The Vancouver Canucks will have a new front office next season as they let go of former GM Patrik Allvin following the conclusion of their last place finish in the standings this past year.
There have been a few candidates in line for the position as Vancouver has conducted the searching process for Allvin’s replacement. Previous reports connected Pierre Dorion to the role, but it sounds like the Canucks brass have now opted to ver in a different direction.
According to Vancouver sports reporter Rich Dhaliwal, an announcement is imminent unveiling who the new Canucks GM will be. All signs point to Ryan Johnson taking over as general manager with the Sedin brothers, Daniel and Henrik, also garnering positions as co-presidents of hockey operations. Johnson looks poised to succeed former boss Jim Rutherford.
Ryan Johnson Has Experience With the Canucks Organization
Ryan Johnson has previous experience working as a member of the Canucks organization. He has served as an assistant GM in Vancouver since the 2023-24 season. He has also been GM of Vancouver’s AHL affiliate, the Abbotsford Canucks, for several seasons. Prior to his time in management, Johnson has worked with the Canucks team in player development. Additionally, he played two seasons for Vancouver during his 13 year NHL career. Overall, Johnson has been around the franchise for years. So, he is very familiar with this group.
As for the Sedin twins; they both played 17 years for the Canucks during their legendary careers. Daniel recorded 393 goals and 648 assists for 1,041 points in 1,306 games. Henrik registered 240 goals and 830 assists for 1,070 points in 1,330 games. Both the Sedin brothers have worked within the organization in developmental roles in recent seasons.
New Vancouver Front Office Has Work to Do
This new Vancouver group in charge has quite a task in front of them when it comes to turning this team around. The wheels have fallen off the tracks for this Canucks team over the past few years. After asserting themselves as a playoff contender in the 23-24 campaign, it has been all downhill since. The Canucks were easily the worst team in the NHL last year as they have entered a needed rebuilding phase.
The first task will be the 2026 NHL draft. Vancouver caught a tough break with the draft lottery as they dropped to third in the pecking order behind the Toronto Maple Leafs and San Jose Sharks. This likely takes them out of the running to land the projected top pick, Gavin McKenna.
Nevertheless, Vancouver will have plenty of options with the third pick. If San Jose opts to pick a defenseman given their weakness in the position, Ivar Stenberg could be there for the taking. Caleb Malhotra could also be a viable option as he is ranked by most draft analysts as the top center in this draft class.
The draft will be a starting point to work with for this fresh group. Vancouver has its fair share of other items to take care of after that. Do they follow the Maple Leafs path and clear out the coaching staff as well? Time will tell what happens in what is an important summer for this team.
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