A former Vancouver Canuck has chimed in with his opinion on what the organization should do as they transition toward a rebuild.

Max Lapierre joined David Quadrelli and Harman Dayal on Canucks Conversation earlier in the week and preached that patience is the key in what projects to be a lengthy process before the team turns the corner back to Championship contention, using the Montreal Canadiens as an example:

“Just patience,” Lapierre said. “Here in Montreal, the last few years, it’s Ivan Demidov, Juraj Slafkovsky, Cole Caufield, Lane Hutson, when they were making a mistake on the ice, they don’t just go sit down for the rest of the game. They’re there the next shift. It doesn’t matter [if they’re] minus-2, minus-3, as long as you have effort. Mistakes happen when you’re young.”

On top of this, Lapierre made it a point to mention that while having the proper players to build around is key, it’s the veterans you surround that young talent with that is just as important:

“Then, the veteran players. You’re rebuilding, and you know you’re not going to get players with a big salary [in free agency] for the future right now. But all your young players are going to deal with [these guys] on a daily basis for the next two, three years; these guys are super important. [In Montreal] we had guys like David Savard, Mike Matheson, Brendan Gallagher that stayed here. It was easy to try and get rid of [Gallagher] because he’s at the end of his career, he’s slowed down a little bit. But the reality of it is that Brendan Gallagher is heart and soul [guy], respect for the logo, [who] realizes what it means to play for the Montreal Canadiens.

“You need to keep these guys around. You need good veterans. They accept that they aren’t going to have the same ice time, and they accept that maybe it’s not their time anymore, but they’re just here to help the organization, taking these kids to the right spot.

During Lapierre’s three-year stint in Vancouver, it also aligned with the three years Abbotsford Canucks Head Coach Manny Malhotra spent playing for the Canucks organization.

The conversation switched to Malhotra, with Dayal saying that some fans are hoping he could be the next head coach in Vancouver if there is a change this offseason. Lapierre quickly chimed in to say, “I hope for you guys!” before going in-depth on what it was like being Malhotra’s teammate, and his success at the professional level so early in his coaching career:

“Just a student of the game,” Lapierre shared about his former teammate. “He wouldn’t accept just finishing the game and going home. He would look at the clips; what he could improve, what could his line improve. You know, some guys just arrive to the rink two hours before, they get ready, they’re focused, they play their game. But with Manny, it was always a good long discussion after morning skate to see what the plan is tonight, which faceoff plays we’re going to use, what are we going to do if your stick breaks in the defensive zone.

“Every single detail was discussed as a line. And then he would just go on the ice, and everybody would be on the same page. It would take 15-20 minutes over a coffee. Just that little thing would take you to the next level.”

You can watch the full Lapierre segment on Canucks Conversation below!

And be sure to check out the first episode of Lapierre’s new show, Hockey with an Accent, premiered on Wednesday live on YouTube, below! The first episode featured guest appearances from Kevin Bieksa, Scott Gomez, Rick Nash, PK Subban, Mathieu Darche, and more! Subscribe on YouTube by clicking here. The show is also available wherever you get your podcasts.