As the Vancouver Canucks’ season inches closer to the finale on April 16, rumours have started to swirl regarding what the future holds for head coach Adam Foote and general manager Patrik Allvin.

After a disappointing season that saw them go from playoff hopefuls to the bottom of the barrel in the NHL standings, their jobs have come into question. Within the organization, the Canucks have two replacements on the horizon in Manny Malhotra and Ryan Johnson, the head coach and general manager of the Abbotsford Canucks.

Those two have not only come up in talks of promotion with the Canucks, but have started to garner interest from other teams around the league.

According to Donnie & Dhali’s Rick Dhaliwal, the Canucks denied the Nashville Predators’ request to speak with current assistant general manager and Abbotsford Canucks general manager Ryan Johnson:

“I’ve been told the Canucks have denied Nashville permission to talk with Abbotsford Canucks GM, Ryan Johnson, about their GM opening. Johnson lives in Nashville in the offseason. I would presume that’s a job that would be very appealing to him.

“Does this mean a promotion for Johnson? It sure seems like the Canucks are saying they can’t afford to lose this guy. Several teams are going to be courting him. Johnson’s under contract. He can’t talk to any team without permission. I am not hearing that he’s got a job lined up in Vancouver, or is even talking to the Canucks about a promotion right now.

“Johnson could ask for permission from the Canucks after the season if he wants to pursue jobs. That could take place if he wants. One thing that Johnson has got to be worried about if he takes the Vancouver job: how much control does he have? We know Jim Rutherford runs the show, right? We know that Allvin didn’t have much power. That would be a concern for me, for anyone taking the GM job.

“The reality is, the Canucks are looking straight at a lot of teams eyeing Johnson and Manny Malhotra, and they’re going to have to adjust accordingly.

Dhaliwal also shared the glowing reviews of Johnson he’s heard around the league:

“He ran the farm teams in Utica. He ran them in Abby, won a Calder Cup. He’s well respected. People love Ryan Johnson all over the National Hockey League. I got agents calling me all the time, raving about Ryan Johnson – he’s the only one they rave about in Vancouver – but they love the guy. He’s a straight, honest shooter. Tells you how it is…to deny Nashville permission to talk to him, that tells me they clearly don’t want to lose him. They value him.”