"I Do Think We Are Always Looking To Improve:" Canucks GM Speaks On The State Of The Team

No one could have predicted what the Vancouver Canucks’ last-minute press conference could have discussed on Monday morning. During the near 20-minute discussion, Canucks General Manager Patrik Allvin touched on possible trades in the near future, the state of his team, and more mid-season talking points.

Many assumed that the conference would allow a little more insight into the ongoing buzz around J.T. Miller. Management decided a change was needed after Vancouver’s second embarrassing loss of the week, a 5–1 defeat at the hands of the L.A. Kings. Per CHEK TV’s Rick Dhaliwal, the Canucks organization decided six weeks ago that one of Miller or Elias Pettersson wouldn’t be staying with Vancouver long-term. Trade rumours hit an all-time high on Saturday when the Hartford Wolf Pack, the New York Rangers’ AHL affiliate, scratched three of their players possibly in preparation for a call-up. It was later revealed that there was a very high chance Miller could have been dealt that day, but the deal fell through semi last-minute due to issues on the Rangers’ end. Despite this, Dhaliwal insists this move was not initiated by Miller’s camp.

Trade rumours have since persisted, with Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman citing the interests of the Carolina Hurricanes as well as the Rangers. He also noted that efforts from the Dallas Stars and New Jersey Devils have cooled.

When asked about a possible move, Allvin kept things tight-lipped, avoiding naming any particular players that could get moved in the coming weeks.

“I always try to explore making our team better in discussions and see if it makes sense or not,” he said during Monday’s last-minute press conference.

With rumours of an incoming trade, Allvin was sure to specify that they haven’t made a clear decision on anything quite yet. “I’m not going to go in and comment on any specific names or anything,” he said. “My job is always to listen to see what makes this club better today, tomorrow, and for the future.

“I don’t think we have any target dates or anything like that,” he added regarding early trades the organization has made in previous years. “With the injuries we had leading up to this point, I’ve obviously been very active and seeing if there are any players out there that could have come in and helped us. Unfortunately, we haven’t been able to facilitate any additions to our staff, but saying that, we also have seen a lot of younger players from Abbotsford, which has been a great sign for the organization.”

Regarding Canucks forward Brock Boeser, he also noted that the team is “still evaluating him,” citing that they will make a decision on his future with Vancouver “when the time is right.”

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The Canucks GM also spoke on the noise surrounding Miller and Pettersson for the past couple of months. “It’s very unfortunate,” he said. “I feel bad for a lot of players, when you’re reading some rumors out there. I’m proud of the guys, that they’re capable of blocking a lot of noises out and just going out and playing. We want to create an environment where they feel safe and trusted. And I think the players have galvanized and played extremely, extremely well under the circumstances.

“I don’t want to comment on any individual, specific players here. I was really pleased with JT’s performance here Saturday night. I thought he was excellent against McDavid and Draisaitl. There is something going around in our dressing room, a couple guys are under the weather, and we’ll see how many guys step on the ice here at noon.”

While he was relatively hush on trade matters, Allvin was very complimentary of his players' loyalties to the team. This comes after Saturday night's 3-2 win over the Edmonton Oilers.

“It’s an intriguing group, the core here. They’re committed to playing here, they’re committed to working towards getting back up to the level they’re capable of. And I do still believe that we have a good core,” Allvin stated. “I do think we're always looking to improve. But again, when we're healthy and the players perform to the level of what they're capable of, I believe we have a good team. Going back to what Jim Rutherford said, I believe last year he said, if everything goes right, we have a we have a playoff team."

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