Vancouver Canucks ownership finally 'fully onboard' with a long-term rebuild: report
When Mike Gillis wanted to rebuild, he was fired.
Eventually, Trevor Linden insisted on rebuilding. That’s when he became the “odd man out.”
So now that the current Vancouver Canucks management team appears to be on track for a long rebuild, what does Francesco Aquilini think?
Sounds like the Canucks owner is into it.
“The ownership is fully on board,” Canucks insider Irfaan Gaffar said on the DFO Rundown Insider Edition podcast. “The ownership knows that it’s probably going to take at least five years until they’re really, really competitive again… You have Jim Rutherford and Patrik Allvin knowing that now and having the OK by the ownership.”
People have questioned how patient Canucks ownership would be, given what happened in the past. Even Linden sounded surprised when speaking about it Saturday on Hockey Night in Canada’s After Hours program.
“I think in 2014 when I came in [as president of hockey operations], I knew it was a tough spot to come into. There wasn’t a lot to work with there. We had a great group of guys… but they were on the back nine. It was a tough spot. My vision of how things would go was different than ownership or Jim (Benning), so I was the odd man out,” Linden said, referring to his exit from the organization in 2018.
“I think the situation they’re in today, I think Patrik is doing the right things. I think it’s a bit surprising given the history.”
Canucks management drew the ire of fans by labelling it a “hybrid” rebuild in December, but their words and actions since have been more consistent with what you’d expect from a true rebuilding team.
The Canucks have sunk to the bottom of the standings, and appear destined for a top-three draft pick for the first time since 1999.
They have also accumulated more draft picks than ever before, since the Aquilini family bought the team in 2004. The Canucks currently have 10 draft picks in 2026, including two first-rounders, plus nine picks in each of the 2027 and 2028 drafts.
The proof will be in the pudding of course, and there’s a lot more work that needs to be done. But it’s a start.