Michael David Gillis (born December 1, 1958) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and former president and general manager of the Vancouver Canucks.
In 1997, Gillis successfully sued former National Hockey League Players' Association executive director Alan Eagleson for $570,000 for stealing a portion of his disability insurance.
[4] Sundin decided against signing with any team until midway through the subsequent season, but eventually accepted a one-year, pro-rated $8.6 million offer on December 18, 2008.
[5] Several months later, before the 2008–09 NHL trade deadline, Gillis re-signed emerging forward Alexandre Burrows to a four-year, $8 million contract on March 3, 2009, substantially raising his previous $525,000 annual salary.
After winning a Northwest Division title and making it as far as Game 6 of the second round in the 2009 Stanley Cup playoffs, Gillis continued to re-sign key players.
[8] Other significant signings in the 2009 off-season included unrestricted free agent Mikael Samuelsson from the Detroit Red Wings and Canucks prospect Sergei Shirokov from the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL).
[9][10] Gillis' first noteworthy trade occurred on August 28, 2009, when he sent prospect forwards Patrick White and Daniel Rahimi to the San Jose Sharks in exchange for defencemen Christian Ehrhoff and Brad Lukowich.
San Jose's primary motivation to send him away was to clear salary cap space in anticipation of their acquisition of star forward Dany Heatley from the Ottawa Senators.
The first incident occurred in late June 2009, when Maple Leafs head coach Ron Wilson publicized the club's intentions to pursue the Sedin twins if Gillis could not re-sign them before the free agency period began.
[12] Several months later, in September, a Leafs TV documentary program covering June's 2009 NHL Entry Draft featured Toronto general manager Brian Burke indicating that Gillis had pursued the Tampa Bay Lightning's second overall pick for a package consisting of defenceman Kevin Bieksa, forward Alexandre Burrows and their first-round selection.
[12] That season, the Canucks went on to win the Northwest Division title, but lost in the second round to the Chicago Blackhawks in the 2010 playoffs, both for the second consecutive year under Gillis.
In the off-season, Gillis made significant defensive acquisitions, trading for Keith Ballard from the Florida Panthers (in exchange for a first-round draft pick Michael Grabner and Steve Bernier) and signing Dan Hamhuis ($27 million over six years).
While Hamhuis and Malhotra became integral parts of the Canucks' successful season in 2010–11, Ballard struggled to remain in the lineup with injuries and numerous bouts of healthy scratches.
It has been noted, however, that the players arguably most instrumental in their Finals appearance — the Sedin twins, Ryan Kesler, Alexandre Burrows, Alexander Edler, Roberto Luongo and Cory Schneider — were already in the Canucks' organization when Gillis took over as general manager from his predecessor, Dave Nonis.
[14] In the 2011–12 season, the Canucks defended their Presidents' Trophy title, but lost to the eighth-seeded (and eventual Cup champions) Los Angeles Kings in five games during the opening round of the playoffs.
[18][21] John Tortorella was hired to replace Vigneault as head coach, a decision that Gillis later suggested had been at the insistence of Canucks Owner Francesco Aquilini.