Vancouver Canucks make a controversial announcement regarding the team's new captain

The new Canucks general manager told reporters Tuesday that no decision will be made on naming a captain this summer.

Johnson, hired May 14 after the Sedins took over as co-presidents, said he believes the right leader eventually rises to the surface.

It is a reasonable philosophy in a vacuum. Inside a team that just finished 25-49-8 with the worst record in the NHL, it reads differently.

Vancouver has not had a captain since trading Bo Horvat to the New York Islanders in January 2023.

That is three and a half years without a permanent leader.

The obvious candidate is Elias Pettersson. He finished with 15 goals and 51 points in 74 games this season while carrying a minus-30 rating.

Johnson confirmed he has already had a long conversation with Pettersson since taking over as GM.

Brock Boeser is the other name in the room, finishing with 22 goals and 48 points in 75 games alongside a minus-48 rating.

Neither player's numbers scream franchise cornerstone on a team that won just nine home games all season.

The deeper issue is that Johnson cannot commit to a face of the franchise when the roster might look completely different by October.

The NHL Draft is June 26 in Buffalo. Free agency follows shortly after, and a team with a minus-100 goal differential does not stand pat.

Manny Malhotra inherits this situation as the new head coach after being hired June 1. He is walking into a locker room with no captain, no clear identity, and a roster that allowed 316 goals last season.

Johnson's language sounds like leadership philosophy. In context, it sounds more like a GM keeping his options open because he does not yet know which core players will still be in Vancouver when training camp opens in September.

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