The Vancouver Canucks have fired general manager Patrick Allvin following one of the worst seasons in the history of the franchise.

Jim Rutherford, the president of hockey operations at the Vancouver Canucks says on Friday it is time to embrace the team’s rebuild.

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“We felt it was time to make a change and give someone else the opportunity to sit in that chair,” said the team’s president.

He adds that he offered Allvin the chance to stay within the organization in a separate role.

While acknowledging that some of Allvin’s management decisions led to his firing, Rutherford admits that the overall result of this season falls on his shoulders.

“I take full responsibility for this season. I head up the hockey department, but I don’t make decisions for other people, and Patrick had the opportunity to make his own decisions.”

During a press conference, Rutherford says that the Canucks are already eyeing a replacement.

One frontrunner is Ryan Johnson, the general manager at the Calder Cup-winning Abbotsford Canucks.

However, he adds that every option is on the table, as they will start the interview process on Monday, and he was non-committal on his own future with the team.

“My focus is on getting a general manager and getting through the draft, and when I do that, I’ll think more seriously about what makes sense,” Rutherford said.

Before he spoke to reporters, the media heard from Canuck’s players on team accountability, commitment to staying in Vancouver, and overall excitement for next season.

“We have a lot of young energy in the room, I think that’s really exciting,” said goaltender Thatcher Demko, who was injured for the tail end of the season.

“It’s been tough not being around and not being able to help with that come next season.”

While the players enter a long off-season, fans are still left with more questions than answers.

Thomas Drance, senior writer for The Athletic and the New York Times sports journalism department, says that Rutherford’s remarks left him with a lack of confidence in the rebuild process.

“I feel as if this was a wider house cleaning, that is just being rolled out to us in stages, as the club looked to project stability in a moment that perhaps that stability is more of a mirage,” he said.

The next date Canucks fans have circled on their calendars is the draft lottery in a few weeks, to see if the team will select first overall for the first time in the franchise’s history.