One of the Aquilinis has split from owning the Vancouver Canucks
The Vancouver Canucks may not be for sale, but one of their co-owners has resigned from his position with the organization.
NHL insider Nick Kypreos recently put out an article recently that suggested the Aquilini family may be interested in selling the team.
“One question starting to circulate out of Vancouver is whether or not the Aquilini family is contemplating selling part or the majority of the Canucks,” Kypreos wrote.
A team spokesperson since confirmed to Daily Hive that the Canucks are not for sale, though it doesn’t appear Kypreos was completely off in his reporting.
On Friday morning, Steve Ewen of The Province confirmed that Paolo, one of the Aquilini sons, is leaving his spot in the family-based ownership group. There has been no further elaboration as to what led to his decision.
The Aquilini’s have owned the Canucks, along with Rogers Arena, since 2006. They are also owners of the Canucks’ AHL team in Abbotsford.
Paolo is one of three Aquilini sons brothers who had a stake in the Canucks. Both he and Roberto were involved, albeit in lesser fashion, while Francesco serves as the chairman. Luigi, their father, is also a part of the ownership group.
This recent report certainly seems to be accurate, as Paolo is no longer listed on the Canucks’ front office staff. That is a very recent change, as he was on their website as recently as April 20.
Vancouver Canucks
Paolo’s main role with the Canucks was community based, which included starting up the Canucks Autism Network with his wife, Clara.
This is just the latest in what has been a very strange year for the Canucks. After a breakout 2023-24 season, they made headlines in all the wrong ways in 2024-25, which included drama between two of the team’s star players in Elias Pettersson and J.T. Miller and resulted in the latter being traded.
More recently, Rick Tocchet chose to step away from his coaching role with the team in order to test the open market.
While a reason for Paolo’s departure remains a mystery, it’s something that the organization may end up clearing up in the days or weeks to come.