Vancouver Canucks Owner Francesco Aquilini Handed Severe Wake-Up Call By the NHL in Announcement
Photo credit: ESPN
The NHL Writers at the well respected Media Outlet 'The Athletic' have released their annual owner rankings, and after the Vancouver Canucks are now mathematically out of the playoffs, it is looking worse for Owner Francesco Aquilini.
The Canucks franchise has been under intense scrutiny and criticisms all year long for how they manage their players, deal with the media and seemingly making the worst moves possible when they are under pressure.
With the Canucks now missing the playoff's after winning the Western Conference last season, owner Francesco Aquilani has been given a major wake-up call.
Francesco Aquilini ranked one of the worst owners in the NHL
The Billionaire owner has been part of the team's ownership since 2004 when he bought a 50% stake in the franchise, but later bought out the reaming 50% two years later to become the Canucks full proprietor.
His lack of presence and public involvement with the franchise has caused many to criticize his ability as an owner.
James Mirtle's article in the Athletic highlighted the issues with Aquilini, ranking him
31st int he league, with a D+ grade and an overall rating of 2.95 by fans and 2.9 by The Athletic, 0.1 lower than Murray Edwards of the Calgary Flames, who landed in 30th.
31st int he league, with a D+ grade and an overall rating of 2.95 by fans and 2.9 by The Athletic, 0.1 lower than Murray Edwards of the Calgary Flames, who landed in 30th.
The Two categories that highlight the unsatisfactory nature of Aquilini as an owner is in terms treatment of the fan base, which he ranks 31st and organization stability, which has been ranked 30th of the 32 teams.
Some believe he is a good owner when things are going well and they are winning hockey games, but is the complete opposite when they are losing as he tends to micro manage from behind the scenes.
"He's a fine owner when the team is winning but needs to stop meddling and let his GMs work when the team is rebuilding. Or at least let them rebuild instead of retool." the fan said to James Mirtle.
Now that the Canucks have missed the playoffs, it full reinforces this notion ever further.
It really is saying a lot about Aquilini and his presence with the Canucks when the only team ranked lower than the Vancouver Canucks was the Buffalo Sabres, who haven't made the Stanley Cup Playoffs since 2011 and we all know how their fanbase feels about owner Tony Pegula..
TRENDING NOW
