The end of the 2025-26 season has arrived at long, long last. Exit media and player interviews have been had, an evaluation of - Sorry, what's this?

https://www.sportsnet.ca/nhl/article/canucks-fire-general-manager-patrik-allvin-after-five-seasons/

Well, then. Suppose we should hold off until the President of Hockey Operations gets his notes together and -

Ah. Yes. That. Jim Rutherford's bit starts two hours and four minutes in, and I guess that's where we'll start.

But WHY?

So far, just the general manager has been fired. The reason, Rutherford says, is because the next general manager should decide how the team will react to a disastrous season. That means Coach Adam Foote is still most likely fired, but hasn't been yet.

That's good news. No, really! Rutherford is making a clear demarcation of responsibilities with that decision. Whether he will continue that self-imposed limit, well, that remains to be seen. In theory, the PoHO (there's gotta be a better acronym out there...) chooses the direction of the team, and the general manager executes that vision. But we all know Rutherford stepped in at a few vital points, possibly at the behest of ownership, to take power away from Allvin.

That can complicate any new search. The favourite is Ryan Johnson, who has run the Abbotsford Canucks to an AHL championship and signed a lucrative contract with the understanding he would get promotion to the big club before its term ended. Whether that's to general manager or an assistant GM position is unknown to us.

Rutherford has talked about expanding the search as widely as possible, but whoever comes here will want assurances. How much power will they actually have, what timeline is the team looking at, and what about the Sword of Damocles working an hour down the road? Not many qualified, veteran people would be thrilled with those working conditions.

Okay, But Why NOW?

This is a pretty good question, too. According to Rutherford, he had been thinking about the firing for several weeks, but didn't reach a decision until last night. That it was leaked by a Swedish magazine moved up the announcement, but was otherwise coincidental. Not sure I entirely believe that bit, but it doesn't change much in the big picture.

The first problem is that it delaying the hiring means other decisions will have to wait. That includes signing on scouting staff (or not), finding a new coaching staff (or not), and the amateur draft coming up. Given that Allvin came from the scouting world, that last was entirely in his hands, and he has the Air Miles to prove it.

Other coaches and general managers have been hired already, so another reason my be because the team really does want to have as many options as possible. The longer they wait, the more names are made unavailable. Or it may just be for show before they bring Johnson in and he calls up Manny Malhotra.

All Right, So WHAT Now?

Rutherford reiterated that the team is undergoing a rebuild, and any new general manager will need to agree with that. Not a bad thing, but if anyone said differently that would be reason to end the interview early.

The Canucks need to have a rebuild, obviously. Step One is getting over the fear of saying that out loud. The fans in Vancouver aren't idiots. But they're also not made of money. The number of people willing to piss it away on the hobbled creature that appeared early in the season is diminishing. Losing isn't necessarily the thing that turns off fans: losing expensively can.

Whoever's hired as the next general manager is going to have to gain the trust of the fans. That includes having a plan that lasts longer than a few months. Hearing word of a ten-year plan is a bit silly, given the duration of most sports careers. But having a three-year plan to reach one point, then another from there, and another from there, can work for me.

As the team discovered just this season, times change, and so should goals. Vancouver wanted to be competing for a playoff spot as an eventual step to the Stanley Cup. That plan ended in December, and the stated goals soon followed.

Vern's talked about what they want to see from the team ASAP. The team got one thing off the list so far. The rest could take a bit longer.

The draft lottery is coming up in May. Until then? Smile, smile, smile!