Canucks add Dale Tallon, three others to Hockey Operations team

The Vancouver Canucks have made a few more additions to their front office.

On Friday morning, the organization took to Twitter, announcing that there will be a few new faces in their Hockey Operations department for the upcoming 2022-23 season.

The biggest name was that of Dale Tallon.

Tallon, who was originally drafted second overall by the Canucks back in 1970, will be returning to the franchise as a senior advisor and pro scout. Tallon played in the NHL for 10 years following his draft selection, patrolling the blueline for Vancouver, Chicago and Pittsburgh, while also racking up 98 goals and 238 assists in 642 games played.

However, the 71-year-old made his biggest impacts in management. Tallon’s first hockey operations splash came with the Blackhawks, where he served as their Director of Player Personnel, as well as Assistant General Manager, before being promoted to General Manager from 2005 to 2009. Tallon was demoted to the position of Senior Advisor in his final year with the Blackhawks, but it was worth it in the end.

As we all know, Chicago went on to win the Stanley Cup in 2010, giving Tallon his first taste of the championship feeling.

Tallon wasted no time finding work in the league after the 2009-10 season, replacing Randy Sexton as General Manager of the Florida Panthers on May 17th, 2010. Tallon held the position until August 2020, where he and the Panthers mutually parted ways after 10 years together.

In addition to Tallon, the Canucks also brought on Scott Young as Director of Player Personnel, Frank Golden as a college free agent scout and Dylan Crawford as a video coach.

Like current executives Jim Rutherford and Patrik Allvin, Young and Golden are the latest front office members to make the move from Pittsburgh to Vancouver.

Young served as the Director of Player Development for the past five years, primarily focusing on the development of key prospects, while Golden served as an amateur scout from 2014 to 2022.

Although Crawford doesn’t have any ties to the Penguins, his family already has strong connections with the Canucks organization. His father, Marc, served as the team’s head coach from 1999 to 2006. Dylan hasn’t been in the league nearly as long as Marc, but does have some valuable experience after serving as the assistant video coach for the Blackhawks for the past four years.

The Canucks also announced a new title for Ryan Johnson, promoting him to Assistant to the General Manager, which he will carry in addition to the current roles as Senior Director of Player Development and General Manager for the Abbotsford Canucks.

All in all, it sounds like Allvin is quite happy with what each individual will bring to his front office.

“We’re pleased to have solidified our Hockey Operations department for next season with the promotion of Ryan Johnson and the additions of Scott Young, Frank Golden, Dylan Crawford and Dale Tallon. These individuals bring immense experience and are committed to the vision we have in building the Vancouver Canucks to be a winning franchise.”

Let’s hope this will translate to winning ways on the ice next season.

What are your thoughts on the newest additions and promotions to the front office? Let us know in the comments!