The Vancouver Canucks have made it official-whether they say it out loud or not, this is a full-on rebuild. Sitting dead last in the NHL standings, and with a roster that's been steadily dismantled over the past few months, the direction is clear.
December saw the departure of star defenseman Quinn Hughes, arguably the team’s best player, in exchange for younger talent and a draft pick. And now, the latest move: forward Kiefer Sherwood has been dealt to the San Jose Sharks in return for defenseman Cole Clayton and a pair of second-round picks.
These aren’t the kind of trades you make if you're trying to win now. This is a team pressing the reset button, stockpiling assets and turning the page on a core that never quite lived up to its promise.
But that brings up the bigger question lingering over the franchise: should the same leadership that oversaw the collapse be entrusted with the rebuild?
Jim Rutherford, the Canucks’ president of hockey operations since December 2021, and general manager Patrik Allvin, who came on board in January 2022, are the architects of this current era. And under their watch, the Canucks have gone from a team with a young, exciting core to one of the league’s biggest disappointments.
On a recent episode of Daily Faceoff LIVE, Irf Gaffar joined Tyler Yaremchuk and Steve Peters to dig into the accountability-or lack thereof-within Vancouver’s front office. And the conversation didn’t pull any punches.
Gaffar pointed out what many Canucks fans have been feeling: there hasn’t been much transparency or ownership from the top down. While the blame ultimately starts with ownership, namely Francesco Aquilini, it trickles down to Rutherford and Allvin. The decisions made over the past couple of seasons haven’t just failed to push the team forward-they’ve sent it spiraling in the opposite direction.
That said, Rutherford’s long resume in the NHL does buy him a bit of leeway in some circles. As Gaffar noted, there’s still a belief among some that Rutherford can navigate a rebuild effectively.
He’s been around the league long enough and has made savvy moves in the past. And while trading away an injured Kiefer Sherwood wasn’t exactly a blockbuster, getting two second-round picks and a prospect in return is a solid haul under the circumstances.
Those picks could land in the top 50, which would be a win for a player with limited trade value.
So now, the Canucks find themselves at a crossroads. The teardown is well underway, but the trust in the current management group is anything but unanimous.
The next few months-and the decisions made leading into the draft-will go a long way in determining whether Rutherford and Allvin are the right duo to lead this rebuild. Because in Vancouver, the margin for error has evaporated.
And this fan base has waited long enough.