Markus Naslund, the former captain of the Vancouver Canucks, is no longer the general manager of the Swedish club MoDo and there are rumors circulating he could return to the NHL team where his No. 19 is retired.
However, Naslund, who played for the Canucks from 1996 to 2008 and was the team’s captain, denied speculation of a return to Vancouver.
“This has nothing to do with anything in North America,” said Naslund, as per CBC. “This is a decision made here a little over a month ago, that I was not going to sign another deal. I’m ready to do something different.
“I can see why there is speculation. But there is nothing to the rumours.”
His 346 goals in a Canucks uniform still leads the franchise, and his 756 points are third, behind Daniel Sedin and Henrik Sedin.
Speaking on Team 1040 radio, Canucks general manager Mike Gillis, Naslund’s former agent, talked about the possibility of his former client coming back to take a position with Vancouver’s NHL team.
“I haven’t discussed it with him yet. I could certainly see Markus being part of this organization. He’s been a huge part of it in the past,” said Gillis on Friday (click here for the audio).
“I think Markus would be a wonderful addition to any team staff, but he liked living in Vancouver. I was going to try and give him a call in the next couple of days and see what his immediate plans are and see what happens.”