The Vancouver Canucks made multiple leadership changes during the offseason, starting with the termination of general manager Patrik Allvin; in his stead, former Canucks forward Ryan Johnson took over the role, while franchise icons Henrik and Daniel Sedin are both back with the club in executive roles.
Meanwhile, the Canucks also dismissed head coach Adam Foote after only a single season on the job, while replacing him with another former Canucks forward in Manny Malhotra; he recently led the American Hockey League affiliate Abbotsford Canucks to the Calder Cup.
They’re in clear rebuild mode, but when can fans expect postseason hockey to return to Vancouver? According to Henrik Sedin, it depends on several factors.
“It’s really hard to say,” Sedin said. “It depends on who we draft and how quickly they develop. It’s important to have good support in development and all that. Then, whether they come in after one year or three years, it’s hard to say. But we also know that you can’t “rebuild” for as many years as you want. There has to be development. But in these first few years, we will at least start from scratch. Then we’ll see what happens.”
When Will The Vancouver Canucks Return To The Stanley Cup Playoffs?
Last season was not easy for the Canucks, as they were dead last in the Western Conference standings while also selling off multiple assets, including Quinn Hughes, Tyler Myers, and Conor Garland.
Making things more difficult was the fact that the club was only two years removed from advancing to the Western Conference Semifinal, a series they lost in seven games to the Edmonton Oilers.
The Canucks, despite finishing in last place, did not land the first overall selection in the 2026 NHL Draft and the right to select Penn State Nittany Lions forward Gavin McKenna; that honor went to the Toronto Maple Leafs, who won the Draft Lottery despite missing the playoffs for only the first time in a decade.
What does GM Ryan Johnson have to say about how long the rebuild might take?
“To put any type of timeline on it is unfair to the process,” Johnson said. “It’s more about building the environment first, making sure the staples are there, the things we believe in, creating a safe environment where players can improve, can make mistakes, that have resources, but we’re going to do this step by step, and we’re not going to race through it.”
Both Sedin Twins Returned To The Canucks As Co-Presidents Of Hockey Operations
The Canucks jumped at the chance to bring the identical twin icons of the franchise back into the fold in an executive role.
“Henrik and Daniel bring passion, hockey knowledge, leadership qualities required to create a winning culture that will guide us and align our hockey group going forward,” Canucks chairman and governor Francesco Aquilini said. “For the past 26 years, Daniel and Henrik have dedicated their entire professional hockey careers to Vancouver, whether as players or in various management positions.”
“They’ve always committed themselves to excellence,” Aquilini said. “As remarkable in their ongoing, heartfelt commitment to giving back to our community and everything we’ve asked of them and everything they have given to us, they have made us stronger.”
Henrik Sedin Has Blunt Take On Canucks’ Rebuild Timeline