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Just five Canucks GM candidates remain and here's who we think they might be

Trevor Beggs
Trevor Beggs
|
May 6 2026, 7:52 pm
Just five Canucks GM candidates remain and here's who we think they might be
Texas Stars Hockey/YouTube

The Vancouver Canucks are in the home stretch of their general manager search.

“We’re a long ways along,” Canucks President Jim Rutherford said following the draft lottery on Tuesday. “The process has been good. We interviewed a lot of people, a good cross-section of people in the hockey world.”

Rutherford confirmed that the Canucks interviewed about 15 to 20 people for the position and have whittled the list down to five candidates.

“Hopefully, we’ll get to a decision here by next week,” Rutherford added.

With the Canucks just days away from naming a new general manager, here’s who we presume the five GM candidates are, based on public reporting.

1. Ryan Bowness

  • Age: 42
  • Team: New York Islanders
  • Current role: Assistant general manager and director of player personnel

Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman confirmed earlier this week that Ryan Bowness had an in-person interview with the Canucks.

The son of former Canucks assistant coach Rick Bowness has followed a traditional path up the ranks. He’s gone from a pro scout with the Pittsburgh Penguins under Jim Rutherford to an assistant GM role with the Ottawa Senators. Last offseason, he joined Mathieu Darche’s staff with the New York Islanders.

2. Evan Gold

  • Age: 46
  • Team: Boston Bruins
  • Current role: Assistant general manager and AHL GM

Evan Gold has followed a less traditional path than the majority of GM candidates. The Toronto native comes from a legal background, specifically, where he joined the Boston Bruins as director of hockey operations and legal affairs.

His specialty in the NHL has been salary cap management and understanding the collective bargaining agreement. Gold has also been in charge of the Providence Bruins, who’ve been a model AHL franchise over the past handful of seasons.

3. Ryan Johnson

  • Age: 49
  • Team: Vancouver Canucks
  • Current role: Assistant general manager and AHL GM

The Canucks deserve credit for casting a wide net of GM candidates, even if that list surprisingly included Pierre Dorion.

But could Vancouver still just circle back and hire Ryan Johnson?

Multiple reporters have indicated that he’s still in the mix. Retired Postmedia reporter Ed Willes took it one step further, suggesting that Rutherford had a succession plan in place to name Johnson GM in place of Patrik Allvin. However, has that plan changed with Rutherford stepping down?

4. Scott White

  • Age: 58
  • Team: Dallas Stars
  • Current role: Assistant general manager and AHL GM

Scott White was one new name to appear on the Canucks GM candidate list, according to Friedman.

The NHL insider reported that he believes one reason why the Canucks final decision might take another week is because of White’s inclusion in the race. The 58-year-old was previously a finalist for the Toronto Maple Leafs GM job before they ended up hiring John Chayka.

White is the most experienced candidate on the list. He’s been working in hockey since retiring as a player in 1994. The Quebec native has been general manager of the AHL’s Texas Stars since 2009, and was promoted to assistant general manager of the Dallas Stars back in 2016.

5. Martin Madden Jr.

  • Age: 55
  • Team: Anaheim Ducks
  • Current role: Assistant general manager and director of amateur scouting

Friedman dropped another name along with White during Wednesday’s edition of the 32 Thoughts podcast: Martin Madden of the Anaheim Ducks.

“Martin Madden is incredibly highly regarded as a talent evaluator,” Friedman said. “That is the kind of guy, when you’re rebuilding, you want him in your organization.”

Friedman also questioned whether Madden would want a job as public-facing as general manager, suggesting that if he were to be hired, perhaps someone else could join the Canucks as president to shield Madden.

The Quebec native has been a longtime NHL scout on the amateur side, having previously worked with Rutherford in that role from 2006-08 with the Carolina Hurricanes. His dad, Martin Madden Sr., is also a hockey lifer, with a previous stint as general manager of the Quebec Nordiques.

Here are the remaining candidates who’ve been confirmed to have interviewed with the Canucks but haven’t been officially eliminated from the search:

  1. Bill Scott, Edmonton Oilers AGM
  2. Brett Peterson, Florida Panthers AGM
  3. Brad Pascall, Calgary Flames AGM
  4. Jeff Tambellini, Tampa Bay Lightning director of hockey operations
  5. Jamie Langenbrunner, Boston Bruins AGM
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