Inside the Canucks' deadline decisions, and looking ahead to the offseason: Catching up with Patrik Allvin

MANALAPAN, Florida — When he sat down with The Athletic at the exact same table oceanside a year ago, Patrik Allvin had a more enjoyable Vancouver Canucks season to dissect.

Which led us to the first question in this sit-down Monday, after Day 1 of the NHL GM meetings: Where does the Canucks general manager start in summarizing the 2024-25 season so far?

“Yeah, it’s definitely been an interesting one,” said Allvin, a Canucks ball cap protecting him from the sun. “When you talk about the start, Dakota Joshua getting diagnosed with testicular cancer and not having a starting goalie for training camp — adversity right away there. Or top center J.T. Miller taking a leave of absence. Filip Hronek going down (from late November to mid-January).

“I don’t want to use any of it as excuses because every team has faced adversity, but it was definitely a challenge and certainly some new situations for a fairly young team with the expectations going up this year. In saying that, sitting where we are right now and still competing for a playoff spot, I think there’s also been a lot of good stories around our team.”

Throw in the Miller-Elias Pettersson saga, which led to a Miller trade on Jan. 31, and yes, there’s been enough drama in Vancouver to sink some teams, but the glass-half-full take for sure is that somehow the Canucks could still make the playoffs.

“Great stories with Kevin Lankinen, Kiefer Sherwood having a heck of a year, Jake DeBrusk is going to have another solid year points-wise, the growth of some of the younger players, and the fact that we want to be in a situation where we’re fighting for a playoff spot,” Allvin said.

Still, being a bubble team at the trade deadline always makes choosing a route forward rather complicated.

Patrik Allvin at the 2024 NHL Draft. (Bruce Bennett / Getty Images)

The Canucks did trade Carson Soucy, whose place in the lineup had fallen off, but chose in the end to retain their biggest chip, pending unrestricted free agent Brock Boeser, which came down to a lukewarm trade market and Allvin’s price not being met. They’ve also been unable to extend the winger.

“Soucy had been great for us, but at that point with young Pettersson (the defenseman Elias) and (Victor) Mancini taking steps, he was more the odd man out,” Allvin said. “And regarding Boeser, he’s a good player. He had a point per game last year in the playoffs. He had 40 goals last year. He’s been fairly consistent over the years and unfortunately, I couldn’t get what I felt was fair market value for him (at the deadline).”

So the Canucks were more than comfortable hanging onto Boeser for the playoff chase.

“And I would still say there’s conversations if there is a way to make it fit for both parties, maybe there is an extension,” Allvin added.

As our Canucks writer, Thomas Drance, wrote in his post-deadline analysis, the decision to hold onto Boeser and the team’s other pending UFAs can’t be fully judged until we know how the season ends. Do they miss or make the playoffs, and if they do make it, do they impress in the first round or get overmatched?

Hard to really gauge it all in the here and now — sitting as of Tuesday morning in a four-team dead heat for the West’s second wild-card spot.

But it’s also fair to point out, other bubble teams faced the same dilemma. The Montreal Canadiens in the East decided to hold onto their pending UFAs, as well, which so far has been well received by the players there, who wanted that to happen as they attempt to make the postseason. The St. Louis Blues and Calgary Flames were fairly quiet at the deadline in the West, as well.

But again, on Boeser especially, the Canucks weren’t going to give him away regardless.

“You can read the market and set the price, or you think what the market value is for Brock Boeser, but unfortunately teams had different opinions, and that’s where we ended up,” Allvin said.

Elias Pettersson the center also stayed put, which was not surprising. The Canucks hoped that dealing Miller would get No. 40 in a better place. It’s continued to be a struggle of a season for Pettersson, but there are signs of life lately with three goals and six points in his past four games.

“I give him credit,” Allvin said. “When he addressed the media a couple of weeks ago and took ownership of it, I think that was a big step for him. He understands what he needs to work on. This league is a humbling league. Every day is an opportunity to get better. When you figure that out, you see the results. Lately, you can tell that he’s been working on his game, and the results are coming.

“We all know there’s a whole other level of his talent level to reach, but I think he understands what he needs to be in order to get back there.”

Pettersson has a full no-move clause that kicks in July 1, ahead of the remaining seven years of a contract paying him $11.6 million per season. How significant is July 1 for the Canucks on that front?

“He earned it in the negotiations to have that protection kick in July 1, but the indication is that he wants to be in Vancouver,” Allvin said. “He’s expressed it several times. He wants to work to get better, and I do believe he still has ways to find his potential to be an impactful player for us.”

The Miller trade did bring in Filip Chytil, but it still remains an organizational priority this offseason to seek out another age-appropriate center.

“Yeah, definitely we’ll do that in the offseason, whether that’s through trade or free-agent signing,” Allvin said.

Thatcher Demko’s health struggles have also been a big part of the story this season, as noted above.

“Obviously, I feel for Thatcher — he’s such a competitive and good goalie in the league,” Allvin said. “It’s been a tough 12 months for him. I know he’s in good spirits here. He trusts our medical staff, and he’s built a really good relationship with them.

“He’s on the ice, I’m just hoping he’s going to come back and help us down the stretch.”

The silver lining is that Demko’s absence opened a door for Lankinen, who has been a tremendous story in goal. But when the Canucks extended Lankinen after the 4 Nations break, it also opened the door to speculation about whether the Canucks could afford to keep both Demko and Lankinen on the cap past this season.

“I do think there’s room,” Allvin said. “Again, I have a lot of respect for Thatcher, and he’s got another year on his contract. And I believe if you look around the league and see what teams are allocating to goalies, I still think there’s a good chance for us to keep both of them.”

Captain Quinn Hughes has been an absolute warrior gutting it out this season.

“Very impressed,” Allvin said. “I see improvement in his maturity every year in how much he works on his game daily to get better. The preparation and how he wants to do well for the team and how he wants to carry the team. And that’s where it’s a fine line of protecting yourself and taking a rest. I mean, he wants to be on the ice all the time. I have a lot of respect for him.”

Head coach Rick Tocchet is on an expiring deal, although there’s a team option for next season attached to it. What does the future hold for the Canucks and the reigning Jack Adams Award winner?

“Well, I think Rick Tocchet has done an impressive job under the circumstances here (this season),” Allvin said. “He’s well-liked by the players. He’s a great communicator and also (has the) ability to hold guys accountable. We have a club option (on Tocchet’s contract). But I sure hope that he’s going to be part of this organization moving forward. That’s a conversation that I hope we’ll get to the finish line here sooner rather than later.”

So, we’ll see where that one goes. As always, it should be an intriguing offseason in Vancouver. But first thing’s first: A playoff chase remains.

A year after the Canucks were a terrific surprise story in reaching the second round, it’s been topsy-turvy, to say the least. So which version of the team best reflects the reality of the franchise? Where does Allvin feel this team is, all things being equal?

“Fair question,” Allvin said. “(President of hockey operations) Jim Rutherford said last year at the first press conference that if everything goes right we have a chance to be a playoff team. And obviously everything went right, we didn’t have a lot of injuries or adversity.

“I still think we’re in the building phase. I was reading recently that we’re the fifth-youngest roster. I do think a lot of guys last year, it was the first time for them playing in the postseason. Expectations go up in Vancouver, pressure comes with it, and now we get more respect and therefore every game is harder. So the next level for the team is: How do you prepare yourself for that in the offseason and even during the season?

“I’m still excited about some of the areas that we have improved on this year.”

And again, to fully answer that question, we await how this drama-filled season for Vancouver finishes this spring. There’s more to be told about the Canucks’ 2024-25 season.

(Top photo of Brock Boeser and Elias Pettersson: Elsa / Getty Images)