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Johnson, one of the Canucks’ three assistant general managers, was believed to be Rutherford’s first choice to be GM all along
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Published May 12, 2026 • 3 minute read
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Abbotsford Canucks GM Ryan Johnson Photo by Jeff Vinnick /Jeff Vinnick/Vancouver CanucksArticle content
The Vancouver Canucks seem to have landed back where they started in their search for the team’s new hockey boss.
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It appears that Ryan Johnson, who was understood to be outgoing president Jim Rutherford’s first choice to be the Canucks’ new head of hockey operations, is going to get the job.
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Media reports from CHEK-TV’S Rick Dhaliwal, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman and Canucks Army’s Irfaan Gaffar have said that Johnson is set to take over; several sources suggested the same to Postmedia.
And this all takes place following a search where Rutherford said he spoke with 17 or 18 candidates, all of whom sounded reasonable but clearly none stood out beyond the experienced and well regarded Johnson, who has been with the Canucks’ organization in a variety of roles since 2013. He was initially hired as a development coach in 2013 and was in the role until 2017, when he was promoted to director of player development and also named GM of the Canucks’ AHL affiliate, then in Utica, N.Y.
He’s been the team’s AHL GM ever since and was promoted in title with the NHL club along the way; he was named special assistant to the general manager in 2022, then promoted to assistant general manager in 2024.
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Rutherford was quick to praise Johnson’s efforts and abilities in 2022; Johnson was basically the only remaining senior member of management with any experience with the day to day affairs of the team. Along with Stan Smyl, who had years of experience as well, and the Sedin twins, Johnson was a holdover from the Jim Benning era and the only one of the four who had dealt with player transactions in any meaningful way.
Now, four years later, he looks set to take over from Rutherford and former GM Patrik Allvin, who Rutherford dismissed at the end of the 2025-26 season. (Rutherford offered Allvin a role as essentially a super scout for the team; Allvin has not yet declined the role, a source said, though another source said he was unlikely to say yes.)
Abbotsford Canucks general manager Ryan Johnson and then-Vancouver Canucks GM Patrik Allvin watch the Canucks practice at Rogers Arena in 2024. Photo by Arlen Redekop /PNG
Until Tuesday morning, it was not clear that Johnson would be the guy. Numerous reports starting late last week and running through the weekend and into Tuesday suggested that Boston Bruins assistant general manager Evan Gold was the preferred pick after the search process to take over as Canucks GM.
Why he suddenly was out of the picture was not clear.
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Rutherford did not respond to a request for comment on reports that Johnson now appeared to be the pick to lead hockey operations. As of lunchtime on Tuesday, there was no timeline on when Johnson’s appointment would be officially announced, either.
But it’s very clear that Johnson was been leading the way the whole while. Last week the team’s hockey management team met with the pro scouts, with sources saying Johnson was heavily involved. And this week are the meetings with amateur scouts; again Johnson is said to be heavily involved.
Abbotsford Canucks GM Ryan Johnson
The Canucks are picking third overall in next month’s draft and everyone knows how important this draft will be the future of the team. They need to find an impactful player with this high-end first round pick and they also need to make some bold choices with their ensuing picks: they pick again late in the first round with the pick they acquired from the Minnesota Wild in the Quinn Hughes trade, plus they have a pair of second-round selections.
All four picks must develop into important NHLers and they will clearly be given every opportunity to do so as the Canucks’ intention is to focus on giving opportunities to young players over the next few seasons.
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On Monday, word got out that the Sedins will be playing a bigger role in hockey operations, moving away from the coaching roles they filled the past few seasons. What their titles will be remains to be seen, but obviously if Johnson does get the job they’ll serve as key advisers.
What this all means for Johnson’s AGM colleagues Emilie Castonguay and Cammi Granato remains to be seen. Castonguay has handled contracts and cap moves for the team and so she seems likely to be retained, while Granato has headed up the team’s scouting and development departments.
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