Canucks Tried To Hire Shocking Name As Their Next GM
David Pagnotta reported recently that the Canucks had internal interest in speaking with Brad Treliving, who was fired as GM of the Toronto Maple Leafs in late March with seven games remaining in the regular season.
The conversation never happened.
"I believe the Canucks had internally some interest in talking to former Leafs GM Brad Treliving," Pagnotta said, "but I don't believe that's a spot that he's interested in going."
Treliving walked away from the overture.
A GM who was just fired from one of the most dysfunctional situations in the league (a Leafs organization that missed the playoffs at 32-36-14), fired him with seven games left, and spent the better part of three years dealing with cap-strapped rosters and contentious departures from franchise players, looked at the Vancouver situation and decided it was not the step he wanted to take.
What the Canucks Are Asking a New GM to Take On
The picture in Vancouver is not pretty.
The Canucks finished 25-49-8 with 58 points, last in the entire NHL.
Their goal differential was minus-100, a figure that shows a team that was not merely bad but structurally compromised at almost every level. They gave up 316 goals, which is not something that can be fixed with just one move this offseason.
The Vancouver Canucks had interest in Brad Treliving as GM, but he wasn’t interested in the job. Per, David Pagnotta.
— The Mug NHL (@TheMugNHL) May 4, 2026
Adam Foote took over as head coach midway through last season and now operates without a permanent GM to give him direction or cover.
Jim Rutherford has announced he's stepping away, which means the incoming GM will need to operate without the institutional knowledge of the person who built most of the roster currently in place.
Whoever says yes to this job is committing to two or three painful years before the standings move in any noticeable way.
Treliving has been around long enough to know what he'd be getting himself into. His nine-year tenure as GM of the Calgary Flames, where he made the playoffs five times and won a Pacific Division title, gives him some credibility and options in the marketplace.
He does not need to take the hardest available job.
What It Means for the Search
The Canucks have now confirmed in-person interviews with Pierre Dorion, Ryan Bowness, Evan Gold, Kevyn Adams, Shane Doan, and others, with Elliotte Friedman noting there appear to be multiple competing lists between Rutherford's preferences and ownership's preferences.
One analyst described the situation for hiring an NHL GM as like recruiting a chef to a restaurant where the previous staff burned the kitchen down.
Irfaan Gaffar: Re Canucks GM: I think Marc Bergevin has shown interest; I think Brad Treliving would probably be very interested; Tom Fitzgerald - DFO Rundown (4/22)
— NHL Rumour Report (@NHLRumourReport) April 27, 2026
The Canucks can pivot toward a first-time GM willing to take the swing, or they can attempt to build a larger offer around title and organizational commitment that changes the calculus for a name with more leverage.
The draft lottery on Tuesday also changed the conversation, as Friedman previously noted the pick position could influence which kind of GM profile the organization decides it needs.
Expected to land the first overall selection, the Canucks slid all the way down to the third spot, with the Toronto Maple Leafs and San Jose Sharks leapfrogging them.
Photo Credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images
