Canucks’ pro scouting losing more than Cammi Granato

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The topline takeaway from Friday’s announcement from the Canucks that Cammi Granato, who was hired as one of the team’s assistant general managers in 2022 to some fanfare, is shifting into an advisory role. But the bigger story is the NHL club is suddenly pretty short in the pro scouting department.

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Granato’s pullback from day to day management duties highlights how much change is still to come for the Canucks’ hockey operations department.

This past season, Granato was one of three assistant general managers, responsible for overseeing both the amateur and pro scouting departments, as well as the player development team. Emilie Castonguay, who preceded Granato as the first female AGM in team history and just the second in league history, was and remains in charge of contracts and salary caps. Ryan Johnson, who is now the Canucks’ GM, was an AGM for the team until his big promotion.

Richard Seeley is the new AGM leading the Abbotsford operation, taking over for Johnson, but it doesn’t seem there’s going to be a full-on replacement of Granato to oversee scouting and development. Daren Hermiston has been hired on as a director to oversee the development staff — Mikael Samuelsson, Mike Komisarek and now Alex Edler — but one presumes that when it comes to amateur and pro scouting, both Toddy Harvey and Brett Henning will have to do more paperwork than before.

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Henning, though, is in a curious spot. Harvey’s staff remains rather robust and given how well-praised the most recent draft class was, in good form, but Henning’s department is now a concern, simply through lack of personnel.

Not only have the experienced eyes of Johnson and Granato been removed from the general equation, but Henning’s overall department is down three bodies.

First there was Dale Tallon, the former senior adviser and pro scout whose contract wasn’t renewed. Then after the draft was the big loss: Neil Komadoski, whose colleagues thought the world of him and who had been with the Canucks since 2010, jumped to the Buffalo Sabres for a small promotion to assistant director of pro scouting. And finally this week Jack Johnson, who only joined the Canucks midseason, was hired by the Ohio State women’s hockey program as an assistant coach.

Henning now has just two scouts in his department beyond him, both with long experience: Lou Crawford and Brian Chapman.

A three-man staff just won’t do.

This has been a busy summer of change for the Canucks; finding scouts isn’t something you normally chase after at this time of year, so hopefully Johnson and Henning already have faces lined up.

The last thing this organization wants, going into a big season of development like this one, is to be short personnel who can track down players and help speed up the rebuild.

pjohnston@postmedia.com

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