Ryan Johnson Discusses Alex Edler Role With Vancouver Canucks
Ryan Johnson said he has had conversations with Alex Edler about a possible role with the vancouver canucks, but no job has been committed to yet. The talks point toward a possible staff addition for an organization that has long counted Edler among its best draft picks.
Johnson and Edler
Johnson, the Canucks general manager, said in a Friday text message: "Alex is a friend and someone I have talked to for a few years about it" and "We have not committed to anything, though." That leaves the conversation at the discussion stage, even as it has moved far enough for a possible role to be on the table.
Postmedia said a Swedish Hockey News report indicated Edler is in conversation with Vancouver about a potential job. The same report said he would help out at this summer’s prospects development camp and could be in line for a development coach job after that.
Edler's Vancouver Path
Edler was drafted by the Canucks in the third round in 2004, then spent a year with Modo before moving at age 19 to the Kelowna Rockets, where he became one of the WHL team’s top defencemen. A year later, he was in the NHL, and his route to Vancouver has remained one of the clearest links between the organization and its Swedish pipeline.
He played more than 1,000 NHL games across 17 seasons and retired by 2023 after his final two NHL seasons with the Los Angeles Kings. That history gives any role in the Canucks’ development work a direct connection to a player who already knows the organization from the inside.
Prospects Camp This Summer
If Edler ends up at the prospects development camp this summer, the first step would be a hands-on one with younger players before any longer-term title comes into view. For Vancouver, that is the practical part of the story: a former defender with more than 1,000 NHL games could move from conversation to a development role without needing to jump straight into a full-time staff job.
For now, Johnson’s comments leave the door open and stop short of a commitment. The next move, if there is one, would likely be seen through the Canucks’ summer development work rather than through a formal announcement today.
