According to the 2026 NHL Agent Poll released Monday by The Athletic, the Vancouver Canucks have been voted the worst-run franchise in the National Hockey League.
NHL agent poll: Best and worst-run teams, biggest contract, future commissionerhttps://t.co/KvEo5ER56V
— James Mirtle (@mirtle) April 13, 2026
The poll, which gathered anonymous feedback from over 20 prominent player agents, saw the Canucks receive seven of 22 total votes for the ignominious title, comfortably "beating out" the New York Rangers (four votes) and the Nashville Predators and Columbus Blue Jackets (two votes each).
The feedback from participating agents was particularly pointed, focusing on a lack of organizational alignment and a perceived failure to provide players with a stable environment.
“They really don't have the infrastructure that the players need to remove excuses. It just seems there's a lot of soap opera stuff going on around there,” said one anonymous agent. “I just think management needs to do a better job of keeping things in-house.”
Another agent described the organization as a "mess of epic proportions," citing a "discombobulation" that makes it difficult to convince high-end free agents to sign in Vancouver, despite the city's natural appeal.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, agents showered praise on the Tampa Bay Lightning, who were voted the best-run franchise in the league with 11 of 27 votes. The Minnesota Wild followed in second place (four votes) and were notably named the "Easiest Front Office to Deal With."