Long-time Penguins executive Patrik Allvin hired as Canucks general manager

Penguins assistant general manager Patrik Allvin has been hired as general manager of the Vancouver Canucks.

The Canucks formally announced Allvin as the 12th general manager in the history of that franchise on Wednesday.

Allvin rejoins former Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford, currently the president of hockey operations for the Canucks.

It is not immediately clear who will replace Allvin with the Penguins.

Initially hired as a European scout in 2006 by former general manager Ray Shero, Allvin has been with the Penguins in various capacities, including director of European scouting and director of amateur scouting. He has been a member of the franchise’s three-most recent Stanley Cup championships (2009, 2016 and 2017).

After being promoted to assistant general manager by Rutherford in November of 2020, Allvin served as interim general manager following Rutherford’s abrupt resignation in January of 2021 and operated in that capacity for roughly two weeks before current general manager Ron Hextall was hired.

“He’s a really smart guy that has great insights into player assessment, player evaluation, understanding how to build a team,” Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said. “He has a wealth of experience at a lot of the different levels. I always enjoy the conversations and the interactions that I’ve had with Patrik. He’s a really smart guy. I have a lot of respect for Patrik.”

Allvin, 47, was a candidate for the Penguins’ full-time general manager position before Hextall’s hiring.

Allvin is the first native of Sweden to serve as a full-time general manager of an NHL club. The only other European general manager in the NHL is Finnish-born Jarmo Kekalainen of the Columbus Blue Jackets.

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