Rutherford: Canucks can't make 'panic decisions' as winless start continues

Vancouver Canucks president of hockey operations Jim Rutherford understands fans' disappointment as the team's woeful start to the season drags on, but he isn't about to make any rash decisions.

"If something comes our way that we feel is going to make the team better, we're going to do it," he said Saturday during Sportsnet's "After Hours" segment following his team's 5-1 defeat against the Buffalo Sabres.

"We're being cautious in how we go about that. ... But I'm the same as the fans and everybody: It's getting frustrating, it's hard to watch. We'll just have to be careful as to what our decisions are. I don't think we can make panic decisions at this point in time."

He added: "I think people have to realize how long rebuilds are. ... We may very well be in a rebuild in the direction we're going. But ideally, we'd like to transition this team on the fly. ... These guys just have to keep working and try to work through this at this point."

The Canucks are 0-4-2 in the 2022-23 campaign and became the first team in NHL history to lose the first four games of a season while blowing multi-goal leads in each contest.

Vancouver initially seemed hopeful that its fortunes would turn with Saturday's home opener, but that wasn't the case. Fans tossed Canucks sweaters on the ice at Rogers Arena as boos rained down from the stands, which was a first for head coach Bruce Boudreau.

"It's just totally embarrassing," Boudreau told reporters postgame. "It's something you never want to see, and I've seen it happen in other arenas and everything and never thought it would happen here or on a team that I'm coaching.

"If I were the fans, I would have been frustrated too because they're watching what we're watching."

The Canucks entered the third period down 2-1, but Sabres forward Victor Olofsson extended the lead just 1:54 into the frame. His tally came only 26 seconds after Buffalo had an apparent Vinnie Hinostroza goal disallowed because it didn't completely cross the line. Zemgus Girgensons added an empty-netter before Olofsson beat Canucks goaltender Thatcher Demko with 2:39 remaining.

Though Boudreau said he was concerned by his players' lack of effort in the third period, he wouldn't go as far as to say they quit.

"I never like to use that word; it just looked like they said, 'Oh, there's no way we can catch up,' type thing because they haven't had success yet," he said. "I mean, I would like to think that there wasn't anybody that was saying there, 'Oh, I don't care what happens now, I quit.' I'll never accept that in my mind."

Boudreau said he told his players to "look in the mirror."

Vancouver won three of its first six games last season, eventually firing head coach Travis Green in early December after going 8-15-2 under his guidance.

The Canucks' next shot at redemption comes Monday against the Carolina Hurricanes.