Almost nothing went right for the Vancouver Canucks in the 2025-26 NHL season, as they finished at the bottom of the Western Conference Standings and didn’t come close to earning a spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the second consecutive year.
And since then, multiple high-profile changes have taken place with regard to the club’s leadership, both in the front office and behind the bench. General manager Patrik Allvin, who traded captain and former Norris Trophy winner Quinn Hughes to the Minnesota Wild in December along with multiple other trades later in the season, was dismissed.
Arriving in his place was former Canucks forward Ryan Johnson, who was named the 13th GM in club history. Also arriving back to the organization with him were twins Henrik and Daniel Sedin, who are assuming executive leadership roles. Johnson’s first major move was to dismiss head coach Adam Foote, and he’s hired another former Canucks forward, Manny Malhotra, to take his place.
In the meantime, there is absolutely zero shortage of work ahead of Johnson as well as the new-look management club for the franchise, which still has a long way to go before they can even entertain the idea of becoming Stanley Cup contenders again. But what kind of timeline can fans of the Canucks expect?
What Is A Realistic Timeline For The Canucks To Get Back Into Contention?
While speaking on TSN, longtime NHL Insider Craig Button said he wasn’t sure of an exact timeline for when Canucks fans can expect their club to be competitive again, but pointed to some light at the end of the tunnel.
“I don’t know if we can put an exact timeline on it,” Button said before referencing Ryan Johnson’s statement of needing patience.
“I think number one, Ryan Johnson, the Sedins, the people in that management office, understand where they’re at,” Button continued. “So, I believe they’ve got five defenseman that are young and add different elements.”
Craig Button Does Not Believe Ryan Johnson Will Cut Corners
It could be a longer than expected process for Johnson, the Sedins, and the rest of Vancouver’s management team.
However, Button does not believe that they’ll have the mindset of wanting to speed things up or to cut corners.
“When you start to think about where they find themselves they’re not interested in speeding anything up,” he said. “They’re not interested in cutting corners. I think that’s been a hallmark of the Vancouver Canucks organization for so many years. I think the fans are fed up, and I think that the task at hand here is to do it right, and to do it patiently. They’d like to be a little more competitive, but I don’t think contending for the playoffs is realistic next season. Probably, maybe halfway through the following season, you could start to see some signs. I think that’s a realistic timeline.”
Button concluded:
“More importantly, I think the understanding of where they’re at and how they’re going to proceed is paramount and something that’s really significant for them to be successful.”
Top NHL Insider Sounds Off On Direction Of The Canucks