Canucks President makes abrupt bombshell announcement that shakes up front office

It was a disaster of a season for the Vancouver Canucks. The team ended with the worst record in the NHL and the best chance to win the NHL Draft Lottery. The Toronto Maple Leafs ended up winning the lottery, as the Canucks took another loss, dropping to third in the draft.

Now, the President of Hockey Operations, Jim Rutherford, has given another shock to the franchise, according to ESPN.

“I’m going to get away from the day-to-day operations,” he said Tuesday at an unrelated news conference. “I’m going to stay with the team as an adviser and alternate governor. But as far as the day-to-day operations, we’re going to put together a really good staff here going forward.”

Rutherford, who joined the Canucks in December 2021, will step down after the NHL Draft. He is expected to still stay on as an advisor to the franchise.

“This is something I’ve thought about anyways for a couple of years,” Rutherford said. “But it’s time for me to do that. I feel bad that I have to do it at such a young age, but decided to do it anyways.”

He will still help with the search for a new general manager, as the Canucks fired Patrik Allvin in April.

“I’ll help with the transition and the new person, new people, new positions, things like that,” he said. “But I’ll still be part of the organization. When someone wants to bounce something off of me, I’ll be happy to do it.”

Rutherford is a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame and a three-time Stanley Cup Winner. He was the president and general manager for the Hartford Whalers and then the Carolina Hurricanes for 20 years, helping them win the 2006 Stanley Cup. He would then join the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2014, helping them take back-to-back Cups in 2016 and 2017.

Now, Rutherford’s last act as the president of hockey operations will be to help the team prepare for the NHL Draft.

“Despite the fact that the Canucks aren’t going to pick No. 1, that doesn’t mean we need to be all upset over this,” Rutherford said. “This is a real strong draft. We really don’t know how the draft is going to fall. … But whatever way it falls, we feel very strong that we’re going to get a really good player. Who that player is, we’ll just have to wait and see.”

The NHL Draft is set to take place in Buffalo, New York, with the first round on June 26.

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