When the Vancouver Canucks parted ways with head coach Adam Foote on Tuesday morning, it ended a one-year run that put him in the company of Bill LaForge, John Tortorella, and Mike Keenan for the most disastrous Canucks coaching hires of all time.

The Canucks’ last-place finish wasn’t entirely Foote’s fault — a lack of depth, injuries to key players and poor locker room vibes all played a factor, but the quality of hockey Foote coached his players on was abysmal to watch and was all too easy for opponents to exploit. And it was a headache that new general manager Ryan Johnson didn’t want going into his first season in charge.

On Tuesday, Johnson spoke to the media after his first major decision as GM and provided some early insight into how the Canucks will be operating going into this offseason and beyond. Here are some key takeaways from his first solo media availability.

On his first day on the job as Canucks’ GM, Johnson said it would be “unfair” to judge Adam Foote’s coaching record based on everything that happened in 2025-26. That mindset didn’t deter Johnson, who felt the Canucks needed to chart a different course for the franchise sooner rather than later.

Foote was simply never the right choice to keep around once the team began the rebuild process. He constantly leaned on the Canucks’ veterans for ice time down the stretch, and the prospects in the lineup made little to no forward progress under Foote’s watch. It’s clear that even if the results are going to be secondary for a while, Johnson wants a head coach who can get the most out of their young players.

“It’s less about change in the past and more about implementing something for the future,” Johnson told reporters Tuesday afternoon. “It just felt from the organization, the alignment and what we were looking for, that we just wanted a new voice and a new group to come in and start this next era of the franchise. It was less about what they did or didn’t do. I appreciate them as coaches and people, but this again, like I said, is about moving forward in the future.”

There is only one truly obvious candidate to replace Foote as head coach, and that’s Manny Malhotra.

Johnson and Malhotra turned the Abbotsford Canucks into Calder Cup Champions in 2025, and it’s no secret that Johnson holds his guy in high regard. In fact, Johnson felt Malhotra showed more this season when the team struggled than he did in his winning first year.

“He showed the type of coach and person he is, not by winning a championship. It was navigating what he did last season with all the injuries, and we just never had a full team on the ice,” Johnson said. “But to see that when you can rely on the foundation of the consistent environment, and the coaching through the worst of times and really continue to propel players forward, even though the wins and losses aren’t there, it tells you a lot about him.”

“Not just Manny, but that entire staff showed that they’re champions based off of not the year before, [but] off what they did last year and what people around them took out of a pretty tough season.”

Aside from Foote, the Canucks also have to replace his coaching staff. Assistant Coaches Scott Young, Kevin Dean and Brett McLean were all let go on Tuesday as well, and that means the next head coach will get to bring in a whole new staff.

Beyond the bench, Johnson and the Sedins have the chance to alter the front office as they see fit. Johnson was asked what candidates from outside the organization will have to bring to the table.

“They have to fit to what we’re trying to do here. Obviously, it’s no secret I like to work with good people that have a good skill set that fit into a team environment. So anything I’m looking for in any position, those are definite prerequisites for me,” Johnson said. “I want to inspire them, I want to allow them to do their jobs, but I’ve got to know those certain few things are in place before we can do that.”

After the Canucks moved on from Patrik Allvin, there were questions about the futures of assistant GMs Cammi Granato and Emilie Castonguay. As of right now, they’ll remain on board.

“They are a big part of this group,” Johnson said of Castonguay and Granto. “They’ve been a big part of, I think, my maturation as a person and a professional, so nothing has changed in that regard.”

There’s a lot of prep to be done before next month’s draft, and not a lot of time to do it.

Johnson said his “gut feeling” is that this draft could have more movement at the top of the draft board than previous years. The second pick in particular could be up for grabs, with the San Jose Sharks looking for immediate defensive help and more than enough forward prospects in the cupboard already. The Canucks have particular interest in the market around that pick; with two great forwards at the top of the draft board, Johnson might need to consider flipping picks with the Sharks to guarantee a shot at drafting Ivar Stenberg or Gavin McKenna, depending on who the Toronto Maple Leafs take first overall.

“I think it’s one of those years where it may fall out of the typical order,” Johnson said, before clarifying that it was “just a hunch”. Johnson also said the scouting department has been hard at work. “Our group has done a fantastic job of preparing. We still have some work to do with the combine obviously coming, some more discussions and interviews, but it’s an exciting time to be picking whether we ended up first [or] third.”

“We know we’re going to get a really good hockey player at that number and somebody that we hope to be a part of this whole journey.”