Franchise icons Sedins to run Canucks; Johnson named general manager

VANCOUVER -- The Vancouver Canucks are turning to two franchise icons to hopefully lead them back to glory.

Daniel and Henrik Sedin were named co-presidents of hockey operations on Thursday, and the identical twins’ first act was to hire former teammate Ryan Johnson as general manager.

“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.”

Daniel and Henrik Sedin played 17 seasons together for the Canucks from 2000-18 after being selected No. 2 and No. 3, respectively, in the 1999 NHL Draft. Henrik is first in team history in games played (1,330) followed by Daniel (1,306). Daniel holds the Canucks record for goals (393) and is second in points (1,041). Henrik leads in points (1,070) and is seventh in goals (240). Each was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame with the Class of 2022.

The Sedins took three seasons off before becoming special advisers to the general manager in 2021-22, then transitioned into player development roles in May of 2022, working on and off the ice with players in Vancouver and the American Hockey League affiliate in Abbotsford.

“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.”

Aquilini said he approached the Sedins after Jim Rutherford said on May 6 that he was planning to walk away from his job as president of hockey operations after the 2026 Upper Deck NHL Draft on June 26-27.

At that point, Daniel said the organization was down to two candidates for the general manager position that has been vacant since Patrik Allvin was fired April 17: Johnson and current Boston Bruins assistant general manager and director of legal affairs Evan Gold. 

“They did a very big search for the next GM and we stepped in and they gave us two very good candidates, one external, one internal, and it was up to us to make the decision,” Henrik said.

That included interviewing the two finalists.

“We were part of the last two interviews,” Daniel said. “We spent a day with Evan, spoke to him in-depth, and with Ryan too. This is not a decision you take lightly. We were able to take a few days to really sit down and talk about what was best for this organization at the moment.”

They chose Johnson, 49, who was promoted to assistant GM on March 12, 2024, and identified by Rutherford as a leading candidate when he fired Allvin.

Johnson was the first GM of their American Hockey League affiliate in Abbotsford, also holding the position before the franchise relocated from Utica. Abbotsford made the 2022 Calder Cup Playoffs in its inaugural season and won the 2025 Calder Cup but went 28-37-4 this season to finish ninth in the Pacific Division.

“It's been an organic journey,” Johnson said. “I haven’t skipped (or) jumped the line. I've got to know specifically -- and one thing I'm proud of -- one organization for a long time, a lot of people in here I'm familiar with and have worked very closely with. … I never had an agenda. … I just wanted to do good work, do it with good people, and it's led me to this.”

The new management team faces several big decisions after the Canucks (25-49-8) finished last in the NHL under first-season coach Adam Foote and failed to qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the fifth time in six seasons and ninth time in 11. They won at least 40 games on Allvin's watch once, when they were 50-23-9 in 2023-24, but lost in the Western Conference Second Round to the Edmonton Oilers in seven games.

Foote was elevated from an assistant to coach May 14, 2025, after Rick Tocchet left the organization April 29. Johnson was asked if he was considering a coaching change.

“If you look at last year as a whole, it's really tough to evaluate a coach or anyone with all the adversity,” Johnson said. “This is Day 1 on the job. We're going to talk about things top to bottom in the organization, areas we can improve, but that's going to take us some time.”

The Canucks were 11-17-3 on Dec. 12 when they traded defenseman Quinn Hughes to the Minnesota Wild for forwards Liam Ohgren and Marco Rossi, defenseman Zeev Buium, and a first-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, a move later identified as the start of a rebuild.

They went 14-32-5 without their former captain and this season averaged 2.56 goals per game (30th) with a League-worst minus-100 goal differential. Forwards Kiefer Sherwood (San Jose Sharks) and Conor Garland (Columbus Blue Jackets), and defenseman Tyler Myers (Dallas Stars), were dealt for draft picks and prospects prior to the NHL Trade Deadline on March 6.

The Canucks received the No. 3 pick in the 2026 draft at the NHL Draft Lottery on May 5 and will also have the first-round selection acquired from the Wild.

Johnson was asked if there was a timeline for how long the rebuild might take before the team is competitive again.

“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.”

That process will be anchored by the work ethic from the playing days of Johnson, a second-round pick (No. 36) by the Florida Panthers in the 1994 NHL Draft who had 122 points (38 goals, 84 assists) in 701 games for the Panthers, Tampa Bay Lightning, St. Louis Blues, Canucks and Chicago Blackhawks before retiring following the 2010-11 season. He led all forwards in blocked shots (455) and blocked shots per 60 minutes (38.96) over his 13-season NHL career.

“When our fan base sees the growth and the competitiveness and the compete, we're going to put a lot of people in this building because they're going to be excited about how it's going and how it's transitioning,” Johnson said.

It will also be anchored by the community work and leadership that were staples throughout the Sedins’ careers.

“Three words that we will live by: connected, committed and purpose,” Daniel said. “We want to reestablish the connection from top to bottom within this organization, but also in the community, to this fanbase and to the city of Vancouver and the province of BC. And we have a clear vision that will connect us to be a sustainable winning culture.”