Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»­

It's been unusually quiet in the Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»­Canucks' crease the last few years. Granted, a large part of that is because the team has so many other problems. But it's also clearly been a priority for this regime to avoid the sagas of yore.

That's understandable. Remember that time Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»­solved the 'two great goalies' conundrum, which had reached a fever pitch, by trading both away, effectively replacing their "good problem to have", as they say, with an actual problem? No one wants to go through that again. 

And yet, this summer, the Canucks found themselves in a similar position -- not with their goaltenders, mind you, but with the guys that coach their goaltenders. Long-time goaltending coach Rollie Melanson seemed ready for a new challenge, more responsibility, or just a richer contract, among other things; his heir apparent Dan Cloutier had proven his mettle as a goaltending "consultant" in Utica, and ran the risk of going elsewhere if the Canucks didn't find a way to give him a real job. (Take that, consultants!)

How were the Canucks gonna get themselves out of this pickle? Should they just choose one? Maybe pull a Gillis and trash both?

Neither, as it turns out. The Canucks solved the problem Tuesday, naming Cloutier the team's goaltending coach, and promoting Melanson from goaltending coach to Goaltending Coach.

Seriously. :

Vancouver, BC – Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»­Canucks General Manager Jim Benning announced today that Dan Cloutier has been named the team’s goaltending coach. The Canucks also confirmed that Roland Melanson has been named to the position of Goaltending Coach, Player Development.

Check those capitals letters. Goaltending Coach. Now that's a promotion. It's like that time SportChek promoted me from sales associate to Sales Associate, Footwear. Very prestigious.

This is a deliciously boring announcement, proving the Canucks remain committed to keeping things light in this regard.

Strictly replacing Melanson with Cloutier would have caused an uproar. Melanson's excellent at what he does, and his legacy in Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»­is unassailable, as Jason Botchford pointed out this time last month when it looked like Melanson was gone. From :

Now moving on for a host of reasons, Melanson’s arrival in Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»­six years ago marked a turning point for the franchise.

It’s hard to believe now, but Melanson was hired as Vancouver’s first-ever full-time goalie coach, and helped the team officially turn the page on its goalie graveyard legacy. He helped transform the team into something more resembling a factory for netminders. 

Replacing him with Cloutier would have been a hard pill to swallow for the fans that still remember Cloutier's playing days. (Although we'd all have been excited for more goalie fights.) Twitter would have been, well, atwitter.

But letting Cloutier go, after all the work he put in remaking Jacob Markstrom, and the work yet to be done, not to mention the promise he's shown in the position, would have been aggressively criticized as well. Markstrom is on the cusp of being an excellent goaltender. Now isn't the time to change who he's working with. 

Factor in that Cloutier has already developed a relationship with Thatcher Demko, which led to the top-flight prospect's decision to sign his entry-level deal in Vancouver, and it's clear that Cloutier's an important part of the Canucks' future in goal -- maybe moreso now than when Brian Burke said the same thing 15 years ago.

So instead, the Canucks found a way to satisfy both, and turn what could have been a story of the summer into simply another one of the offseason's many dry announcements. That's a win.