Following the Vancouver Canucks‘ second in-season trade of the season, General Manager Patrik Allvin addressed the media on Monday morning regarding the trade of Kiefer Sherwood.

“[It was a] Tough one,” Allvin shared. “Kiefer Sherwood has been a great addition here for our team for two years. We brought him in there when he was in Nashville, and I told him that coming here [would] definitely give him the resources to work on his game, and we believed in him as a player, and I think he’s taken tremendous steps here over a few years. [He’s a] well-liked player on the ice, well-liked person in the community, and he’s going to be missed.

“Where we are, we were trying to work on an extension since the summer. I respect Kiefer and his point of view, where he is in his life, and he earned it and deserved to get paid, but that wasn’t the term where we were comfortable going. That being said, he’s going to be missed, and he’s a great person.”

In return for the 30-year-old winger, the Canucks netted two second-round picks, one in 2026 and one in 2027 – both San Jose’s selections – and 25-year-old defenceman Cole Clayton. Fans in the market will be upset seeing a fan favourite in Sherwood traded, but it’s the first step toward a brighter future for Vancouver.

“We were looking to accumulate more draft capital for this year, and also moving forward is important with the rebuilding and going a little bit younger,” Allvin said. “We felt, with respect to Kiefer and his family and where his situation is, if we were happy with or pleased with the return, we felt we weren’t gonna just sit and wait for something else. At this point, we felt that this was the best for the Canucks.”

That said, Allvin noted that they aren’t done here. There are more moves coming for the Canucks in the near future.

“I do expect more,” Allvin stated. “If you look around the league, it’s just starting to pick up a little bit more. [With] how tight it is out east, I would imagine there is going to be some more transactions coming.

“[We] definitely need to keep players around. I don’t want to see what happened here the other night, losing six nothing. It’s not good for anyone. It’s not good for the fans. It’s not good for the players. That’s not something I’m looking at. We’re extremely fortunate to have good veteran players here, good people, more so to teach our young guys. But again, I said it before, if it makes sense for us long term, we definitely look into it.”

With Sherwood now moving on to pursue a playoff push with the Sharks, a spot opens up for other young players to get their shot at the NHL level, not only for their growth, but also for the Canucks to see whether they are part of the team’s future. One of those players is 21-year-old Jonathan Lekkerimäki.

The young Swede played his way onto the team out of training camp this September. In Vancouver, Lekkerimäki scored one goal and one assist in eight games, but an injury against the Washington Capitals in October slowed that momentum, and he has been in the AHL with the Abbotsford Canucks since the beginning of December. He has been producing at that level – with seven goals and 12 points in 12 games – which is an encouraging sign for his development, and Allvin shared that Lekkerimäki is someone they want to see more from at the NHL level for the remainder of the season.

“Yeah, he’s been injured, he’s been sick. I thought he had a really good start up here, and we were really excited about it. We want to get him more games, being consistent down there, but he’s a guy that we’d like to see up here.”

The questioning crept off the path of the Sherwood trade and steered itself toward Head Coach Adam Foote. It hasn’t been the greatest inaugural season for Foote as a head coach at the NHL level. The Canucks are currently on a 10-game losing streak and are dead last in the NHL by seven points. There’s no proof that the players have turned on their coach yet, but the growing frustration on the bench is starting to rear its ugly head.

Fans may not be happy with the job Foote has done so far, but is management satisfied?

“I am satisfied with the way they’re working. I think it’s hard to really evaluate how we’re playing. There is pockets, and there are stretches where we were playing really well. There was a stretch of seven weeks in November, late November to early January, when our penalty kill was really good, but that was based on having your goalie, and you’re fairly healthy.

“With [Marco] Rossi or [Filip] Chytil in the lineup, I think we’re 9-5. So it’s hard. And again, you’re putting some of the younger players up in the lineup; they’re playing heavier matchups; they’re playing more minutes than they ever have, and that’s where you break through, you [make] a mistake, and then you duplicate the mistake the next shift because the pressure comes on. I think that’s not fair to the young players, but I know the one thing the players in there and the coaches, they really care. I don’t think they’re happy winning four home games. They want to provide winning hockey for our fans.

“I know that the coaches are working really hard with the players, and I do believe that when we have played good, we’re playing extremely fast. I think that’s something that I’m looking at and watching; the underlying numbers have been better. That being said, when you’re not winning, it doesn’t really matter. But I do trust the coaching staff and Adam Foote.”

Allvin also provided updates on the laundry list of injuries the team is currently dealing with – some good news, and some bad news.

Thatcher Demko: “He’s still getting further evaluated here and some testing. Once we have more information, I will give you guys more updates, but I don’t have an updated status here as of today. … I think they’re taking opinions from other resources around the world to see where his status is, and what needs to be done or not. So I’m sure we’ll know more here, hopefully by the end of the week.”

Marco Rossi: “When we traded for him, he had an injury, and it’s a lower-body injury, and at this point, too, we want to be a little bit cautious and not force him back. He’s back skating, so I would imagine that if he’s not ready prior to the break, he will be back right after the break.”

Teddy Blueger: “I think Teddy Blueger is getting really close. I don’t know if he’s a game-time decision today [vs. the New York Islanders].

Filip Chytil: “Chytil is getting closer. …  [But] You feel for a guy like that; what he’s gone through, and how passionate he is about the game and making sure that our medical staff and our support staff here is helping him, and we’re not forcing him in any regard. He’s taking his time, and obviously you’ve got to be putting players safety first when it comes to that. Those are the conversations that [I’ve] had with Fil over the last couple of months as well. He’s in a really good headspace here, and he’s making progress, and he’s excited to come back and play.”

Lastly, Allvin was asked about Derek Forbort and if he would be out for the remainder of the season:

Derek Forbort: “Yeah… and it’s sad because it’s more so a setback to a previous injury. And when we took him out there, honestly, it was just for a day to rest. Then he ended up having an injection, and that flared up. He’s been trying. There is a small chance that he might be back, but I don’t count on it for now.”

You can watch Allvin’s full availability here: