Brendan Morrison knows the Vancouver Canucks’ reality as well as anyone.
The former BC-born center spent eight seasons with the organization, piled up 393 points in 543 games, and helped anchor the West Coast Express era. So when he talked about the club’s current rebuild during the 2026 Hockey Hall of Fame induction weekend in Toronto, he wasn’t speaking from the outside looking in. He was speaking like someone who understands exactly how hard it is to build a winner in Vancouver.
“For the city of Vancouver, it’s hard,” said Morrison. “For so many years, they had such a good team and knocked on the door a lot of times.
But this is the reality of pro sports. It’s hard to win year after year after year, or contend, especially in a system that has a salary cap in place.
There’s such an onus on drafting and developing players internally, and if you don’t do that, you’re really behind the eight ball. So, with all that being said, I like what they’ve done.
I like the hire of Ryan Johnson. I like bringing in Manny (Malhotra) behind the bench.
Getting the Sedins more involved in the management level. So I think they’ve got a lot of the right pieces in place.”
That assessment came with the Canucks sitting at the bottom of the standings at 3-16-1 through 20 games. The start has been rough, but Morrison pointed to the younger players beginning to show some growth as a reason for patience.
“It’s just patience. It really is.
They acquired some good young guys from Minnesota in the Quinn Hughes deal. But it’s going to take time.
Like, realistically, people probably aren’t going to want to hear this; they’re probably five years out from really turning that corner. This year they’re trending towards getting a high draft pick, and everyone’s like, licking their chops.
We’re going to draft first or second overall, but you’ve got to have the right guys to draft at that draft. Now, there are a couple highly rated guys with Dupont, etc.
Long story short, I think they’re on the right track. I think there’s finally buy-in there that this is the route we have to go because for a lot of years it was let’s just get in.
Then you’re always drafting the mid-to-high teens, and it kind of just gets repetitive, and you don’t have a chance to do this full rebuild.”
Morrison’s comments also fit the bigger picture of where Vancouver is headed. The organization has several young names worth watching, including Zeev Buium, Jonathan Lekkerimäki, Braeden Cootes, Caleb Malhotra and Adam Novotný. But as Morrison made clear, the next step is about more than just having prospects on the list.
Whether through the draft, trades or signings, the Canucks need the right pieces to fit the long-term plan. Morrison’s own path is a reminder of how that can work when the fit is right; Brian Burke brought him to Vancouver in 2000 from the New Jersey Devils, when Morrison was 24. That kind of move helped shape the team he became part of, and Vancouver will be hoping its next wave can do the same.
The rebuild will take time. Morrison didn’t pretend otherwise. But he did leave no doubt that, in his view, the Canucks are finally moving in the right direction.
In Other News...
Brian Burkes Hall Of Fame Moment Hit Home For Canucks Fans
Brian Burkes induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2024 brought a familiar name back into focus for Canucks fans, and for good reason. His time in Vancouver remains one of the defining chapters of his long NHL career, thanks in large part to the moves that helped set up the franchises most important era. Burke also built a reputation across the league in stops with several teams, later winning a Stanley Cup with Anaheim in 2007, but in Vancouver his legacy is still tied closely to the draft-day decisions that changed the organizations direction.
For Canucks supporters, the Hall call was a reminder of how much Burkes work still resonates years later. The Sedin twins became the face of the franchise, and Burkes role in getting that process started has never really faded from the conversation around his career. His Hall of Fame moment only sharpened that connection, especially for a fan base that still measures so much of its modern history against the foundation laid in the late 1990s. [Read more 🡒]
Canucks Lose A Recent Addition Before He Ever Reached Vancouver
A recent depth addition to the Canucks organization is already on the move, with Russian forward Ilya Safonov leaving Abbotsford and heading back to the KHL before ever getting a chance to reach Vancouver. Safonov was acquired by the Canucks in 2025 and spent time with the Abbotsford Canucks in the AHL after being assigned there in 2026, giving the organization a look at a player they hoped could eventually push for NHL ice.
Safonovs agent confirmed the departure and said the forward valued his time with the Canucks organization, even if he did not reach his goal of playing in the NHL. He recorded four assists in 12 games with Abbotsford before exercising his opt-out clause, leaving Vancouver to again search for ways to add organizational depth up front. [Read more 🡒]
Canucks Roster Shuffle Says Plenty About Victor Mancini's Standing
The Canucks made a series of roster moves that offered a pretty clear snapshot of where the organization is at with its depth chart and development pipeline. Abbotsford sent forward Gabriel Chiarot back to the Kitchener Rangers in the Ontario Hockey League, while Vancouver added another defenseman in Cameron Crotty off waivers and put forward Akil Thomas on waivers with the intent of getting him to Abbotsford.
For Victor Mancini, the latest shuffle is the part that stands out most to the Canucks. After getting into eight NHL games this season, the young defenseman is headed back to Abbotsford, a move that says plenty about where he sits in the clubs immediate plans even as Vancouver continues sorting through its blue-line options. [Read more 🡒]