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Canucks’ Johnson says he won’t ask veterans to waive trade protection until he has deals in place

Photo credit: © Bob Frid-Imagn Images

By Jeff Paterson

Jun 25, 2026, 18:28 EDTUpdated: Jun 25, 2026, 18:29 EDT

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With plenty on his plate heading into the busiest week of the off-season, Vancouver Canucks general manager Ryan Johnson says he’s talking to just about everyone in the hockey world in the hours leading up to Friday’s first round of the National Hockey League draft. However, one group he apparently hasn’t spoken to is veteran players on the roster with trade protection.

With much media and fan speculation about how the Canucks might go about juicing their rebuild by turning veteran players into more draft capital, the new GM did his best to pour cold water on the idea that the Canucks might be close to any kind of deal that would capitalize on the recent trade frenzy around the league.

Holding court with local media on Thursday morning at Rogers Arena, Johnson laid it bare that he has not approached any of his veterans about the possibility of a trade. So for now, the likes of Elias Pettersson, Filip Hronek, Brock Boeser, and Jake DeBrusk, among others, remain part of the team’s plans moving forward.

“Not at all. Not at this point,” the GM said. “I want to be clear to anybody that if I’m going down a path, it has to be to the vision and to what we’ve said we want to accomplish. But by no means am I having back-and-forth collecting (trade) lists. I’m just doing the due diligence and speaking with 31 other teams. And if there comes a point where we have to make a decision or speak to somebody in our group, then we approach it that way.”

While Johnson revealed that he had not reached a point where he felt the need to go to a particular player, that certainly doesn’t mean he has not discussed those players with other teams. It’s also important to note that the two days of the draft are in no way a deadline of any kind for the Canucks to make moves.

However, the climate seems right for big names to change teams, as evidenced by a dizzying week of blockbuster trades in the lead-up to Friday’s first round of the draft.

But those howling for the Canucks to sell off all of their assets as quickly as possible, Johnson offered a warning on Thursday. He has a plan for the rebuild, and it doesn’t involve a fire sale.

“I’ve said this, yes, we are rebuilding, but it’s not a sell-off, get as young as you can, get your teeth kicked in, and think that things are just going to naturally happen,” he explained. “You want to insulate players, but not just with good players, but with great people. And it’s very clear that the people that will walk through these doors are great people that have the engine, that have the professionalism and the room awareness that we’re looking for. So it’s not just about stripping it down as fast as you can, and it’ll automatically grow on its own. That’s not the approach here, but it’s something that is in consideration of everything we do. When you’re subtracting, what are you truly subtracting just besides the hockey player?”

Johnson and his management team have to nimbly navigate the fine line between holding on to veteran players and creating opportunities for prospects in the system. Beyond that, it’s going to be difficult for the Canucks to add veteran leadership and culture carriers via trade or free agency unless they shed some players and create room on the roster.

So the new man in charge may not have approached some of his veteran players with trade protection about the possibility of moving on just yet. But it certainly feels like he’s going to have to have those uncomfortable conversations sooner rather than later if he’s truly going to be able to follow through with his vision for the rebuild.