What do the Canucks need to do this summer?
The Vancouver Canucks were dealt the latest heartbreak in the hockey club’s challenging history this week, losing out on the No. 1 overall pick in the NHL Draft lottery and falling to No. 3, despite finishing 32nd in the 2025-26 season by a significant measure.
While they are unlikely to get Gavin McKenna in the draft, they will still get a top-end talent to spark the rebuild. Yet there is still no voice at the top leading the way, with the general manager search ongoing despite reports that it has been narrowed down to Ryan Johnson and Evan Gold.
On Friday’s episode of Daily Faceoff LIVE, host Tyler Yaremchuk was joined by Steve Peters to break down the offseason priorities for the Western Canadian team, as it looks to find its way back to relevancy in the coming years.
Tyler Yaremchuk: It was a miserable season, but at least for Vancouver Canucks fans, it hopefully signified the start of a much-needed rebuild. What is No. 1 on the to-do list for the Vancouver Canucks this summer?
Steve Peters: I think this is an obvious one. I think they needed to hire an experienced general manager who could juggle all the issues they have going on. This isn’t a one-problem team or a two-problem team. There are many holes in Vancouver. Coming from Arizona, this was our regular summer in Arizona, where you’ve got to go ‘oh, we’re in trouble, we need to rebuild everything,’ and that’s where Vancouver is.
I really think the most important move they make is an experienced GM who knows how to handle a salary cap and has been through a rebuild before. I don’t know exactly who that person will be, but they will create all the building blocks and dominoes that follow. Is Adam Foote going to stay? Are you going to keep Elias Pettersson? Is Thatcher Demko the answer in the net with all of his injury problems? All of those things start with a general manager.
Tyler Yaremchuk: I agree they need to have someone in place. I’m honestly pretty surprised that they don’t have that figured out yet, but that’s also kind of just classic Vancouver. For me. My No. 1 thing is simple: at this stage in the rebuild, you’re collecting assets. You want to be in a spot where, like the Utah Mammoth, you’re a young, up-and-coming team that still has a boatload of picks that you can then use to upgrade different spots on your roster.
If I’m Vancouver, no player is safe, and I’ll be honest, no contract is too bad if a team calls me and says, “We have this albatross contract we’re looking to move, and we’ll give you a first-round pick or a top prospect.” I’m taking it every day of the week. The goal for Vancouver is not to field a scrappy or competitive team next year. The goal is to be bad, and the goal is to collect a bunch of assets while you do it.
You can catch Friday’s entire episode and the Canucks breakdown right here…