62: The GM Speaks: How Ryan Johnson Plans to Rebuild the Canucks from the Ground Up
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62: The GM Speaks: How Ryan Johnson Plans to Rebuild the Canucks from the Ground Up
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Vancouver Canucks General Manager Ryan Johnson sits down with Landon Ferraro and John Shannon for his most in-depth interview since taking the job.
Johnson opens up about the emotions of going through a full GM search as an internal candidate, and walks through his deliberate approach to hiring Manny Malhotra as head coach — making sure both sides were truly ready before pulling the trigger.
He lays out his non-negotiables for team culture: professionalism, being a good teammate, and earning your spot regardless of history with the organization. Johnson also breaks down his draft strategy after conducting roughly 60 player interviews at the combine, explains why sitting third overall is both an opportunity and a challenge, and discusses why the Canucks will be patient and surgical in free agency rather than swinging for splashy signings — drawing comparisons to Montreal's successful rebuild under Jeff Gorton and Kent Hughes.
The episode closes with Johnson's expectations for Russian center Ilya Safanov and what it will take for him to crack the roster.