David Kirouac-Imagn Images

Allvin and Rutherford clarify Canucks’ direction

Originally posted on Canucksarmy | By Tyson Cole | Last updated Jan 11, 2026 6:28 PM ET

Vancouver Canucks management provided some clarity on where the team is headed.

Canucks reporter Chris Faber met with General Manager Patrik Allvin and discussed the team’s direction at this point of the season, where they are sitting in last place in league standings:

“We are transitioning into a rebuild here, acquiring younger players through the draft,” Allvin said. “Obviously, the draft is really important for us. Since Jim and I got [here] three years ago, we’ve definitely always emphasized on getting younger. We see a couple of younger players coming up through the system, getting a chance to play now, with the amount of injuries we had; players like [Tom] Wilander, DPetey [Elias Pettersson], [Jonathan] Lekkerimäki – [Kirill] Kudryavtsev, and [Ty]Mueller got games last year.

Before the Christmas break, Allvin joined the panel after the first intermission on Prime Monday Night Hockey when the Canucks faced the Philadelphia Flyers. He discussed the Hughes trade and said the team planned to retool with a hybrid form. Faber asked him what he meant by that:

“We still want to continue to acquire young players and draft picks in order to continue to build our roster,” Allvin said. “We saw what we did with the Minnesota deal, where we’re acquiring some players that were already in the league. I think it’s important for us to continue to do so in our rebuild here, but it is also important to have veteran players in our lineup to help and support the younger players learning how to be a pro, and I think that’s how you grow as a team.”

You can watch the full segment below:

"The draft is really important for us in the long term plan and the direction we're going here."

General Manager Patrik Allvin speaks in an exclusive interview with Chris Faber about the future of the team and importance of the draft at the #Canucks annual Scouting Meetings. pic.twitter.com/SDO1VjI6lt

— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) January 11, 2026

Sportsnet’s Iain MacIntyre sat down with Jim Rutherford to clarify his views on the direction of the team:

“I would suggest that we listen to teams when they call — about anybody,” Rutherford said. “But that would be the same whether we’re winning or losing. When someone talks about a hybrid rebuild, it means the team is not shopping every player.

“But prior to this, we already made the decision that we were going to go with younger players. Over the past few years, our staff has done a good job and we have a number of good young players, whether they’re in our lineup now or close to getting in our lineup. And those players are going to get a chance to play. Based on the circumstances with this team, this is the year to do it. The fact of the matter is we’re in a rebuild.”

You can read MacIntyre’s full interview with Rutherford here.

This article first appeared on Canucksarmy and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: