The Vancouver Canucks have hit a low point, now sitting last in the NHL with an 11-16-3 record. Their struggles continued on Monday with a 4-0 loss to the Detroit Red Wings, marking their fifth defeat in their last six games.
As the slide continues, talk around the league has ramped up. Rumors suggest the Canucks could shake up their roster to retool, and also potentially make major changes in the front office.
One of the names being floated? A former Toronto Maple Leafs executive.
Ex-Maple Leafs Exec Eyed to Lead Canucks’ Front Office
Former Leafs president and governor Brendan Shanahan has emerged as a possible candidate to take over the Canucks’ front office if ownership decides to make a move.
On the Halford & Brough in the Morning podcast, NHL insider Frank Seravalli pointed out the confusion caused by both Canucks president Jim Rutherford and GM Patrik Allvin making key decisions, saying, “When you have two different voices speaking publicly to the team and agents, that can be problematic.”
Seravalli even asked bluntly: “Who exactly is running and steering the ship?”
He added that Allvin “might have one of the hardest jobs in the league,” juggling Rutherford’s input along with team owner Francesco Aquilini’s well-known hands-on involvement.
When asked whether Shanahan could realistically end up in Vancouver, Seravalli didn’t hesitate: “Definitely, if they decide to make a change. If the job is offered to him, the Answer is yes.”
Shanahan brings a heavyweight résumé. He won three Stanley Cups with Detroit (1997, 1998, 2002), was named one of the NHL’s “100 Greatest Players” in 2017, and spent 21 years in the league before retiring in 2009.
After retirement, he became the NHL’s vice president of hockey and business development. In 2014, he took over as president and governor of the Maple Leafs. Today, he serves as a governor for the New York Islanders.
ALSO READ: Canucks HC Reveals Ground Reality of Quinn Hughes Trade Rumors Inside Vancouver’s Locker Room
Seravalli also suggested that a return to a front-office leadership role seems likely for Shanahan in the near future: “Would be surprised if doesn’t happen in calendar year 2026. I think there is interest, there is hunger.”
He said it’s no coincidence Shanahan attended the recent governors’ meeting or appeared on a podcast. With this being his first year since the late 1980s not managing a team, many around the league believe he’s getting ready to return to a front-office role.
What happens next in Vancouver, on the ice and in the executive suite, remains to be seen.
