President Jim Rutherford has convinced Vancouver Canucks ownership to enter a full rebuild
After being reluctant for several years, the Vancouver Canucks' ownership group led by Francesco Aquilini has given Jim Rutherford approval to enter a rebuild.
The word rebuild has been thrown around a lot by Vancouver Canucks fans over the last six weeks due to the team's poor start to the 2025-26 season, but the team's management has been against undergoing one, saying that it wouldn't be the right direction for the club to go in.
"Rebuilds can work. But you have to understand rebuilds take a long time. There has to be a lot of patience, and for the teams that take the biggest jump and ultimately rebuild and win a Cup, they usually have a first-overall pick. And you still have to get lucky on that. I'm not naming teams, but some have tried a rebuild and had a ton of draft picks that didn't turn out. So a rebuild is not something that we're going to look at doing. Like I said, we're in transition. But we're not trading all these players for draft picks that may or may not end up playing someday." Rutherford said in the middle of November.
Following the trade of captain Quinn Hughes to the Minnesota Wild last Friday, it appears that the Vancouver Canucks have softened their stance on a potential rebuild.
Vancouver Canucks ownership gives Jim Rutherford approval to undergo rebuild
In an interview with Patrick Johnston of The Province recently, Vancouver Canucks President of Hockey Operations Jim Rutherford revealed that he has received approval from the team's ownership group to undergo a full rebuild.
"(Aquilini) understands where we're at, and of the circumstances. The conversations I've had, he understands." Rutherford said.
He added, "When we look at where our league is compared to 10 years ago, when it comes to free agency, the players just aren't there. Last summer, one could argue, taught a lesson in that reality. Trades still happen, but the reality that to build out your roster, you need to juice your efforts in the draft."
He added, "When we look at where our league is compared to 10 years ago, when it comes to free agency, the players just aren't there. Last summer, one could argue, taught a lesson in that reality. Trades still happen, but the reality that to build out your roster, you need to juice your efforts in the draft."
With the Quinn Hughes trade now in the rearview mirror, the Vancouver Canucks need to ensure they're getting decent returns for their pending unrestricted free agents, including Kiefer Sherwood and Evander Kane, ahead of the deadline in early March.
For this rebuild to be successful and for the Vancouver Canucks to become a playoff contender in the near future, they need to make smart draft decisions too, like they did in June with Braeden Cootes, who could very well be their first line centerman down the road.
With two first round picks in their back pocket and potentially another to come in a trade involving Kiefer Sherwood, if the Canucks are able to get what their asking price is for the pending UFA, then Patrik Allvin & Jim Rutherford could do some serious damage in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft and set this franchise up very well for the future.
Previously on Vancouver Hockey Daily
| POLL | ||
DECEMBRE 17|2198 ANSWERS President Jim Rutherford has convinced Vancouver Canucks ownership to enter a full rebuild Do you agree that it's time for the Vancouver Canucks to enter a full-on rebuild? | ||
| Yes | 1838 | 83.6 % |
| No | 360 | 16.4 % |
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