ESPN and TSN analyst Ray Ferraro linked to NHL management job

When Vancouver Canucks owner Francesco Aquilini and interim GM Stan Smyl met with the media earlier this week the pair made it clear that they will take their time before naming a permanent GM.

There have been multiple reports that the Canucks' management team has interest in executives like Jim Rutherford, Marc Bergevin and even former Canucks GM and President Mike Gillis. But one name that's beginning to pop into rumor reports is ESPN and TSN analyst Ray Ferraro. 

Ferraro, who resides in the Vancouver area, was on today's Donnie & Dhali podcast with Don Taylor and Canucks insider Rick Dhaliwal where he talked about potentially joining the Canucks in a management role and made it clear that he'd be open to joining the team.

Check it out:

Honestly, I think this should be a no-brainer hire for the Canucks. Maybe not as team GM, but certainly in some sort of hockey operations role. Ferraro is one of the sharpest minds in the game and he possesses the ability to break things down in a really simple, matter of fact way. He's an excellent communicator with an incredible amount of knowledge and experience in the game. To me, he's exactly the type of person that Aquilini and Smyl should be targeting.

Imagine the Canucks bringing in a veteran GM like Rutherford and then putting Ferraro alongside him as an assistant. This would allow Ferraro to learn the daily ins and outs of the GM position from a Hall of Famer and potentially take over his hometown team somewhere down the line. Thoughts, Canucks fans?

Of course, the Canucks already have a crowded management team with Smyl, Daniel Sedin and Henrik Sedin already on board, but it's clear that Aquilini is taking his time before making his next move. Smyl made an impassioned speech to the team's fanbase during his press conference with Aquilini that I feel should merit him consideration for the team's open President position. Hire a veteran GM, pair him with Ferraro and then allow the Sedins to work their way up the ranks slowly while they soak up all there is to learn along the way. Again... thoughts, Canucks fans?