Matt and Blake dissect the Canucks press conference announcing a contract extension for the President of Hockey Operations, Jim Rutherford, including what Rutherford believes is behind his team's turnaround, the path forward to re-signing Elias Pettersson, what to do with a slumping Andrei Kuzmenko (sounds like he'll be traded), the likelihood that the Canucks make a big acquisition prior to the deadline, and chances of a practice facility sooner than later. The guys also cover a spirited 2-1 win over Arizona Thursday that had fights, physicality, a playoff feel, more genius from Petey and good work by the Conor Garland line, and some complimentary post-game words from the Coyotes' coach.

Rink Wide: Vancouver host Jeff Paterson stops by with his interpretation of what he heard from Canucks owner Francesco Aquilini and Rutherford, on the extension, on going for it, on big trades, Pettersson, Kuzmenko and a practice facility.

Plus, we go To The People and hear from listeners on an assortment of Canucks topics. Presented by Applewood Auto Group.

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The San Jose Sharks will have captain Logan Couture back in their lineup for the first time this season when they take on the Anaheim Ducks on Saturday, head coach David Quinn announced, according to NBC Sports' Sheng Peng.

Couture has been sidelined by a lower-body injury, but the specifics of the ailment have been kept under wraps. He was initially ruled week-to-week in September with the hopes that he'd be ready for San Jose's season opener, but he ended up missing the Sharks' first 45 games of the campaign.

The 34-year-old told reporters in December that he feared his career was over as a result of his injury.

"That was the toughest part, the unknown," Couture explained. "The waking up one day and feeling good, then waking up the next day and feeling really crappy. Just not knowing there was no light at the end of the tunnel. There was no timeline set, just kind of a week-by-week, day-by-day thing."

Here's how the Sharks looked at practice on Friday:

Quinn also announced that forward Nico Sturm will return on Saturday. Sturm has missed the last 16 games with an abdominal injury.

Couture has spent his entire 14-year NHL career with the Sharks after being drafted ninth overall by the organization in 2007. He places fifth in franchise history in games played (927), third in goals (323), and fourth in points (700).

The Ontario native ranked second on San Jose with 67 points (27 goals, 40 assists) in 82 games last season, trailing just Erik Karlsson.

The Sharks have had a rough go this campaign and sit in last place in the league with a 10-31-4 record.

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The Vancouver Canucks inked president of hockey operations Jim Rutherford to a three-year contract extension, club owner Francesco Aquilini confirmed Friday.

Rutherford oversaw the reshaping of a roster that has greatly exceeded expectations this season. The Canucks weren't a lock to make the playoffs coming into the campaign, but they now sit atop the Pacific Division at 30-11-4.

Though Rutherford and the organization took heat for how they handled ex-head coach Bruce Boudreau last season, Rutherford and general manager Patrik Allvin tabbed Rick Tocchet to replace him. Rutherford, Tocchet, and Allvin all worked together with the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Alongside Allvin, Rutherford made several moves that eventually helped Vancouver turn things around in 2023-24.

The longtime executive and former NHL goaltender joined the Canucks in December 2021 after resigning from his previous post as the Penguins' general manager.

Rutherford was at the helm in March when Vancouver acquired defenseman Filip Hronek and a fourth-round pick from the Detroit Red Wings for a conditional first-rounder and a second-round selection. Hronek is now a fixture on the club's top pairing alongside Quinn Hughes, and the Czech blue-liner ranks second on the team behind Hughes in average ice time at 23:36.

In December, the Canucks further bolstered their back end by landing Nikita Zadorov from the Calgary Flames for a 2026 third-round pick and a fifth-rounder this year.

Rutherford signed off on Vancouver re-upping skilled forward J.T. Miller on a seven-year extension in September 2022. He did so after drawing some criticism for choosing not to trade Miller at the previous deadline. Miller ranks among the NHL's scoring leaders this season with 20 goals and 41 assists in 45 games.

He also helped Vancouver correct the mistake of the Oliver Ekman-Larsson trade that the previous regime led by Jim Benning consummated with the Arizona Coyotes in July 2021. Rutherford and the Canucks bought out Ekman-Larsson's contract this past June, giving the club added financial flexibility.

Rutherford also significantly expanded the number of staff on the club's management team and brought in the first two female executives in franchise history, assistant GMs Emilie Castonguay and Cammi Granato.

Rutherford, who'll turn 75 on Feb. 17, constructed the Penguins clubs that won the Stanley Cup in 2016 and 2017. He also did so with the Carolina Hurricanes squad that won it all in 2006.

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The Ottawa Senators signed restricted free-agent forward Shane Pinto to a one-year deal with an average annual value of $775,000, the team announced Friday.

Pinto, 23, has been unable to play this season while serving a 41-game suspension for violating the NHL's gambling policies. He is eligible to return Jan. 21 against the Philadelphia Flyers.

More to come.

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The Nashville Predators aren't completely slamming the door on trading star goaltender Juuse Saros.

While the No. 1 plan remains signing Saros to an offseason extension, the club is willing to listen if it gets a serious trade offer, reports TSN's Pierre LeBrun.

The demand for reliable goaltending among contending teams is the primary reason for the Predators' new-found openness to entertain offers, LeBrun added.

Saros has established himself as one of the NHL's premier netminders over the last few seasons, never finishing worse than sixth in Vezina Trophy voting since 2021.

However, Saros is in the midst of his worst NHL campaign. He entered the year without ever recording a save percentage below .915 in a season, but he sits at .900 so far in 2023-24. The underlying numbers aren't any better, as his minus-0.23 goals save above expected also stands to be the worst of his career, per Evolving-Hockey. For comparison, he saved 45.5 goals above expected last year, the second most in the league.

Nashville drafted Saros in the fourth round in 2013. He shared the crease with the legendary Pekka Rinne until his fellow Finn retired in 2021. Since then, Saros has started a league-leading 164 games.

Saros' $5-million cap hit, tied for the 14th-highest among NHL goalies this season, would be appealing for teams. The 28-year-old is under contract through 2024-25 and is eligible to sign an extension July 1.

The Predators entered Thursday occupying the final wild-card spot in the Western Conference with a handful of teams on their tails. MoneyPuck gives them a 43.8% chance of making the postseason.

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