Welcome to the launch of Canucks Insider.
This will be a step inside the doors of Canucks Sports & Entertainment focusing on Canucks hockey but also talking about things away from the rink. Our goal as a trio is to bring stories for the fans that inform, entertain, and build on your fandom of the Vancouver Canucks.
Some of our content will be about prospects, Rick Tocchet, or Jim Rutherford telling some stories about his many years in the NHL. Heck, we might even get the first-ever one-on-one exclusive with Fin.
Canucks Insider will feature Monday Mailbags where our team will do our best to answer questions that you have.
We are also going to have a Friday Feature. That will be our big article of the week and could be a feature on Jonathan Lekkerimäki or Todd Harvey telling us about what’s up with the scouting staff.
The Insider doesn’t have cookie-cutter lines just yet and will evolve with your feedback on the product. Have your voice heard and be sure to get some questions into our weekly mailbag.
With the launch of Canucks Insider, comes a sit-down interview with Canucks General Manager Patrik Allvin.
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Patrik Allvin’s office is tidy but don't let that fool you.
It can be hectic between those four walls.
He bolsters a phone that rings in a similar cadence to a snooze button. Every nine minutes, there’s a jingle.
And if you raise your voice to a level that is frowned upon in a library, you can reach any of Jim Rutherford, Cammi Granato, Émilie Castonguay or Ryan Johnson. The management staff is in sync, and that is key at this point in the season.
Even as the trade market is giving off a quiet vibe ahead of the deadline, there’s a bounty of activity in those offices along with a side of patience for what’s to come in the ensuing days ahead.
"We've seen it so tight in the league,” said Allvin. “There are so many teams that don't really know if they're in or out and I think that might affect things over the next week. I think teams will know in the next couple of games and see what direction they're going. And I think that the market price always seems to be a little bit higher right now. We'll see.”
Allvin is scouting the market, making calls and checking in on how he can upgrade his team and what the cost could be.
All the while, in his back pocket, he feels confident about players down on the farm being able to come up and contribute from a depth role on a playoff team.
As the GM, Allvin’s job is to see the bigger picture and he is working on understanding the ups and downs of this group. Being 60 games into the season has given him a good idea of what this team can be come playoff time. While Allvin remains active in keeping tabs on who may or may not be available, he feels confident about players like Linus Karlsson, Vasily Podkolzin, Aatu Räty and Max Sasson being able to provide depth to the Vancouver Canucks in the playoffs if the team needs a role player.
The trade deadline can bring big changes to a lineup, and how the hockey club is performing heading into March 8th dictates the decision made on that day and the days before the deadline. Allvin likes the look of his three all-star centres being spread out in the top-nine and that gives him a different look as early March approaches.
“It's a little bit back and forth, depending on some of the performances and some injury-related stuff and who's available and who's not available,” said Allvin about his approach to the trade deadline. “The same thing goes with the coaches. On Saturday, they put Miller, Petey, Lindholm and Blueger at centre and I liked that a lot. So then, what are the potential line combinations and where would be an area of improvement if something was available? I think that's for me to get a feel from the coaches and then asking questions to my management staff here about what kind of players are out there for that said position.”
As much as the trade deadline can be exciting to partake in, Allvin doesn’t want to make a move for the sake of just making a move. He is proud of what Abbotsford is doing with the development of their players and believes in the staff down the highway.
A group that is headed by Jeremy Colliton and Ryan Johnson with support from Daniel and Henrik Sedin as well as the rest of the Abbotsford coaching staff.
“Podkolzin is playing really well, Karlsson is playing really well, Räty is playing really well, Sasson is playing well, and I think those guys are in conversations every time we talk about potential call-ups,” said Allvin. “Then, you’ve got to be able to put those guys in a position to succeed and have good timing on that. It’s a big discussion for myself and RJ.”
Allvin sees NHL-calibre players on their AHL roster.
The development staff and coaches in Abbotsford are pleased with the growth in their young players. The staff provide the structure but the players put in the work.
From speaking with the Abby staff and Allvin, this is what the group is seeing for development.
Podkolzin has grown his confidence in his offensive game and is near the top of the AHL with 3.6 shots on net per game.
Räty continues to develop into a top penalty-killing, two-way centre for Abbotsford. Räty has also picked up eight points over his last five games (4g-4a).
Sasson is a pure centre who skates with pace and seems to fit on any line.
Karlsson has completely rebuilt his game in North America and is tough in the corners as well as the crease after being a half-wall power play sniper in his years of pro hockey in Sweden.
“Ryan Johnson should be proud,” said Allvin. “To see some of the guys graduating like what we did with Nils Höglander did last year. Nils trusted RJ. It wasn't easy to be sent down, but he trusted the process and we’re now starting to see the same with Podkolzin. We're seeing a lot of development from Sasson as well. Max trusted our message to start in the American League last year because it will set him up better for this year. We're also seeing good growth with Räty and his two-way game."
Allvin calls Johnson his right-hand man and though he knew about him, he didn’t know the person who Johnson is when Allvin took the job with the Canucks. The care and understanding of development have impressed Allvin and their relationship has grown over the years of working together.
As much as the games before March 8th can affect a team’s decisions at the deadline, the Canucks are seeing how they can navigate adversity. That adversity isn’t changing Allvin’s thoughts on this team and he was somewhat excited to see how his head coach was going to work his team out of a four-game losing streak.
The takeaway from Allvin was simple.
“The standard has been raised here,” he said when looking back on the longest losing streak of the season. “Our expectation is to win every game and we know that's hard.”
“We had two games in the losing streak against Minnesota and Seattle where I didn't like our performance. Tocc addressed the team and it was great to see the response against Boston. We played Canucks hockey; we played fast, we played to our staples and when we do those things, we're a really good team."
As for the connection between the general manager and head coach, the duo builds their relationship on respect, trust and being process-driven. Though the two don’t agree on everything, at the end of the day, with the guidance of Jim Rutherford, the goal is to create the best opportunity for the players on the ice to come away with two points at the end of every game.
“If there are any issues, what I really respect about Rick is how he attacks it, or he deals with it right away,” said Allvin. “There are no gray areas and the players know his door is always open and he's finding ways to communicate and build the partnership and trust with the players and I think that's where I have so much respect for Tocc. It's why I felt that he was a great fit for us – the way he communicates with the players.”
Something that management speaks about with the coaching staff is that winning is hard and that’s why this team has spent no time being satisfied. Allvin is pleased with his staff remaining hungry for more no matter the challenge presented to them this season. The coaches bring the same energy and buy-in every day and that’s where the process-driven focus helps keep everyone aligned.
“You want growth from game one to 82,” said Allvin. “You are trying to set yourself up through those adversities and learn from how you handle it. Then, when you are actually coming down to the last month, you want to have it ramped up so you're even more prepared mentally and physically for the next challenge."
Another part of our conversation was about 2022 first-round pick, Jonathan Lekkerimäki.
If you’re unaware, the 19-year-old winger just scored his 17th goal in the SHL, was named MVP of the World Junior Championships in January and is developing his two-way game in preparation for the jump to North America.
Allvin wants Lekkerimäki to develop in Abbotsford but there might be a yellow with blue-coloured crowns speed bump keeping him from coming later this season.
Lekkerimäki’s strong play has to have caught the eye of Sweden’s World Championships team, and that would be a good opportunity to play with and against NHL-calibre players while representing his country as a rare U20 player at the tournament.
“If he doesn't make the World Championship team, the plan is to get him over here to start working with him in Abbotsford as soon as possible,” said Allvin. “Mikael Samuelsson has done a great job building the relationship with Jonathan over the year in Sweden there. Scott Young was just over there the other week and watched him in a couple of games and was really impressed.”
Scoring goals is the thing that pops from Lekkerimäki but Allvin has liked the way he’s grown his two-way game over the past year. Allvin sees a maturing teenager who learned a lot about being a pro since the Canucks drafted him in the summer of 2022. He also views the development path for Lekkerimäki being something that the Canucks are extremely confident in. With Daniel and Henrik Sedin assisting in Abbotsford, the transition to North American hockey is something that Allvin is ready to see from Lekkerimäki.
“For us, the expectations are to protect him and for us to teach him,” said Allvin on Lekkerimäki’s upcoming transition to North America. “It's a different game here. The ice surface and structures are quite different, but some players are quick to adapt, and some might take a little bit longer. One thing is for sure, as a whole organization, we're very excited to get him over here.”
One final topic we discussed was the NHL arrival of Arshdeep Bains.
Allvin has been impressed with the local kid but blown away by the fan base coming together to support this Surrey-born Bains.
“That’s the great part of the fan base, they are all for the local guy like Bainsy,” said Allvin.
The GM praises Bains’ work ethic and has seen a similar type of work ethic to a player Allvin watched develop.
“I think guys like Arshdeep Bains and Teddy Blueger respect the game a lot, they don't take anything for granted, they want to be part of a good team and they know what it takes to have the passion to get to the next level,” he said. “I think that's where Abbotsford is doing a great job in creating the culture that nothing is for granted. You're going to earn it and if you're going to work hard at it, you’re going to get rewarded if you trust and believe the process.”
“Bains was undrafted in the Western Hockey League, undrafted in the NHL and just continued to love the game and continues to want to be better every day. He’s clearly taken advantage of the resources we have in the organization. It's all the credit to Bainsy, he’s done it right.”
We are just over a week away from the trade deadline and Allvin is keeping busy on the phones making sure he is ready if the right deal presents itself to improve the team.
For now, it’s still day-to-day. It’s still about structure. It’s still about pillars. It’s all process-driven focus for the Canucks from the president to the healthy scratches.
Alignment is key and the Canucks’ general manager believes that the most important game is the next one. That’s his focus and that’s the way this organization operates.
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Thanks for checking out our launch article for Canucks Insider.
We will be back on Friday with our first Friday Feature of the season which will be written by myself (Chris Faber) as well as Lindsey Horsting, who will be a big part of Canucks Insider.
Our Rinkside Reporter Kate Pettersen is going to assist with her work on the road with the team as well as adding to the social media presence for our new account.
Be sure to follow @CanucksInsider on Instagram and Twitter.
