting a rookie coach to try and lead this team to the promised land one more time before heavy decisions need to be made surrounding their roster.

Dreger also mentions that Doug Houda, Ron Wilson and Larry Robinson have been mentioned around the league as “hot commodities” to become a head coach. But as Tim Kavanagh of ESPN.com writes, they haven’t been specifically tied to the Vancouver opening.

Whomever gets the job will have a roster that is ready to win. The pressure will be on to lead this club past the first round of the playoffs and deep into the postseason.  Another cup final with a different ending than the one in 2011 is expected in Vancouver and whichever head coach takes on that challenge will surely have the eyes of all Canucks’ fans on him.

With a list this long, the Canucks will surely begin dwindling it down to a short list they are comfortable with and then start the process of weeding out the others in hopes of finding their new head coach.

April 13 2013; Denver, CO, USA; Vancouver Canucks head coach Alain Vigneault on his bench during the first period of the game against the Colorado Avalanche at the Pepsi Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

After being eliminated in the first round of the playoffs two years in a row the Vancouver Canucks decided it was time for a change. Today they announced that Alain Vigneault has  been relieved of his duties as head coach. Assistant coaches Rick Bowness and Newell Brown have also been fired. Vigneault was the most successful coach in Canucks history, which made this a hard decision for General Manager Mike Gillis:

“I have a very strong relationship with all of them. I like them all personally,” he told a news conference shortly after the firings were announced. “We’re in a results-oriented business, and if you look at the last two playoffs, we were the higher-seeded team and we lost the first two games at home. We’ve lost consecutive games in the last two playoff years, and there comes a point in time where the message has to change and we have to be better.

“We simply didn’t get the result we expected, and in this business you have to get results.”

Vigneault made a statement after the firing via the Canucks website:

“I am proud of many of the things we accomplished as a group these past seven seasons in Vancouver and only wish we were able to win the Canucks’ first Stanley Cup. I am a career coach and it is what I love to do. I hope to coach again in this League and will always have good memories of my time and the fans in Vancouver.”

With the firing of Vigneault has created much speculation about who will get his job. Darren Dreger tweeted his list of possible candidates.

In no specific order, here’s a list of possible Canucks coaching options: Tippett, Ruff, Renney, Boucher, Maurice, Arniel, Eakins, Martin.

— Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) May 22, 2013

The timing makes me believe that Dallas Eakins is top of the list since he is allowed to entertain NHL job offers as of the Toronto Marlies elimination from the Calder Cup Playoffs yesterday. Who do you think will take the opening? Where do you think Vigneault will end up? Share your thoughts in the comment box below, on facebook, on twitter (@kcapp22 or @TMMotS), or by email (tmmots@yahoo.ca).

Both Roberto Luongo and Cory Schneider were given their fare share of opportunities to grab the reins in goal and get the Canucks back in the series.  They each started two games in the four game sweep and neither of them were able to steal a game that would have gotten the series back to Vancouver for game 5.

Now the off-season is upon the Canucks and it’s just a matter of time before the trade rumors surrounding Roberto Luongo will again start to blow.  Only this time the winds of trade will be stronger than a slight breeze; more comparable to that of gale force winds.

It has become evident that Luongo will be the odd man out in Vancouver.  GM Mike Gillis was apparently close to a deal at this year’s April trade deadline and aside from him not wanting to absorb any of Luongo’s ridiculous contract, a trade was said to be in place with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

With the Leafs on the brink of elimination in their opening round series, it’s hard to say if they’ll take another run at Luongo this summer.  James Reimer has been good for the buds, but he hasn’t been great, leaving many to wonder if he’s the answer in Toronto.

A market will surely develop for Luongo given every team is in the same boat come July 3 when free agency opens up.  Every club will have playoff aspirations and plans on upgrading their roster by shelling out barrels of cash to try and land the top fish on the market.

With the list of free-agent goaltenders being somewhat shallow this summer, Luongo’s trade value could increase should multiple teams show interest.  Where he will end up is any one’s guess but one thing is almost certain, Roberto Luongo will be traded.

Perhaps one of the biggest NHL dramas is about to finally draw the curtain on it’s production. All we have to do now is hurry up and wait for the deal to happen which possibly means months of hearing about the rumors.