'Good shot' Ryan Johnson gets named Vancouver Canucks head of hockey ops: report

Life as a Vancouver Canucks fan is a roller coaster, and their general manager search has been the epitome of that.

One day, they’re casting a wide net. The next, they’re on the verge of hiring one of the least successful GMs in recent NHL history.

This week, the Sedins emerged as candidates to take on front office roles, while Boston Bruins AGM Evan Gold was considered the front-runner for the general manager job. That seemingly left Ryan Johnson as the bridesmaid for the job that he’d worked for a decade to get.

But in Vancouver, expect the unexpected.

Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported on Tuesday that Johnson still appears to be part of Vancouver’s plans.

“The one thing I’m hearing is that there’s momentum behind Ryan Johnson in Vancouver,” Friedman said Tuesday on The FAN Hockey Show. “I’ve been hearing a lot about that.”

“I’m starting to think that Ryan Johnson has a good shot of being the next Head of Hockey Operations there.”

CHEK’s Rick Dhaliwal has reported consistently throughout the past few days that, although Gold has been heavily connected to Vancouver, Johnson was still in the mix.

As the Canucks GM search reportedly narrowed down to two candidates, with Gold as the front-runner, it made you wonder if Johnson still had a future in Vancouver.

Could he still work for the organization in some capacity, in conjunction with the guy who beat him out for the job?

Don’t count on it, Friedman said a Johnson hire wouldn’t include Gold. At least, that’s what his producer, Dom Sramaty, relayed from Friedman on Tuesday on Sportsnet 650’s Canucks Talk.

The Sedins entering the Canucks front office added another wrinkle to the mix. NHL insider Frank Seravalli reported Monday, while speaking with Sportsnet 650’s Satiar Shah and Bik Nizzar, that the twins have been “fervent backers” of Johnson.

How much did their ascension to the front office play into the recent news about Johnson, if at all?

Shortly before the news from Friedman on Tuesday, Elite Prospects’ Cam Robinson reported that Johnson was not being considered for the Nashville Predators GM opening, something that’s been lurking beneath the surface ever since the Canucks apparently turned down the Predators’ request to interview him. Robinson stated that the Preds’ next GM is currently an assistant general manager with another playoff team.

Adding to the saga is the fact that Bruins reporter James Murphy recently stated that Gold was likely to be joined in Vancouver with two of his Boston colleagues: assistant general manager Jamie Langenbrunner and Director of Analytics Jeremy Rogalski.

Outside of the reports, nothing has been official since Canucks president Jim Rutherford spoke after the draft lottery.

And, if Canucks fans have learned anything throughout this process, it’s that things can change quickly, but this roller coaster of a search does appear to be nearing a conclusion.