Vancouver Canucks name Johnson GM, Sedins co-presidents of hockey operations

Vancouver’s president of hockey operations, Jim Rutherford, then announced on May 6 that he’ll step down from his role following next month’s draft and become an adviser.

Canucks owner Francesco Aquilini said he turned to the Sedin twins after Rutherford’s announcement.

“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,” he 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.”

The Sedins became local legends over the 17 seasons they played for the Canucks, including the team’s run to the 2011 Stanley Cup final, where Vancouver lost to the Boston Bruins in Game 7.

Henrik Sedin served as Vancouver’s captain from 2010 to 2018 and still leads the franchise in games played (1,330), assists (830) and points (1,070). He won the Hart Trophy as NHL MVP in 2010.

Daniel Sedin is the franchise-leader in goals (393), power play goals (138) and game-winning goals (86).

They retired in 2018, then rejoined the Canucks as special advisers to the general manager in June 2021. The duo moved into player development roles the following spring.

After accepting their new co-president roles, the Sedins talked to Rutherford and ownership about the vacant GM role. Interviews had already been conducted and the choice was down to two candidates, Daniel Sedin said — Johnson and Evan Gold, assistant general manager for the Boston Bruins.

The Sedins joined the final interviews with both men before making their pick.

“This is not a decision you take lightly,” Daniel Sedin said. “We were able to take a few days to really sit down and talk about what’s best for this organization at the moment. … In the end, we decided to go with Ryan because we think he can guide this franchise to a better place.”

Johnson, a 49-year-old former centre from Thunder Bay, Ont., played 13 seasons in the NHL, splitting his time with the Canucks, Florida Panthers, Tampa Bay Lightning, St. Louis Blues and Chicago Blackhawks.

He first joined the Canucks’ front office in 2013 and was named assistant general manager in 2024. His duties included running Vancouver’s American Hockey League affiliate, the Abbotsford Canucks, a team he guided to a Calder Cup championship in 2024-25.

“I’ve spent a lot time just listening. I spent a lot of time of time observing, just as I did as a player, trying to take in information,” Johnson said. “It’s been an organic journey. I haven’t skipped, jumped the line. … I never had an agenda to work my way in. I just wanted to do good work, do it with good people. And its led me to this.”

Among the first tasks facing the Canucks’ new-look front office will be preparing for next month’s draft in Buffalo.

While the team finished last in the league and had the best odds at claiming the top pick, Vancouver fell to third. The Maple Leafs got the first overall selection.

Whichever player is picked will join a Vancouver team undergoing a rebuild and how long that rebuild will take remains to be seen, Johnson said.

“We’re going to do this step by step and we’re not going to race through it,” he said. “We’re going to be very strategic with everything we do, we’re going to be aligned with everything we do so that we know as a group we are sticking to the vision that was talked about in May of 2026 and never getting outside of it.

“I think if we stick to that, we do it correctly, and we have the right people, the right leadership, the right environment here consistently and every day, there’s no doubt in our minds that we’ll take the steps to get to where we want to go.”

The new regime will also need to determine the future of head coach Adam Foote.

The former NHL defenceman took over behind the bench in May 2025 after Rick Tocchet announced he would not return to the Canucks. Tocchet was later named head coach of the Philadelphia Flyers.

The 54-year-old Foote was no stranger to Vancouver, having served a season and a half as an assistant coach under Tocchet, where he focused on the team’s defensive structure.

Vancouver’s defence was porous last season, giving up the most goals-against per game (3.83) and collecting the fewest regulation wins (15).

The team weathered a slew of injuries and personnel changes, too, including the trade of star defenceman Quinn Hughes to the Minnesota Wild. With everything that happened, it would be difficult to say how Foote did at his job, Johnson said.

“I think everything that went on, there were so many variables that changed the course of the season,” he said. “So to evaluate Adam just on that is unfair.”

Whether additions or subtractions will be made to personnel in other areas — from scouting and hockey development to assistant general managers — will be examined, too.

And when the new-look front office makes those decisions, they’ll be looking at how each piece fits into the team’s culture, Henrik Sedin said.

“We’ve got to show up every day and lead by example,” he said. “Culture is huge. You cannot win without it. That’s impossible. You cannot be sustainable without it.

“We are prepared and we’re going to do everything it takes to do this job well. And it has the trickle down effect if we can show it.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 14, 2026.

Gemma Karstens-Smith, The Canadian Press

by The Canadian Press

Vancouver Canucks name Johnson GM, Sedins co-presidents of hockey operations

More Local News