Q&A with Canucks GM Patrik Allvin: On winning, Pettersson, and practice habits

PENTICTON, B.C. — During a dinner out in Nashville last April between Games 3 and 4 of the Vancouver Canucks’ first-round playoff series against the Predators, Canuck coach Rick Tocchet began talking about training camp in September.

According to general manager Patrik Allvin, who sat across the table from Tocchet, that’s how long the organization has been preparing for elevated expectations and higher standards this season, and making sure last year’s 109-point breakthrough was not a one-off.

In a sitdown interview with Sportsnet during the Canucks’ Young Stars tournament in Penticton, B.C., on the weekend, Allvin said he sees no signs of complacency from players about last season’s success.

He talked about practising better, the scope of off-season changes, getting more from Elias Pettersson, waiting to start negotiations on new contracts for Brock Boeser — and Tocchet — and, of course, who we’re all talking about ahead of the opening of training camp here Thursday: goalie Thatcher Demko.

Our interview has been edited slightly for clarity and brevity.

Sportsnet: Winning can be as challenging to deal with as losing. Are you concerned about how your team will handle success?

Allvin: The good thing with the group of coaches and the players we have here is that we are never satisfied. We always want to push forward. Toc and Sergei Gonchar and myself were going for dinner between Game 3 and Game 4 in Nashville, and Toc started to talk about training camp, the preparation. He was eager, like, 'What should we implement in training camp next year?' That was between Games 3 and 4.  I think we're always trying to stay ahead of things and always trying to find areas how we can improve and get better. I think as a team we took a step last year, but I don't think we're satisfied where we ended. So I think the players are hungry and they want more.

Sportsnet: You’ve won Stanley Cups as a manager. Rick Tocchet, Sergei Gonchar and Adam Foote have won Stanley Cups. But many of your players had never played Stanley Cup playoff games in front of fans before last season. Is there a risk that they think the hardest part is over?

Allvin: I sure hope not. I do believe that our coaching staff will stay on top of it, and I think they've done a great job during the summer being in touch with the players and communicating and sending messages and stuff. I sure don't feel that we have that kind of group here.”

Sportsnet: You signed six players in free agency, including four wingers to help scoring, depth and balance. Was this more turnover than you expected from a 50-win team?

Allvin: When individual players are part of a team's success, then obviously their stocks are rising. Some of them are obviously getting paid, which they deserve. We tried to keep some of the players that walked away. But I also felt that we, as a staff, had our vision set on what we needed to address, and who our target players were in free agency.

Sportsnet: You certainly seemed to get the players you wanted on July 1, starting with winger Jake DeBrusk. Will the new guys keep the atmosphere fresh at camp and perhaps ensure there is no complacency?

Allvin: I definitely think so. Just after signing those players, when I talked to Petey (Pettersson) and J.T. Miller and Quinn (Hughes) and updated them on the signings, I think they were excited about it. The players we brought in, they expressed heavily their interest in coming to Vancouver and playing for the Canucks, playing for Toc. They acknowledged the style that we played would fit their style (and help them) take the next step, too.

Sportsnet: Hughes won the Norris Trophy and Filip Hronek had a breakthrough season on defence, Miller had 103 points, Brock Boeser scored 40 goals and Thatcher Demko was a runner-up for the Vezina. Among your core players, is Elias Pettersson, after his difficult second half last year, the X-factor for this season?

Allvin: I definitely need him back to another level, which he's capable of. We all know that. I think he's extremely hungry to show that. You know, he's a proud person and player, and I'm pretty sure that he has set his individual goal and mindset at a different level here. I think he's really eager to come back and show everyone that he's capable of playing consistently.

Sportsnet: Were you surprised how much he struggled last spring, especially after signing his $92.8-million extension?

Allvin: I don't know if I was surprised. But, you know, the contract negotiations were hanging over him … and could maybe see it was a little bit of relief after that. Maybe he took his foot off the gas a little bit. But I also think for a lot of the players, this was really their first time playing in the playoffs with 18,000 fans, and travelling, and how hard (playoff games are). It's different. I believe every single member of that core you talked about will come back and even push to another level. Same with Quinn, I think he can learn from some of the things that he dealt with during the playoffs to become a better player.

Sportsnet: In our first conversation after you became GM in January, 2022, you talked about the Canucks needing better practice habits. Tocchet told us this weekend that the core players have to step up in practice. Is this still an issue?

Allvin: I believe in order to become a better team, our practice habits still need to get to another level consistently. And I think that's where Toc and his staff are working hard with the players, the understanding.

Sportsnet: But the players have to take ownership of this, don’t they? It can’t always be about the coach pushing them?

Allvin: Absolutely, absolutely. On the good teams, the best players are the best players every single day. That's how you become a good team.

Sportsnet: How much contact did you have with Pettersson over the summer?

Allvin: I checked in with him a couple times. He's very excited, very positive. He came into Vancouver early and wanted to be part of the group (for captain's skates) and get to know the new players. He was extremely eager.

Sportsnet: We’re all hoping for news this week about Thatcher Demko’s status. But clearly, things haven’t gone as you envisioned when you told reporters on July 1 that his recovery from a knee injury was progressing and Demko shouldn’t require any further medical procedures. What do you know about his readiness for camp?

Allvin: I will know more here in the next couple days when they have their medicals and we see if he's ready to go or not. Again, he was to be medically cleared for the next potential round (had we beaten Edmonton in Round 2 in May). That being said, it's one thing when you're medically cleared and one thing when the coach feels you're ready to go. But Thatcher was supposed to be medically cleared.

Sportsnet: Has his status been keeping you awake at night?

Allvin: I mean, he's a big part of our team, obviously. We need him to be healthy. I think my job, again, is to look at every position and try to be ahead of things.

Sportsnet: Are you still watching the NHL market to see if another goalie becomes available?

(Editor’s note: The Canucks announced Sunday night that goalie Dylan Ferguson would be at training camp on a PTO).

Allvin: We want to have six goalies at camp here. That's our goal. So if some of them are not ready to go, we will add another goalie. Toc wants to have two groups (for camp), A and B, and then kind of a younger C group.

Sportsnet: How important is it to preserve the little bit of salary-cap flexibility you finally have and not start another season shackled by Long Term Injured Reserve?

Allvin: Operating in long-term injury reserve, it's hard. It was hard last year. At this point, we have different ideas and different options to stay out of it.

Sportsnet: Will it be tempting to spend that money before the season if another NHL player you like — say, a goalie — becomes available?

Allvin: We're happy where we are right now. As always, if something comes up. . . we'll definitely look into the options. But once you get into LTIR, once you set the roster, basically that's what you have.

Sportsnet: Is it still the organization’s plan to wait until after this season to re-sign your coach?

Allvin: We have a club option for next year. I think with the relationship we have (with Tocchet) and the trust we have and the communication, I think when the time is right for both of us, and then obviously the ownership, we'll look into that.

Sportsnet: What about Boeser, who is in the final year of his contract?

Allvin: Brock, first and foremost, we're really pleased to see him trending towards being cleared and healthy here (after developing blood clots during the playoffs). And I'm glad for him that everything has gone well. That being said, I'm expecting him to continue where he finished off last year, find the consistency and play good hockey for us. I have a good relationship with his agent, Ben Hankinson, and we'll see when the time is right.

Sportsnet: But you have to make a decision before the trade deadline, right?

Allvin: Yeah.

Sportsnet: With all that has happened, does it feel like you’ve been on the job longer than 2½ years?

Allvin: Absolutely.

Sportsnet: Are you farther ahead than you thought you would be?

Allvin: Good question. I think we as an organization have taken steps in the building process, getting the right people in, having a core, which makes it easier to then surround the players with … complementary players. I feel over the 2½ years, we have more depth, which I'm very pleased with. I don't think I really envisioned anything more than getting into the grind and just seeing how we can get there.

Sportsnet: Can you get to a Stanley Cup this season?

Allvin: I do think we are capable to challenge for the Stanley Cup, absolutely. But I'm going to use what (president of hockey operations) Jim Rutherford said last year: Everything needs to go right for us in order to be there. This year there's going to be a different expectation. The other teams are going to be ready to play the Vancouver Canucks from Day 1. So we better be up for the task, and we better be ready here starting on Thursday.