PALM BEACH, Fla. — In an NHL GM meeting 12 months ago, someone told Patrick Albin that the next time he walked into that same meeting, his Vancouver Canucks would be sitting in first place in the Western Conference. I want you to imagine saying that you are deaf.
“Yeah, I think we had some hope that we were going to go in the right direction along the way, but I didn’t think we’d be number one, no, we definitely weren’t,” Allbin said. . The Athletic Smile.
Twelve months ago, the Canucks were out of the playoff picture. Well, here it is. Sure, there were some tougher moments in the second half of the season, especially in the month leading up to the trade deadline, but as of Monday morning, the Canucks still lead the conference, albeit by just one point.
No matter how you look at it, this year was a great turnaround for a Canucks team that no one picked over the top.
“I think we’re still learning every day,” Allbin cautioned. “I give a lot of credit to the coaches and players for working as a team and building a partnership. It all starts with trust. That was the biggest thing.”
And when Allvin says he feels the team is still learning every day, it means playing these games now in March and competing for first place means something many players have never experienced. It’s meant to be a type of hockey. Don’t worry about what happens in April.
“A lot of our players have never played in the playoffs,” the Canucks GM said.
The Canucks ultimately remained quiet during trade deadline week earlier this month, but that doesn’t tell the whole story, but on January 31st, the front office made headlines for acquiring Elias Lindholm from Calgary. Since September (more on this later), most clubs haven’t done much with their rosters, making them one of the busiest teams in the league.
• September 19: Vancouver trades Tanner Pearson and a 2025 third-round pick to Montreal for Casey DeSmith.
• October 8: Vancouver trades Sam Lafferty and a 2024 fifth-round pick to Toronto.
• October 17: Mark Friedman and Ty Glover signed to Pittsburgh, Jack Rathbone and Karel Placek to minor league contracts.
• November 28: Vancouver traded Anthony Beauvillier to Chicago for a 2024 fifth-round pick.
• Nov. 30: Vancouver traded Nikita Zadorov, a 2024 fifth-round pick and a 2026 third-round pick to Calgary.
• December 15: Vancouver trades Jack Studnicka to San Jose for Nick Cicek and a 2024 sixth-round pick.
Then, of course, it’s a big deal for Lindholm, but given the trade history of Canucks president of hockey operations Jim Rutherford, it’s no wonder it was a January deal. Hockey Hall of Fame executives have always tried to stay ahead of the industry.
As Canucks columnist Thomas Dorrance later pointed out, and other league sources confirmed, Vancouver was looking to rent two players, Chris Tanev and Jake Guentzel, but was unable to land them.
“We had prioritized some players that we were interested in, but for various reasons we weren’t able to execute (those trades), but there was no plan B or panic move at the time,” Allvin said. he said. “I think, to your point, even going back to the Casey DeSmith pickup in the summer, we met a need. So I learned from Jim, always trying to stay ahead of things.
“I think it’s great to have Jim there to make important decisions,” Allvin added.
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Dorrance: Why the Canucks remained silent at the NHL trade deadline
Obviously Allvin can’t bring up Guentzel’s name, but whatever the Penguins wanted, some of their future assets have already been spent this year and what the team needs to be after this season. Given the balance of whether or not there is, it’s believed to be a price the Canucks were reluctant to pay, too.
“For us, that’s where we are today and how does that impact next year and the year after?” Allbin said of internal conversations before the deadline. “And obviously signing Petey was important to us as well, so we were able to move forward with our core here.”
Signing Elias Pettersson to a contract extension a few weeks ago was certainly important timing for the Canucks’ front office. Of course they would have liked to have done it last summer, but as we all know, Pettersson wanted to wait — and as recently as three or four weeks ago, still wanted to wait until the end of the season. But Allvin and Rutherford implored their star players to get something done by the deadline to help them develop a more concrete vision for the team’s core.
Throughout the process, rumors of trade talks surfaced, and the white noise and burden of it all was enough for Pettersson to finally give his agent the green light to negotiate with the Canucks.
“This has been a process since I’ve been here to get to know him and express how important it is to keep him front and center,” Allbin said. “It’s also important that his teammates know where he’s going. It’s easy to say you’re not affected by all the rumors, but at some point you’re going to be affected. Outside noise. I think that started to creep in and I think Petey also felt like where the team was going and the direction we were going in pleased him and excited him.
“And his relationship with Rick Tocchet also meant a lot to him,” Allbin added.
So, in retrospect, was trading Pettersson really an option had he not been signed?
“Again, my job is to try to get ahead of things, so when you have a player like that who could be in his final year as an RFA (), teams are calling and trying to stay ahead of things,” he said. “And we’ve seen other teams that have had a hard time signing players like that,” said Allvin, who was forced out of Calgary two years ago as an RFA and a UFA. He spoke without naming the players who had one year left to qualify.
“So, I don’t know…but I’m very happy to have signed him.”
I’m happy I didn’t have to open the other door in that equation, that’s for sure.
Elias Lindholm has struggled since joining the Canucks, scoring just seven points in 19 games. (Bob Frid/USA Today)
Looking ahead, the Canucks have a number of pending UFAs on their roster, including Lindholm, Zadorov, De Smith, Dakota Joshua, Lafferty, Teddy Blueger, Tyler Myers and Ian Cole.
Let’s start with Lindholm.
“When we first signed him, I talked to his camp and told them our intention was to sign him,” Allbin said. “But obviously it has to work for both sides. Let’s see. I think it was a bit of an adjustment period for him. And to be fair, the team as a whole didn’t play well. 2 We knew the schedule for the month was going to be tough workload-wise, but we were able to get through it with a .500 record and that’s why we’re still here. I think he’s sitting at the top.
“But, as I said, we have players who have not played in important games in March.”
Allbin reiterated that it’s all part of the learning process.
Lindholm has had a tough time by all accounts, scoring just seven points in 19 games with Vancouver.
“Part of the reason is we’re playing a different style. Hopefully he can find his game more offensively,” Allbin said. “I thought he was good defensively and solid, but I think he agrees with his desire to contribute more.”
As for the other pending UFAs on the roster, Allbin says there are two ways to look at them. The club has potential cap space, but players in the system are also ready to step in.
“Again, based on the conversations I’ve had with player agents and players, this is an environment that players like. So we’ll have to decide if it works for both parties.”
But at this point in the calendar, those are likely postseason talks.
“At this point, we’re probably going to have to wait,” Allbin said. “Unless they come in and beg for a really team-friendly contract.”
Allvin said updates on injured star goaltender Thatcher Demko’s status are still week-to-week, so it’s difficult to pinpoint a specific date. Did Demko’s injury cause the Canucks to question their workload and availability of a second goaltender who can play enough games to manage the No. 1 schedule? Allbin said the coaching staff He feels like he handled Demko very well throughout the season, but he reiterated the team’s tough schedule in February.
“February after the holidays was a tough period for us with a heavy workload,” Allbin said. “I think this is something we will continue to manage (the goaltending plan). Will Casey come back (next season)? He’s been playing great for us. He’s been great. He’s a teammate. And we also have (Arturus) Sylovs, who is also talented.
“We’ll see what happens next here.”
Thatcher Demko has been sidelined week to week with a lower-body injury. (Stephen R. Silvany/USA Today)
But as long as Demko works together and has solid support, Allbin feels DeSmith has proven he can be that guy in Pittsburgh.
“I also think when you have a goaltender like Demko, in his mind he wants to play every game,” Allbin said.
Sure, stud goalies are wired that way.
In the meantime, what are the plans for 2022 first-rounder Jonathan Leckerimäki?
“Well, I think he’s nearing his last game (in the Swedish league), but I think he’s in the discussion for the world championship team,” Allbin said.
Therefore, it appears that Lekkerimäki may remain with the team and prepare to play for Sweden in the men’s worlds instead of joining AHL Abbotsford, although no final decision has been made yet. The Canucks are weighing whether it would be beneficial for Lekkerimäki to come to play in AHL games or stay home to train and recover ahead of the world championships.
“We’ll talk about that now,” Allbin said. “Initially, our plan was to take him to Abbotsford. But then the Swedish (national team) coach reached out.”
A GM’s job never ends. Allbin recently signed a contract extension (his current contract expires this season) and was surprised at how quickly time has passed since he was named Canucks GM in January 2022.
“It’s been crazy, it’s been two years already,” Allvin smiled. “When Jim called me to talk about it, I said, ‘Hey, are you there yet?’ It happened in no time!
“Luckily, I was one of those guys who was surrounded by good people. A lot of experienced GMs will tell you it’s definitely different sitting in the big chair. , I was lucky enough to experience that for a few weeks (as interim GM) in Pittsburgh.
“So, yeah, it’s different[sitting in the big chair].”
What has he learned most since becoming GM?
“That’s a good question,” Allvin said. “I believe in delegating and trusting your staff to hold them accountable. I don’t believe in micromanaging. I believe in empowering. That’s what I do. I think it’s a culture that comes from growing up in Pittsburgh and seeing a lot of executives leave for other teams, and the reason for that is Ray Shero and Jim Rutherford are great at that, and the staff Because they trusted us and gave us responsibility.
“I think that’s something we continue to do.”
Allvin then paused before mentioning another important thing he learned. It’s about building a strong relationship with the coach, which he feels he absolutely has with Tocchet.
“What I really like is his ability to communicate with people,” Allvin said of Tocchet. “I think the time he put into meeting with the players individually is paying off.
“And part of it was because I felt there needed to be accountability and credibility for players like Tocchet, Footer (Adam Foote), (Sergei) Gonchar, all of whom won the Cup, who did it. is.”
And the Canucks GM added that the coaching staff’s influence is paramount in guiding the team’s young core.
“That’s the most important thing as we continue to raise the bar,” Allbin said.
(Top photo of Elias Pettersson: Bob Frid / USA Today)
