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At the conclusion of the 2017-18 NHL season, Trevor Linden made a presentation to Vancouver Canucks’ ownership in which he outlined four rebuilding programs he felt the franchise should emulate.

The identity of three of the teams is not known but the fourth was the Winnipeg Jets, an organization Linden frequently referenced as a model for the Canucks’ rebuild. The problem, however, arose when the former president looked at the Jets’ arc, then stated the Canucks were still four years away from competing for anything meaningful.

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This time frame wasn’t consistent with ownership’s view of their investment. Linden was dismissed. Jim Benning and John Weisbrod, who felt the Canucks’ runway was shorter than four years, became the team’s principal decision-makers in the hockey department.

And here we are.

Now, the intent here isn’t to pick the scab off an old wound because we can argue about Linden’s ouster for, well, the next years. Instead, let’s look at the Jets’ template and see if it provides any lessons for the locals.