In the 2025-26 NHL season, the Vancouver Canucks finished last in the Pacific Division and overall standings. Moving into a new season, they made a few changes in the front office.

The Canucks named Ryan Johnson as their new general manager. Besides, they named identical twins Daniel and Henrik Sedin as new co-presidents of hockey operations on Thursday, May 14.

These three are essentially being promoted to their roles at the Canucks after working in their front office for years. Johnson, a 49-year-old former NHL center, joined Vancouver's front office in 2013. A decade later, in 2024, he was named assistant general manager.

The move comes after Patrik Allvin was fired in April, ending a four-season run during which the Vancouver Canucks recorded the NHL’s worst overall mark.

Daniel and Henrik Sedin, who played entirely for the Canucks in their NHL careers, became a part of their hockey operations department in June 2021, taking the role of special advisers to the general manager.

Next season, the Sedins transitioned into their new role of player development, and now, after four years, they are replacing Jim Rutherford.

Rutherford, who is 77 years of age, is going to continue working for Vancouver as an alternate governor and an adviser.

“It’s no secret that we’re trying to rebuild a group, and I think the focus is less on wins and losses and getting down to what I think I do well: building an environment where people thrive, staff and players," said Johnson while speaking on the Canucks Insider Podcast.

With a front office shuffling, the Canucks want to enter the 2026 season with a fresh slate.

What led to the Vancouver Canucks overhauling their front office?

The overhaul in the front office at the Vancouver Canucks happened after they had fallen off the cliff with their performances over the last couple of seasons.

In 202-24, Vancouver finished in first place in the Pacific Division with a 50-23-9 record for 109 points before losing to the Edmonton Oilers in the second round of the Western Conference playoff series.

The 2024-25 NHL season for them ended on a tough note after they failed to make the playoffs and finished with a 38-30-14 record for 90 points.

Performance worsened for the Canucks in the ongoing season, which finished early for them with a 25-49-8 record for just 58 points. It is their joint-lowest points haul for an 82-game regular season alongside the 1998-99 season, in which they had won only 23 games in total.

Will the front office changes impact on their overall performance? Share your thoughts.

Read more at NHL Fan Central.

Written by

Arjun Sharma

Edited by

Soheli Tarafdar