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Vancouver Canucks GM search down to two names: report

Rob Williams
Rob Williams
|
May 8 2026, 4:31 pm
Vancouver Canucks GM search down to two names: report
Ryan Johnson has been with the Canucks organization since 2013 (@Canucks/X)

And then there were two.

The Vancouver Canucks’ search for a new general manager is nearly complete. In fact, according to CHEK’s Rick Dhaliwal, just two candidates remain.

It’s reportedly going to come down to Ryan Johnson and Evan Gold.

“The Canucks have started telling candidates that they are no longer in the running for the GM job,” Dhaliwal reports.

Johnson is a well-liked in-house candidate whom everyone is familiar with.

The 49-year-old has been with the organization ever since 2013, when he was hired as a development coach during the Mike Gillis regime. He was named director of player development in 2017 during the Jim Benning era and promoted to assistant general manager in 2024 under Jim Rutherford and Patrik Allvin.

Rutherford is said to be a big fan, but the 77-year-old executive is also stepping down from his position as president of hockey operations after the draft.

Gold is an intriguing candidate, as he climbed the ranks without having a pro hockey career on his resume. He studied at McGill University in Montreal before earning law and MBA degrees at the University of Toronto.

Currently the assistant general manager of the Boston Bruins, the 46-year-old Toronto native has a reputation for excelling in the areas of navigating the salary cap and legal framework of the CBA. He first joined the Bruins organization in 2015 as director of legal affairs, before being promoted to assistant GM in 2019.

“[Gold] advises and assists general manager Don Sweeney with day-to-day hockey operations tasks, including salary cap analysis, contract negotiations, roster planning, player salary arbitration, CBA compliance, and pro scouting,” the Bruins website says of Gold’s responsibilities.

Prior to joining Boston, Gold worked in the Washington Capitals front office, where he helped with contract research, salary cap analysis, arbitration research, and brief drafting.

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