Canucks GM Patrik Allvin admits team is ‘transitioning into a rebuild’
For a few years now, the Vancouver Canucks have been in a weird place.
Between dealing away two of the team’s biggest stars – Quinn Hughes and J.T. Miller – to missing out on the playoffs, the Canucks seemed destined to head for a rebuild.
But the team hadn’t admitted that was the plan – until just this past weekend.
"The draft is really important for us in the long term plan and the direction we're going here." General Manager Patrik Allvin speaks in an exclusive interview with Chris Faber about the future of the team and importance of the draft at the #Canucks annual Scouting Meetings.
“We are transitioning into a rebuild here, acquiring younger players through the draft,” Canucks GM Allvin said in an interview with team reporter Chris Faber. “Obviously, the draft is really important for us. Since Jim and I got [here] three years ago, we’ve definitely always emphasized on getting younger. We see a couple of younger players coming up through the system, getting a chance to play now, with the amount of injuries we had; players like [Tom] Wilander, DPetey [Elias Pettersson], [Jonathan] Lekkerimäki – [Kirill] Kudryavtsev, and [Ty]Mueller got games last year.”
Allvin previously said the team was in a hybrid retool prior to the Christmas break. But with the team clearly in flux, they’re focusing on the long-term future instead of trying to salvage the season.
“We still want to continue to acquire young players and draft picks in order to continue to build our roster,” Allvin told Faber. “We saw what we did with the Minnesota deal, where we’re acquiring some players that were already in the league. I think it’s important for us to continue to do so in our rebuild here. But it is also important to have veteran players in our lineup to help and support the younger players, learn how to be a pro. And I think that’s how you grow as a team.”
The Canucks currently sit dead last with a 16-23-5 record, giving them 37 points in 44 games. The team currently has the best odds of landing the first overall pick in 2026.
Allvin said the team plans to focus heavily on the upcoming draft while holding two first-round picks.
“It’s critical for the organization and the rebuild here to continue to find players through the draft,” Allvin said. “This year’s draft is deep, especially in the first round where we have today multiple first-round picks. So it’s definitely important and critical for the long-term plan here.”
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