Canucks’ Jim Rutherford to step down from day-to-day operations following 2026 NHL Draft
It’s certainly been a noteworthy day for the Vancouver Canucks.
Just after Tuesday’s NHL Draft Lottery saw the Canucks get the third overall pick in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft, despite having the best odds to receive the first overall pick, the team’s current president of hockey operations, Jim Rutherford, has stated that he will be stepping away from the day-to-day operations of the team following the NHL Entry Draft in late June.
Jim Rutherford says he will be stepping away from the day-to-day operations of the #Canucks, but will remain on as an advisor and Alternate Governor, effective after the draft and the transition to the new GM. @Sportsnet650
As things stand, Rutherford will stay on to oversee the hiring of Vancouver’s new general manager, as the team fired former GM Patrik Allvin in April, and then transition after the draft into a role as Alternate Governor and advisor.
Rutherford, 77, has been with the Canucks organization since December of 2021, when he was hired as the team’s president. He also acted as the team’s interim GM until the hiring of Allvin in January of 2022.
Vancouver’s time under Rutherford’s watch has not exactly been a success, as they qualified for the playoffs just once in his five years on the job. They’ve had three head coaches under Rutherford, including Rick Tocchet who won the Jack Adams in 2024 after the Canucks had won the Pacific Division. The major decisions made under Rutherford include giving enormous contracts to center Elias Pettersson and winger Brock Boeser, and most recently, trading star defenseman Quinn Hughes to the Minnesota Wild for a package of picks and prospects.
Despite the relative disappointment of his Canucks tenure, Rutherford is one of the most successful NHL executives in recent memory. He was the president of the Hartford Whalers, who later became the Carolina Hurricanes, for nearly 20 years, winning the Stanley Cup with Carolina in 2006. He was also the GM of Pittsburgh Penguins for about six and a half years, where he won the Stanley Cup in 2016 and 2017.