The Vancouver Canucks issued a statement after promoting the Sedin twins to co-presidents of hockey ops and hiring Ryan Johnson as the GM.
The team officially announced on Thursday that Henrik and Daniel Sedin are now the co-presidents of hockey operations, while Johnson is the team’s 13th GM in its franchise history. Former team president Jim Rutherford will transition to a senior advisory role as part of the transition.
The Sedin twins played their entire NHL careers from 2000 to 2018 with the Canucks, with each player making the Hockey Hall of Fame when their playing careers were done. They previously worked for the Canucks as special advisors and then in player development since 2021. As for Johnson, he also played for the Canucks from 2008 to 2010, and he has worked for the team for 13 seasons, including as an assistant general manager and general manager of the team’s AHL affiliate, the Abbotsford Canucks.
The team conducted a thorough search to replace former GM Patrik Allvin after he was fired in April, and they ended up going with Johnson as the GM and the Sedins as co-presidents.
Canucks Make Hires Official
On Thursday, Canucks owner Francesco Aquilini issued a statement confirming the new hires and explaining why he felt they were the right people to lead the team in the future.
“This is a very important day for our organization and marks a significant step in guiding the future direction of our hockey team. Daniel, Henrik, and Ryan are culture setters, driven by an unrelenting work ethic and strong desire to succeed. Their passion and commitment, both as players and in management, shine daily, and they set the standard through their professionalism and character. Forward thinking, intelligent, and strengthened by adversity, these leaders have a clear vision of what it means to be a proud member of the Vancouver Canucks. Daniel, Henrik and Ryan are laser-focused on building a competitive, young, and exciting team that our fans can be proud to support. We are extremely excited to have them leading our rebuild and driving our vision of building a championship-caliber team,” Aquilini said in a statement.
Canucsks May Hire New Head Coach
The next question the Canucks need to answer is about the future of head coach Adam Foote.
Foote, a Stanley Cup-winning defenseman with the Colorado Avalanche, was hired by the Canucks as the team’s head coach this past season. However, it was a trying year for the Canucks, as they finished dead last in the NHL with a poor 25-49-8 record, earning just 58 points in the process. To make matters worse for the Canucks, despite having the best odds to win the NHL draft lottery, the team dropped two spots and will now pick No. 3 overall in June’s draft.
While Foote may still be retained, it would not be a surprise to see the team hire a new head coach as they look to have a fresh start. One potential candidate is Manny Malhotra, who is the head coach of the Abbotsford Canucks. He also played with the Canucks, so he knows the Sedins very well, plus he knows Johnson well from his time coaching in the AHL, so he would be a good fit as the team’s next head coach if they fire Foote.
Canucks Issue Statement After Promoting Sedins & Hiring New GM